You will absolutely love this delicious mongolian beef recipe that is easily prepared in less than 45 minutes. Juicy and tender with a sweet and spicy flavor, you might want to double down on the ingredients and make a second batch.
Deliciously Flavored Beef
This is a perfect dish to serve any day of the week. It goes well with other easy side dishes, so a full meal doesn’t take long to prepare. Fresh ginger and garlic combined with soy sauce and brown sugar, create the perfect sauce for your steak. This recipe is great for lunches and can be made ahead of time and stored in the fridge.
Recipe Ingredients
- 1 lb sirloin steak - uncooked and cut into thin strips (I used 1 lb which was 2 beef top sirloin steaks)
- ½ cup cornstarch
- ¼ cup canola oil - or avocado oil
- ½ cup of three bell peppers - ½ cup green, ½ cup yellow and ½ cup red, cut into thin strips
- ½ cup yellow onion - sliced into thin strips
- ¼ cup chopped green onions
Mongolian Beef Sauce Ingredients
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ½ cup water
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 3 garlic cloves - minced
- 1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger - or 1 tsp ginger powder
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
To Serve With
- Rice, noodles, mashed potatoes, tortilla wraps or lettuce (to make lettuce wraps)
How To Make Mongolian Beef
Full ingredients and instructions are also in the recipe card at the bottom of this blog post.
STEP ONE: Slice the 1 lb of steak into thin strips. Add the ½ cup cornstarch and sliced beef to a bowl. Toss everything together to evenly coat the beef. Shake off any excess cornstarch and add it to a plate.
STEP TWO: Heat the 2 Tbsp canola oil over medium-high heat. Add in ½ cup of each bell pepper (½ cup green, ½ cup yellow, ½ cup red), and ½ cup sliced yellow onion. Cook 4-6 minutes, until the edges turn a bit brown but aren't overcooked. Scoop these onto a plate, leaving the leftover oil in the pan.
STEP THREE: Now add another 2 Tbsp canola oil, and the 1 lb of beef in small batches, shaking off the excess cornstarch before you add it. Cook for 1 minute per side, then transfer to a plate. Add a bit more cooking oil if necessary while cooking all beef in small amounts at a time.
STEP FOUR: Once all beef is cooked add it to a plate lined with paper towel. Use a folded paper towel and spatula in the frying pan to soak up any excess oil. Leave any stuck-on pieces in the pan for flavor.
STEP FIVE: Add in the ½ cup soy sauce, ½ cup water, ⅓ cup brown sugar, 1 Tbsp freshly grated ginger, 3 minced garlic cloves and ¼ tsp red pepper flakes. Scrape off any cooked-on bits from the bottom of the pan using a silicone spatula. Cook for 1-2 minutes while stirring slowly the whole time.
STEP SIX: Add back in the beef and cooked vegetables and chopped green onion. Toss everything to coat evenly. Reduce the heat to low and cook 1-2 mins to thicken. Serve immediately.
Recipe Tips
- Cooking the beef in small batches will allow it to fry quickly. Beef should be cooked in a single layer with no touching. If too much is cooked at once, the pan will cool, and the beef will steam rather than fry.
- For a perfectly tender steak strip, try to fry the slices to medium rare. Then finish the cooking process in the sauce.
- Mongolian beef is typically made with a leaner cut which is easier to chew and more tender. But you can tenderize any cut of beef simply by marinating it for a few hours or overnight. Or using a meat tenderizer. Remove any excessive or hard-to-chew fat.
- Add some thinly sliced or julienned carrots, broccoli, or cauliflower. Mushrooms will also add more variety and flavor. Be sure to adjust your cooking times for softer vegetables.
- I used steak in this recipe, but pork or chicken will also be just as delicious. Cut the pork or chicken into thin strips as you would the steak. Both will take a bit longer to cook than steak will.
- You can serve this recipe on a bed of rice, with pasta noodles, mashed potatoes or in large pieces of lettuce to create lettuce wraps! This would also work with regular tortilla wraps.
Storing Leftovers
- Refrigerate – Cover any leftovers or store them in an airtight container for up to two days.
- To Freeze – You can prepare the sauce and freeze it in advance. If you have leftovers, seal them in an airtight container and freeze them for up to three months.
- To Reheat – Allow to thaw in the fridge overnight, and reheat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, or on the stovetop at medium-high while constantly stirring.
Tools For This Recipe
(Amazon affiliate links) – Check out all of my kitchen essentials here.
- Nonstick Frying Pan With Soft Touch Handle – Similar to the frying pan I used in the photos.
- Ninja NeverDull Premium Knife Set - A good quality knife set helps to slice the beef easily. This set comes with a built-in sharpener!
- Garlic Mincer - I consider a stainless steel garlic mincer essential to cooking at home in my kitchen. I use it every day!
- Silicon Spatula - Silicone spatulas prevent me from scratching up the surface of my frying pan. I love these silicone utensils set!
- Magnetic Measuring Spoons - I love these magnetic ones which stay nice and organized together when storing them
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Ingredients
- 1 lb sirloin steak - uncooked and cut into thin strips (I used 1 lb which was 2 beef top sirloin steaks)
- ½ cup cornstarch
- ¼ cup canola oil - or avocado oil
- ½ cup of three bell peppers - green, yellow and red, cut into thin strips
- ½ cup yellow onion - sliced into thin strips
- ¼ cup chopped green onions
- rice to serve - or noodles or lettuce wraps
Mongolian Beef Sauce Ingredients
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ½ cup water
- ⅓ cup brown sugar
- 3 garlic cloves - minced
- 1 Tbsp fresh grated ginger - or 1 tsp ginger powder
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
To Serve With
- rice, noodles or lettuce (to make wraps)
Instructions
- Slice the 1 lb of steak into thin strips. Add the ½ cup cornstarch and sliced beef to a bag and seal tightly. Toss everything together to evenly coat the beef.
- Heat the 2 Tbsp canola oil over medium high heat. Add in the ½ cup of each bell pepper, and ½ cup sliced yellow onion. Cook 4-6 minutes, until the edges turn a bit brown but aren't overcooked. Scoop theses onto a plate, leaving the leftover oil in the pan.
- Now add 2 Tbsp canola oil, and the 1 lb of beef in small batches, shaking off the excess cornstarch before you add it. Cook 1 minute per side, then transfer to a plate. Add a bit more oil if necessary while cooking all beef in small amounts at a time.
- Once all beef is cooked add it to a plate lined with paper towel. Use a folded paper towel and spatula in the frying pan to soak up any excess oil. Leave any stuck on pieces for flavor.
- Add in the ½ cup soy sauce, ½ cup water, ⅓ cup brown sugar, 1 Tbsp freshly grated ginger, 3 minced garlic cloves and ¼ tsp red pepper flakes. Scrape off any cooked on bits from the bottom of the pan using a silicone spatula. Cook 1-2 minutes while stirring slowly the whole time.
- Add back in the beef and cooked vegetables and chopped green onion. Toss everything to coat evenly. Reduce the heat to low and cook 1-2 mins to thicken.
- Scoop everything onto a bed of cooked rice, noodles or add to lettuce to create wraps. Serve immediately.
Recipe Notes:
- Refrigerate – Cover any leftovers or store them in an airtight container for up to two days.
- To Freeze – You can prepare the sauce and freeze it in advance. If you have leftovers, seal them in an airtight container and freeze them for up to three months.
- To Reheat – Allow to thaw in the fridge overnight, and reheat in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, or on the stovetop at medium-high while constantly stirring.
Nutrition Info
The nutritional information provided is an estimate and is per serving.
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