Name: Mongolian Beef
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4 people
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: ½ pound flank steak sliced thin against the grain*; 1 ½ tablespoons canola oil divided; 1 tablespoon sherry cooking wine; 1 teaspoon cornstarch; 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce plus 1 teaspoon; 1 tablespoon soy sauce; 2 cloves garlic minced; 4 whole dried chili peppers; 6 green onions cut into 2″ pieces; 2 teaspoons sesame seeds optional

This Mongolian Beef recipe is one of my favorite stir fry dishes. Thinly sliced flank steak, onions, chili peppers, and a rich sauce make for an easy and delicious weeknight dinner. It’s like having takeout made right at home!

Why this recipe works

Leftovers are never an issue with this Mongolian Beef recipe, but if you’re like me, you love it the next day for lunch! I’ll often double this recipe so I have some leftovers. It’s easily reheated in the microwave, but I’ve also enjoyed it cold.

I’ve been making stir fries for as long as I can remember. They’re actually quite good for you. Vegetables that are cooked quickly in a wok or hot skillet often retain more of their nutrients than boiling, roasting, or slow cooking. Mongolian Beef ranks right up there with my Chinese Pepper Steak, a top recipe in this house.

chop sticks holding a piece of mongolian beef

Ingredients you will need

Get all measurements, ingredients, and instructions in the printable version at the end of this post.

Ingredient Info and Substitution Suggestions

BEEF – Flank steak is my favorite cut of beef for stir fry recipes. It’s important to slice it really thin against the grain.

ADDITIONS – I use canola oil because it has a high smoke point, a neutral smell, and an affordable price tag. However, peanut oil has a lovely nutty flavor and a high smoke point, making it a great substitute. There are other oils with high smoke points besides canola a peanut oil. Other options include avocado oil, sesame oil, almond oil, corn oil, grapeseed oil, safflower oil, and sunflower oil. I use low-sodium soy sauce. If you are worried about carbs, Coconut Aminos is a great substitute. Sherry cooking wine is used here, but white cooking wine is a good substitute. I haven’t tried red cooking wine, but I’m sure it would work great.

How to Make Mongolian Beef

These step by step photos and instructions are here to help you visualize how to make this recipe. You can Jump to Recipe to get the printable version of this recipe, complete with measurements and instructions at the bottom.

Place beef in a bowl and add sherry cooking wine and cornstarch. Mix together and marinate for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a separate small dish mix together 2 tablespoons of the hoisin sauce and all of the soy sauce and set aside.
When beef is ready, add remaining 1 teaspoon of hoisin sauce and mix into beef.

Heat a tablespoon of the cooking oil in a wok or skillet over high heat. Add beef and stir fry for 2-3 minutes, or until no longer pink. Don’t cook too long or it will get tough! If it’s still a little pink, it’s okay.

Remove the beef to a bowl and return wok to the stove. Add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of oil to the wok and stir fry the garlic, chili peppers and green onion for 2-3 minutes.

Move the vegetables to one side of the wok, add beef to the other side. Pour the soy sauce mixture into the center and stir a little then combine beef, vegetables and sauce. Stir just a minute or so to combine and serve immediately over rice or thin noodles.

Frequently Asked Questions & Expert Tips

How do I store leftovers?

I would recommend storing any leftover Mongolian beef in airtight container kept in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. When reheating, either in the microwave or on the stovetop, add a small amount of water to loosen up the sauce.

plate of Mongolian Beef with chop sticks

Serving Suggestions

This recipe as written serves 3-4. You can double it if you have more guests or like leftovers like I do. It can be served over white or brown rice or thin rice noodles. If you love this sauce, you can use it as a base and create your own stir fry recipes by using different vegetables such as celery, sweet peppers, and water chestnuts. If you like, you can garnish the finished dish with sesame seeds.

More Stir Fry Recipes

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This recipe was originally published here on March 13, 2009.