Kitchen notes · a little help before you start
Mongolian Beef Recipe
Mongolian beef is a good plate for a hungry evening when a sweet, savory sauce sounds right. The beef has browned edges under that glossy coating, with green onion in each bite. Sit down while it is hot and give the sauce a chance to shine.
- Prep
- 10 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Total
- 25 min
- Original yield
- Serves 4
- Ingredients
- 9 listed
Make it part of your week
Recipe categories & planning details
- Meal type
- Dinner
- Cuisine
- Chinese · Asian
- Preparation & total time
- Prep: 15 minutes or less · Total: 30 minutes or less
A few quick notes
1. Coat the slices in the bag
Press the steak around in its bag with cornstarch until every slice is covered, then let it sit.
2. Shake away extra starch
Remove excess cornstarch before placing the beef in a single layer in the hot pan for its quick sear.
3. Use batches rather than crowding
Leave the slices room to sear, cooking separate batches if the pan cannot hold them without crowding.
Get to know the ingredients
Thin flank steak slices
Cut the steak across the grain into the listed quarter-inch pieces before adding it to the starch bag.
Packed dark brown sugar
The dark brown sugar goes into the pan with soy sauce and water after the brief garlic and ginger cook.
Green onion tops
Use only the green parts, cut into the listed long pieces, for the final brief cook in the thickened sauce.
Let’s make it
Choose your servings, then check things off as you go.
Original recipe: Serves 4. Original quantities shown.
Check ingredients as you prepare them. These checks stay on this page.
How to make it
0 of 11 steps completeMake room for Mongolian Beef Recipe
Review ingredients in your pantry before anything is added. Meal plans use your household size; grocery-only additions use the servings selected above.
The last little job
Green onion at the end
Stir the green onion through the coated beef for the last short cook, then serve immediately.
A little more help as you go
A little extra thickening is allowed
If needed, dissolve the listed extra cornstarch in cold water before adding it to the pan to thicken the sauce.
Aromatics cook very briefly
Ginger and garlic get only their short saute after the steak comes out, before the sauce liquids and sugar go in.
A few questions you might have
Do I add the beef before the sauce boils?
Let the soy sauce, water and brown sugar come to a boil first, then return the seared steak.
Should I stir starch directly into the sauce?
The optional extra thickener is dissolved in cold water first, then added to the pan if the sauce needs it.
Does the whole green onion go in?
The ingredient specifies the green parts only, cut into two-inch pieces and added for the final brief cook.
When is the beef removed from the pan?
Take it out after the first quick sear on both sides, then make the sauce before returning it.
Which soy sauce is listed?
Low-sodium light soy sauce is specified for the sauce, boiled with water and dark brown sugar after the aromatics.
Storage & reheating safety
For cooked, perishable leftovers, refrigerate within 2 hours (1 hour above 90°F), using shallow containers for prompt cooling. Keep the refrigerator at 40°F or below, use refrigerated leftovers within 3–4 days, and reheat hot leftovers to 165°F, checked with a food thermometer. Follow any shorter package limit.
These are general safety limits, not a tested storage or freezing recommendation for this particular dish. USDA leftovers guidance · Safe cooking temperatures
Recipe source: dinnerthendessert.com. Ingredient names and quantities may be adapted for the pantry.
Preparation notes follow the recipe shown here.
