Chinese take-out always gets the best of us.
You’re tired when you come home from work and you have kids & husbands whining (haha) that they’re hungry.
What’s the easy thing to do? Pick up the phone and call take-out. I mean, I won’t lie, I’ve done it numerous times.
We have a bunch of Chinese take-out places near our house and some nights I’m like “screw it, let’s go get some.”
It happens, but you can’t let it happen one too many times!
It adds up in more ways than just your wallet!
Can this be made ahead of time?
Not really. The cornstarch will get mushy on the exterior of the beef if you prep it ahead of time.
You can make the sauce ahead of time, though.
I only have regular soy sauce
It may still taste okay, maybe a bit saltier. If you are sensitive to salt, I would just add more water to the sauce.
What are cornstarch alternatives?
Flour or arrowroot powder.
Is the dark brown sugar packed or loose?
I didn’t pack mine.
Can I use another type of protein?
If you don’t want to use beef, you can use chicken thighs, but this is called Mongolian beef for a reason!
Can I use another cut of beef?
Skirt steak or thinly sliced chuck would work.
My sauce isn’t thickening up
This could be because the heat isn’t high enough.
For cornstarch/flour/arrowroot powder to “activate,” the heat needs to be medium-high for it to thicken.
My sauce is super thick
You can add more water in to thin it out.
Other take-out favorites that you may enjoy:
Mongolian Beef
Ingredients
- Vegetable oil
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, minced
- 2 tbsp garlic, minced
- 1 cup low sodium soy sauce
- 1 cup water
- 1/3 cup dark brown sugar
- 2 pounds flank steak, sliced
- 1/2 cup cornstarch
- Green onions, sliced
Instructions
- In a small saucepot, over medium heat, add 2 tsp. of vegetable oil and sauté ginger and garlic until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the soy sauce, water, and brown sugar and stir to combine. Bring mixture to a boil and let boil for 3 minutes, then remove from heat and set aside.
- In a large bowl, toss sliced flank steak with cornstarch, shaking off the excess. Place in fridge for 10 minutes to allow coating to stick better on the beef.
- After 10 minutes, in a heavy bottom saucepan, over medium high heat, add 1/2 cup of vegetable oil and add the beef to the pan, in batches, to sear the outside on all sides, but barely cooked in the middle. Remove and let drain on paper towels as you finish up the rest of the beef. Pour out any excess oil in the saucepan.
- Place the saucepan back on the burner, but on medium heat, and pour in the sauce from earlier. It should come to a boil immediately. Add in the steak and coat with the sauce. Continue cooking beef and sauce at a boil for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. The sauce will thicken gradually. Add in the scallions.
- Serve hot over white or brown rice.
- Place leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
I tried making this and it didn’t turn out so great. I may be too much of an amateur for even this! The meat didn’t turn out crispy and when I added in the sauce it didn’t thicken on its own like the recipe said it would. I ended up adding in more cornstarch… :-(
Hi Andrea, it’s not really supposed to be crispy. The beef is just supposed to have a little bit of a sear on the outside so I think that’s fine. The sauce didn’t thicken might be due to the sauce not hot enough – cornstarch reacts and works with heat so maybe next time turn the heat up higher.
My mom makes all of the kids cook once a week, and I chose to make this. (I’m 19) I had to double the recipe so it took quite some time, but the outcome was delicious! Best dinner ever! Thank you.
So happy to hear this!
This was amazing! I used mushroom soy sauce, added a green onion and green bell pepper in the sauce with a pinch of cumin. For the beef 1/8 tsp of freshly ground black pepper.It was delicious thank you for posting this.
Glad you enjoyed this and adjusted to your taste!
Just made this for dinner and it was delicious! Everybody ate every last bit (including an 11 year old and a 3 year old) – thank you!
I made this for dinner tonight and it was amazing! The hubby loved it! My only addition was fresh broccoli. Delicious and easy. Great recipe.
Is the brown sugar packed ?
No, I didn’t pack mine
Hi what is flank steak ?
The flank steak is a beef steak cut from the abdominal muscles or butt of the cow.
Thanks Julie
I just made this tonight and it turned out perfect thanks for this awesome dish!
Thanks for this amazing recipe! Its name suits it so very well!! I made this last night, with only one ingredient change– the flank steak at Wegman’s was a little pricy for me— I used Top round steak that I thinly sliced. Other than that, I followed the recipe precisely and what resulted was sheer deliciousness. I served this with Asian Stir-fry frozen vegies and white rice. It was so great, my boyfriend thought I ordered in! I will definitely be making this again very soon!
Wegman’s can be beyond pricey! I didn’t want to buy a flank steak because of the usual large size, so I went to Aldi and bought a a 1.5 lb package of skirt steak. WOW! It was delicious! Just an fyi – skirt steak should be cooked over high (or med-high) heat to medium rare for best results; and slice thinly against the grain. Try it, it’s delicious!
I made the mistake of using full salted soy sauce… wow – it was far too salty!!! But, going exactly by this recipe would be deeelish!
Omg is this recipe good. And it being quick and easy is a bonus! I’ll be making this often. Thank you so much for the deliciousness!
Hello,
Was sooo excited to make this. Just made it for dinner and the flavor was amazing but my sauce came out too thick, more in chunks than a actual sauce, too clumpy and sticky. I did not eat it =( What did I do wrong? How can I fix it?
If this happens next time, add more water/liquid to the dish and it should unclump :) I’m thinking maybe your batter for the beef was too thick/too much so it then caused the actual sauce to thicken more.
For an African lady, I don’t feel the beef is cooked long enough and therefore health risks. Any suggestions please
Hi, I would cook it longer to your desired doneness level.
This has become THE favorite in my house! Very seldom is everyone at my table pleased. Thank you for providing peace around the dinner table for once!
What a BEAUTIFUL recipe thank you so much. ITS PERFECT
Made this and it was amazing! Definitely a keeper! Loved it!!
Fabulous! Easy, tasty and delicious1
Hi, I want to make it 4 pounds of beef. Should I double the sauce or leave it the same?
Definitely double the sauce!
I doubled the sauce and I used dark soya sauce. The sauce went black.
Well, of course it did. You use dark soy sauce; which is obviously very different than low sodium soy sauce like I mentioned in the recipe.
I couldn’t find low-sodium in my country. Can I use light soy sauce ?
Yes
Very good! My family and I enjoyed this. This was a spur of the moment meal so I had only dried spices and 1 pound of round tip steak, added veggies into the sauce and it came out great. This sauce is a keeper. Thanks for posting this!
Hey, Julie. I just made this tonight. Too bad I can’t add a photo, but it was really, really good. I added a bit more garlic because we can never get enough of it! I sliced a sirloin really thinly and simmered it a bit longer so it was tender. It came out perfect. Hubby loved it. It’s a keeper in our “favorites.” Thanks!
PS – Mine wasn’t nearly as pretty as yours :-)
I got your email and it looked wonderful! :)
I make this recipe all the time. I usually sub the beef with chicken thighs. This recipe is so delicious!! Yum yum good!
Ohhh, good idea!
I made the Mongolian Beef tonight for my dinner. I made brown rice to go with it. The meal was delicious. I’m glad I have leftovers for tomorrow night.