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Easy Mongolian Beef that cooks in a wok in minutes
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4.67 from 3 votes

Easy Mongolian Beef

Crispy, sticky, slightly sweet, and totally delicious. This Mongolian Beef is a PF Chang's copycat recipe! And it is mighty tasty.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Asian
Keyword: mongolian beef, PF Chang's
Servings: 4
Calories: 363kcal
Author: Rachael

Ingredients

  • 16 oz flank steak sliced into thin slices
  • 1 tsp cornstarch
  • 1 tsp vegetable oil
  • 1 tsp soy sauce
  • 1 tsp garlic minced

Sauce

  • 1 Tbs cornstarch
  • 2 Tbs water
  • 1/8 tsp ground ginger
  • 3 Tbs soy sauce
  • ¼ cup beef stock
  • 2 tbsp dark brown sugar

Stir Fry

  • ½ tsp ginger finely minced, or ginger paste (I love this one)
  • 1 Tbs minced garlic
  • 2 green onions cut on a diagonal into small pieces

Other

  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • ¼ cup cornstarch/cornflour

Instructions

  • Cut your beef thin, against the grain, this will help make it more tender.
  • Put the beef in a bowl and add cornstarch, vegetable oil, soy sauce, and minced garlic, and stir well. Marinate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Sauce

  • In a large bowl, mix the cornstarch and water together. Then add the ground ginger, soy sauce, beef stock, and dark brown sugar.
  • Set aside
  • Dump marinade off the beef if it is not all soaked in then add ¼ cup cornstarch to the bowl, and with your hands, lightly coat the beef. (See Note)
  • Heat ¼ cup oil in a wok or small skillet over medium-high heat.
  • Once the oil is hot, add ½ the beef and cook for around 45 seconds or until crisp.
  • Flip beef, and cook for another 30-45 seconds, then remove and put on a paper towel.
  • Repeat with the other half the beef. This helps it get crisp instead of steaming the meat, see note.
  • Remove all but about a tsp of oil from the wok, and add ginger and garlic to the pan. Saute, but don't burn. Should only take 15-20 seconds.
  • Then add in the sauce.
  • Bring it to a simmer and let it cook down to a thick, sticky, sauce. (About 1-2 minutes)
  • Add the beef and toss.
  • Cut green onions, and toss in, cook for 30 more seconds.
  • Serve over rice immediately!

Notes

Recipe adapted from Woks of Life
Yes, you do use corn starch 3 times. It will help the exterior of the beef get crisp, and will help thicken the sauce. Just go with it. You can substitute if you want.
Feel free to adjust the amount of garlic if this is a concern. I love garlic, and may add more than the average person likes.
Cook the meat in two tries because you want each piece to have room in the pan so it doesn't steam, but rather crisp up.
If you want more sauce, double that portion of the recipe, but nothing else!

Nutrition

Calories: 363kcal | Carbohydrates: 17g | Protein: 26g | Fat: 20g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 68mg | Sodium: 932mg | Potassium: 459mg | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 60IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 2.2mg