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30-Minute Mongolian Beef

This 30-Minute Mongolian Beef is savory and sweet and so delicious!!  With thinly cut steak, soy sauce, brown sugar, fresh garlic and ginger – all prepped and ready to eat in just 30 minutes!

A plate of food with broccoli and Beef

Lately, I’ve really been craving Chinese food.  I think it’s because I’ve been feasting on so much traditional American comfort food – you know, with the Holidays and all.

How about you – could you go for some Chinese food right about now?  What’s your favorite dish?

A few of my favorite Asian meals would have to include Mango Chicken, Broccoli and Beef, a big ole bowl of Ramen, Sweet and Sour Shrimp, or the classic General Tso Chicken.  

… PLUS my latest obsession and today’s recipe – this super easy, 30-Minute Mongolian Beef! 

A close up of a plate of food with broccoli, with Mongolian beef

You may have tried this tasty dish at PF Chang’s – I think it’s one of their most popular menu items. 

And just in case you haven’t and you’re wondering “What is Monogolian Beef?” I’m here to break it down for you.

What is Mongolian Beef?

It’s typically flank steak thinly sliced and quickly seared, then added to a sweet and savory sauce, and paired with scallions or mixed veggies.  It’s usually served over steamed rice or those crispy cellophane noodles.

And personally I can’t get enough of this savory sweet combination with fresh garlic and onions – yum!  I also like to add some chili oil or red pepper flakes for a bit of spicy heat.  It’s so good my friend!!

A plate of Mongolian beef

Allow me to share all my best tips for making this Mongolian beef…

How to make Mongolian Beef?

As I mentioned flank steak is usually the cut of meat used for this dish.  But it’s a tougher cut of meat, and has never been my favorite, so I used sirloin steaks for my version.  You could also use strip steak for this dish.

  1. The steaks were about 1½  inches thick.  I cut them into ¼ inch slices.

How to make 30-Minute Mongolian Beef

  1. Then I laid the slices flat, covered them with plastic wrap and used a meat pounder to flatten them.

How to pound out beef for Mongolian beef

  1. Next, I put the meat in a resealable plastic bag and added cornstarch (this helps the meat crisp up nicely and will thicken the sauce). 

Adding cornstarch to beef before cooking

  1. I massaged the steak and cornstarch together to make sure each piece was fully coated.  Then I let them sit for 15 minutes while I prepped my other ingredients.

Mixing beef and cornstarch in plastic bag.

  1. Next, I added canola oil to a large frying pan and allowed the pan to heat up over medium high heat.
  2. Then I added the steak to the pan in a single layer, and cooked for 30 seconds on each site (1 minute total). 

searing beef on stovetop

  1. Cook the steak in batches rather than over-crowding the pan, because crowding the pan results in a steamed steak instead of a seared steak!  I removed the steak from the pan as soon as it finished cooking, set it aside on a plate, and sprinkled it with salt.

How to cook 30-Minute Mongolian Beef

  1. I added the fresh ginger and garlic to the pan and sautéed it for 10-15 seconds.  I added chili oil but you can use chili pepper flakes or skip this step if you don’t care for any spice.

Adding Ginger to saute pan

  1. I stirred in the tamari/soy sauce, water and brown sugar, and brought the mixture to a boil.

How to make 30 minute asian beef

  1. Next I folded the steak back into the pan and let the sauce thicken for 20-30 seconds.

Adding beef back to saute pan

  1. Finally, I turned off the heat, added the green onions, and stirred them to combine.

Adding green onions to a pan filled with meat and vegetables

Better than Chinese restaurant food, in the comfort of your own home, in just 30 minutes!

Amazing – right!??

How to Cook 30-Minute Mongolian Beef - Recipe and Image

What to serve with Mongolian Beef?

I served my Mongolian beef over steamed jasmine rice.  But you could also serve it with steamed brown rice, rice noodles, or in lettuce wraps with crispy cellophane noodles.

This quick and easy sweet and salty dish is hearty and delicious, and the perfect weeknight meal!

A close up of a plate of Mongolian beef

I’m gonna go out on a limb here and just predict that this Mongolian Beef recipe will become one of your new go-to dinner recipes!

Yield: 6 servings

30-Minute Mongolian Beef

30-Minute Mongolian Beef

This 30-Minute Mongolian Beef is savory and sweet and so delicious!!

Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1½ pound 1-inch thick sirloin steak
  • 1/3 cup cornstarch
  • ¼ cup canola oil
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon fresh grated ginger
  • 4 tablespoon garlic, minced
  • Red pepper flakes or chili oil
  • 1/3 cup reduced sodium tamari sauce (for gluten-free), or soy sauce if you prefer
  • ½ cup water
  • 1/3 cup brown sugar
  • 8 stalks scallions, green parts only, cut into 2 inch pieces

Instructions

  1. Slice the steak in ¼-inch slices. Lay the slices flat, cover with plastic wrap and use a meat pounder to flatten the meat. Put the meat in a ziploc bag and add the cornstarch. Massage the steak and cornstarch together to make sure each piece is fully coated.
  2. Pour the canola oil into a large frying pan, and heat on medium high heat.
  3. Add the steak to the pan in a single layer and cook for 30 seconds per side (1 minute total). Cook the steak in batches rather than over-crowding the pan. Remove the steak from the pan as it finishes cooking, set it aside on a plate, then sprinkle with salt.
  4. Next, add the ginger, garlic, and chili oil or red pepper flakes (if desired for more spice) to the pan and sauté for 10-15 seconds.
  5. Stir in tamari (or soy sauce), water and brown sugar and bring the mixture to a boil.
  6. Fold the steak back in and let the sauce thicken for 20-30 seconds. (The cornstarch used on the steak should thicken the sauce.)
  7. Turn off the heat, add the green onions, and stir to combine.
  8. Serve over white rice, rice noodles or in lettuce wraps.

Nutrition Information

Yield

6

Serving Size

4 ounces of beef with 1/2 cup rice
Amount Per Serving Calories 478Total Fat 28gSaturated Fat 7gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 18gCholesterol 105mgSodium 908mgCarbohydrates 23gFiber 1gSugar 11gProtein 33g

This nutrition card uses an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. This estimate is not a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice!

© Holly Sander
Cuisine: American/Asian Fusion / Category: Dinner


22 Comments

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Comments

  1. Samantha says

    This recipe is one of my go-to favorites for flank steak! I do realize that every time I make it, I should’ve made more. This recipe feeds 2 people for 3 nights in my house. Sometimes o do coconut cilantro rice with it too. Love the use of corn starch, so that it’s always gluten free – when using tamari or coconut aminos.

    Reply

    • Bryan says

      Hi Erin you would probably want to use chicken breasts and slice them before cooking. You will need to ensure that they reach 165F cook temp before moving on with the rest of the recipe… but yes chicken should work fine with these adjustments.

      Reply

    • Bryan says

      Hi Anna, generally corn and potato starch are interchangeable but they cook slightly differently. So you may not get as nice of a crisped edge when you cook the meat using potato starch. I’m curious to know how it turns out, please let us know!?!?! Thank you for your comment. 🙂

      Reply

    • Bryan says

      Hi Jade, yep that should work… depending on how thin your sizzle steak is, it may cook even faster so you might have to modify the cook time in step 3. Let us know how that works! 🙂 – H&B

      Reply

    • holly says

      Hi Karen, you can use stew meat instead of steak. I would suggest slicing it really thin and laying it flat and pounding it out with a meat tenderizer or a heaver pan. This will make it more tender.

      Reply

  11. Kim says

    5 stars
    Absolutely delicious. Quick and simple to make!!!!
    I used a flat iron steak and gluten free soy sauce. This will be made often!!!!!

    Reply

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