Easy Mongolian Beef recipe is a perfect quick 30 minutes dinner, made with crispy thinly sliced flank steak and coated with sweet and spicy sauce.
If you need a quick dinner in under 30 minutes, you should make this amazing Easy Mongolian Beef! It’s made with thinly sliced flank steak and coated with sweet and spicy sticky sauce.
There is no reason to get take-out, when you can make your own delicious meal in no time! Plus, you can control the quality and the amount of the ingredients, which is always better and made to your liking.
How to make Easy Mongolian Beef sauce?
Mongolian Beef sauce is very easy to make and it has a perfect flavor combination (sweet, sour, and spicy). All you need to do is just mix the ingredients (low sodium soy sauce, brown sugar, water, ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes).
Make sure you use LOW SODIUM soy sauce!
When I made this dish for the first time, I made a BIG mistake and used a regular soy sauce. Oh boy, what a mistake! It was way too salty…
With low sodium soy sauce, the whole dish is more balanced and you can taste all the different flavors and not just salt. I like this one: Low Sodium Soy Sauce.
I also like to add red pepper flakes to make it spicy. You really can play around with the amount, depending on how spicy you like the sauce. Though keep in mind, the longer you cook the sauce, the spicier it will be.
How to make Easy Mongolian Beef
After you prepped the sauce, let’s work on the beef.
Rinse and Dry. First, rinse and pat dry the meat. It’s important to dry it before cooking to make it crispy.
Slice. Then thinly slice the beef against the grain, about ¼ inch thick. I like to cut it a bit under an angle, about 45 degrees.
Mix with Cornstarch. You can mix it together with cornstarch in a mixing bowl or a large resealable bag. I like to mix in a large mixing bowl, less work.
Sear. Now we are ready to sear the beef to get those perfect crispy edges.
Here are a few tips for the perfect crispy beef:
- Make sure your pan is hot. That will help you to cook it quickly and get a perfect sear outside while keeping it tender inside.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan. Make sure you sear in a single layer and keep space between the meat. Otherwise it will boil and won’t get crispy.
- Cook quick. Since the beef slices are very thin and the pan is hot, it takes about 30 seconds per side to get the perfect crisp. If you cook the meat for too long, it will be tough.
When the meat is cooked, put on a separate plate and put aside.
Reduce the heat to medium and pour the sauce into the pan. Bring it to boil and cook for a few minutes to reduce.
Then add the meat and cook for a few more minutes. Make sure you coat the beef from all sides.
Note: The cornstarch from the meat should help to thicken the sauce. If it’s still too runny, you can mix a teaspoon of cornstarch with a tablespoon of water and gradually add it to the sauce until it thickens.
What to serve with Mongolian Beef?
The classical Mongolian Beef is served with rice and topped with sesame seeds and some chopped green onions. Though often, you can see it served with some broccoli or stir fry vegetables.
If you want it to be gluten free, you can easily serve it with cauliflower rice.
Check out these 30 Minute Meal recipes:
- Pasta with Meat Sauce
- Instant Pot Turkey Meatballs
- Instant Pot Orange Chicken
- Beef Cutlets
- Vegetables Teriyaki
Did you make this recipe?!? I’d love to know how it turned out! leave a comment and a rating below👇 thank you!
Easy Mongolian Beef
Ingredients
- 1 pound flank stake
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- ¼ cup low sodium soy sauce
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup water
- 1 teaspoon ginger minced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- sesame seeds for topping
- green onion chopped, for topping
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, whisk the sauce ingredients (low sodium soy sauce, brown sugar, water, ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes) and set aside.
- Rinse and pat dry the flank steak. Thinly slice the meat against the grain, about ¼ inch thick. Add cornstarch and evenly coat the meat.
- Preheat the pan over the high heat and add vegetable oil. Make sure the pan is hot before adding the beef.
- Brown the beef slices in a few batches. Make sure it’s cooked in a single layer and not overcrowded. Cook about 30 seconds on each side. Don’t overcook!
- When done, put the meat on a plate and set aside.
- Lower the heat to medium and add the sauce. Bring it to boil and cook for a few minutes to thicken it up.
- Add the beef to the sauce and cook for a few more minutes. Stir the meat to cover with the sauce from all sides.
- Serve with a bowl of rice. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and chopped green onions.
Notes
- Make sure your pan is hot. That will help you to cook it quickly and get a perfect sear outside while keeping it tender inside.
- Don’t overcrowd the pan. Make sure you sear in a single layer and keep space between the meat. Otherwise it will boil and won’t get crispy.
- Cook quick. Since the beef slices are very thin and the pan is hot, it takes about 30 seconds per side to get the perfect crisp. If you cook the meat for too long, it will be tough.
- Make sure to use LOW SODIUM soy sauce!
- The cornstarch from the meat should help to thicken the sauce. If it’s still too runny, you can mix a teaspoon of cornstarch with a tablespoon of water and gradually add it to the sauce until it thickens.
Nutrition
Awesome! Looks delicious, and I gonna try this soon and let you know!
Oh my goodness! I dont eat beef, but you pics are seriously making me drool! I’m gonna try this recipe with lamb, maybe! Do you think it’ll work?
I have substituted chicken tenders I’m many Asian dishes. Cooked the same way and it comes out just fine.
I can’t get over how quick and easy this recipe is! We actually have a ton of leftover rice from ordering in Thai food earlier this week; this is the PERFECT way to use it up. I just need to grab some flank steak tomorrow!
That first picture alone has my mouth watering! I’m seriously craving this right now — what a delicious combo of flavors! Added straight to my “make this soon!!!” bookmarks folder! 🙂
My husband loves Asian flavors and this recipe would make him very happy. To make and to eat.
Love the idea of the low sodium soy sauce, it tastes delicious!
We tried something similar this week and I couldn’t say it was terrible but it left a lot to be desired. I think we used the wrong cut of meat. The flank steak looks like it did a great job. Your rice looks perfect. I haven’t been making enough rice. I’m making your Mongolian Beef with the rice this weeks. It does look delicious and so satisfying Your photos certainly make me want to dig in.
I’m so excited about this recipe. Making this at home is so much healthier than takeout and even more delicious. Thanks for posting! ps. Photography is awesome!
Oh yum! Who needs a takeout when you can make this! This dish looks incredible, the tips are so helpful too! Can’t wait to make this for my other half!
Yummy! I love quick and easy dinner ideas like this and this recipe looks like the kind of meal I could get everyone in the family to eat too, which is always a bonus!
Oh this looks just delicious! I’m so glad you made a point to talk about low sodium soy sauce… it’s such a great ingredient! Can’t wait to make this 🙂
Loving the sound of this recipe. No need for takeout when you can make this at home. I know my family would love this for dinner any night of the week.