Description
No need for takeout. Whip up tender and velvety Mongolian beef at home in 20 minutes! Add bell peppers or any vegetables of your choice. Serve with rice or noodles for a complete meal.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Beef
- 1 lb beef (flank, strip, or sirloin steak)
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 beaten egg
- 2 tablespoons corn starch
- Vegetable oil for frying
Sauce
- 1 tablespoon vinegar
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
Aromatics
- 1 small yellow onion (peel, cut into large wedges)
- 1-inch ginger (peel, cut into thin strips)
- Dried red chili peppers (optional)
- 4 green onions (slice into 2” pieces)
- 2 cloves garlic (peel, thinly slice)
Vegetables
- 3 bell peppers (deseed and cut into bite-size pieces)
Instructions
- Prepare beef: Slice the beef against the grain into ⅛” thick bite-size pieces. In a medium bowl, mix beef with soy sauce, baking soda, water, and beaten egg. Leave the corn starch out until you are ready to fry. Let it marinate for at least 10 minutes.
- Make the sauce: In a small bowl, mix together vinegar, sugar, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sesame oil, and oyster sauce.
- Cook beef: In a medium skillet or wok, add a generous amount of oil (about ½ inch high ) and heat on medium-high. Excess oil will be removed later. While you are waiting for the oil to reach temperature, add corn starch to the beef and give it a toss with your hands until evenly coated. Drop beef, one slice at a time, into the hot oil and fry for about 2 minutes, making sure to toss for even cooking. Do this in batches to prevent overcrowding that could drop the temperature. Remove beef and transfer to a wire rack or a plate lined with paper towels to drain excess oil.
- Toast aromatics: Drain oil from the skillet, leaving a thin layer behind in the skillet. Heat the oil on medium-high. Add yellow onion, ginger, chili peppers (if using), the root ends of the green onions, and garlic. Sauté until fragrant (about 30 seconds).
- Finish: Add bell peppers, fried beef, and the prepared sauce. Toss until combined. Cook for 2 minutes. Serve with steamed rice or noodles for a complete meal.
Notes
- For the vinegar, you can use whatever you have on hand (rice vinegar, white vinegar, or black vinegar).
- The baking soda works as a meat tenderizer.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Asian, Chinese, Vietnamese