Every single time we go to PF Chang’s with Javi he HAS to order the Mongolian beef. He loves that dish and to be honest I cannot complain because it’s really good. This recipe for mongolian beef is really tasty and is perfect served over white rice and sautéed veggies.
The good thing about this recipe is that because it’s sautéed it’s quick to make. What takes more time is to get all the ingredients in order before starting but in the pan it takes very little time, just like with the quinoa fried rice. No one will be able to reisist the yummy smell coming from your kitchen, I feel sorry for your neighbours.
When it comes to the cut of beef that we’re using it doesn’t necessarily have to be filet / tenderloin like mine, you can choose a cut of your choosing as long as it’s lean. This is really important because if it has too much fat it won’t have time to melt in our quick sautée. That means that you’re then going to have to chew on it later. If you don’t want to use beef for this recipe you could also go for pork tenderloin or chicken breast. It’s even good with a firm tofu if you’re vegetarian.
The rice I did for this beef dish is slightly sticky. That’s perfect for a sauce like this where we want it to soak the rice. You really cannot imagine how good the combination is! The most important thing to prevent having rice purée is to throughly wash it until the water runs clean before cooking to remove the excess starch.
Mongolian Beef
Ingredients
For the rice
- 1 cup long grain rice
- 1 1/4 cups water
For the mongolian beef
- 250 g lean beef I used filet / tenderloin
- 4 tbsp constarch + 1 tsp for the sauce
- 50 ml soy sauce
- 50 ml water
- 50 g brown sugar
- 2 spring onions / scallions
- 2 tsp ginger grated
- 2 cloves garlic grated, pressed or finely chopped
- 1/8 tsp chili flakes optional
- vegetable or or canola oil
- toasted sesame seeds to garnish
Instructions
For the rice
-
Wash the rice by placing it on a sieve and under running water. Rub it with your hand until the water runs clean.
-
Put the water from the recipe and the rice in a pot over medium heat. As soon as it starts to boil lower the heat to a minimum and put a lid on it. After 15-20min it should have dried out.
-
Use a fork to fluff it up and reserve.
For the mongolian beef
-
Remove any excess of fat and membranes from the beef and cut it in 2-3mm thick slices. Remember to always cut against the grain of the cut.
-
Mix the slices with the cornstarch until they’re all covered. Discarn any excess cornflour.
-
Slice the white part of the spring onion / scallion thinly. For the green part cut it diagonally in 4mm thick slices. Reserve separately.
-
Dissolve the extra teaspoon of cornstarch in the soy sauce and also add to it the water, chili flakes and sugar.
-
Heat up a pan on high heat and add 2 tbsp of vegetable or canola oil.
-
Add the beef a few at a time, enough to cover the base of the pan comfortably. Let them cook for about 30 seconds per side and then flip them, they should be golden,
-
Remove them from the pan and onto a bowl with kitchen paper to remove the excess oil.
-
Repeat the process with the rest of the beef, adding more oil as needed.
-
Lower the heat to medium, add more oil if needed and use it to cook the garlic, ginger and white part of the spring onion / scallion for a few seconds (they go golden pretty quick).
-
Add the soy sauce with the other ingredients and let it boil for a minute, stirring constantly. Add the beef and half of the green part of the spring onions / scallions and mix.
-
Serve immediately over rice and garnish with the rest of the green part of the scallions / spring onions, toasted sesame seeds and chili flakes.