Mongolian Beef

By Vivian Chan-Tam

Updated Feb. 6, 2024

Mongolian Beef
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
30 minutes
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
20 minutes
Rating
4(682)
Notes
Read community notes

Despite its name, this simple stir-fry of sliced beef coated in a velvety and sweet sesame-soy sauce didn’t originate in Mongolia. Wu Zhaonan, a Chinese comedian who fled Beijing when the communist party took over in 1949, opened a tea shop in Taipei, Taiwan, where he served Beijing-style barbecue in which meat and vegetables are cooked on a high-heat griddle. Political reasons prevented the use of the Chinese city in the name, so he called it Mongolian barbecue instead. (Actual Mongolian barbecue is called khorkhog.) The dish eventually made its way to the United States in the 1960s, where restaurants made use of giant flat-top grills, often a focal point of the dining experience. This rendition of Mongolian beef calls for flank steak and uses soy, sesame oil, brown sugar, mirin and a significant amount of chiles. Serve it over a bowl of steamed jasmine rice to balance out the intense flavors.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings
  • 1pound flank steak
  • 2tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2teaspoons toasted sesame oil
  • 2tablespoons light or dark brown sugar, packed
  • 1tablespoon mirin
  • ¼teaspoon ground white pepper (optional)
  • 2tablespoons cornstarch
  • 3tablespoons vegetable oil, plus more as needed
  • 1(1-inch) piece ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
  • 6medium cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
  • 8 to 10whole dried red chiles, such as Tianjin or chile de árbol, or ½ to ¾ teaspoon crushed red pepper, to taste
  • 6scallions, trimmed and sliced into 2-inch pieces
  • 2tablespoons Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
  • 4cups steamed jasmine rice
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

649 calories; 25 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 13 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 73 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 10 grams sugars; 32 grams protein; 521 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Using a sharp knife, slice the flank steak in half lengthwise, then slice each piece crosswise against the grain into ¼-inch-thick pieces. Place in a medium bowl and add 2 teaspoons soy sauce and the sesame oil; toss until coated. Let marinate for 5 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons water, brown sugar, mirin, white pepper, if using, and remaining 4 teaspoons soy sauce. Set aside.

  3. Step 3

    Sprinkle the cornstarch over the beef and toss, making sure each slice is completely coated but there are no large clumps.

  4. Step 4

    Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a wok or large (12-inch) well-seasoned cast-iron skillet over high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, add the beef in an even layer. (This might need to be done in 2 batches.) Do not touch the beef until the edges become slightly crispy and brown, 30 to 60 seconds. Using a wooden spoon or spatula, flip the beef and cook until the other side is brown, another 30 to 60 seconds. The beef should not be sticking to the wok or skillet; if it is, leave it alone for 20 to 30 seconds more. Transfer the beef to a medium bowl, trying your best to leave as much oil as possible in the wok. If cooking a second batch, repeat browning, adding another 1 tablespoon of oil if necessary.

  5. Step 5

    Reduce heat to medium-low and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil, ginger, garlic and chiles. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to move everything around until the ginger is slightly cooked, about 1 minute, being mindful that nothing burns. Add the scallions and the cooked beef, plus any collected juices, to the wok; mix well.

  6. Step 6

    Pour in the Shaoxing wine and use a wooden spoon to scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until mostly evaporated, about 30 seconds. Give the reserved soy-mirin mixture a good whisk, then add it to the wok. Toss with the wooden spoon until everything is well combined and the sauce has thickened, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a platter and serve alongside steamed rice.

Ratings

4 out of 5
682 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

Jennifer Darnell

Partially freezing the flank steak makes it easier to cut very thin slices. Or if it's frozen, partially thaw it.

Nick A

Added a couple pinches of white sugar to give it a little more sweetness on the end. Also preferred red pepper flakes to better control the spice level. Great recipe!

richard merchant

Delicious, I added broccoli to make it a bit more nutritious.

Janine

Mongolian Steak Sandwiches, using a slightly simpler version of this recipe, were a huge hit at the Seattle World's Fair and were served for a long time at Seattle Center's food court, then called--yes--the Food Circus. We pressed our mom to replicate them at home. I'll have to make this recipe for old times' sake and serve it as it was then, on a soft hamburger bun.

Jen D.

I make a number of similar dishes using flank steak and they come out great because of the thin slicing across the grain, and the velveting in cornstarch before cooking (some recipes add a bit of baking soda at this step as well). Do partially freeze the meat first to get thin slices.

Nestor

I would stick with flank steak as skirt can be fatty with too much connective tissue. Just thinly slice the flanks steak so it absorbs the marinade and after a hot stir fry it will be tender and savory. I slice my flank steak into 3 inch long strips about 1/2 wide.

Beverley

Just delicious. When I make this next time, I’d triple the scallions, and finish with a splash of rice vinegar. Otherwise, I caution at the end, if adding red pepper flakes to the pan, be prepared to pepper-spray the whole house.

Susan P

I think the marinade is to hydrate the meat so when you add the cornstarch, the meat is nicely coated.

Susan P

If you can't find mirin, you can substitute 1 Tbsp rice vinegar plus 1/2 tsp sugar. That's what I did and the recipe turned out great. Hope this helps.

Jack Kirby

I made this with 500g of chicken breast sliced really thin and it was absolutely beautiful. The way the cornstarch blends with the marinade to make an instant batter is ingenuous. I intend to experiment with this technique using other marinades and flavours for fried chicken. Bravo! This is possibly the best recipe I've tried on NYT Cooking, and I've tried many dozens.

HWolff

A lovely dish we’ve been making often. I’ve been adding vegetables after little after the ginger and garlic. Tonight was green beans with some tiny cherry tomatoes tossed in during the last few minutes. We’ve had mushrooms sliced carrots, peppers and other things - all delicious.

sam

I added a large sliced onion to stretch the dish.

John

This was an excellent recipe in our cast iron wok from the Wok Shop in San Fran. Took advice from others and doubled the sauce and partially froze the meat for slicing. We used skirt steak and it was perfect. I didn’t have Mirin but did have rice wine and added a teaspoon of simple syrup. Cooked the steak in two batches as suggested, which helped get a good sear and bit of char on the edges.

SaratogaTB

This is an excellent recipe and a great way to use up any extra veggie you might have around. We threw in some steamed broccoli and it was divine.

jwpphoto

The beef was flavorful. I made it as instructed and the dish went together well and even resembled the recipe photo! Next time I might add a bit more brown sugar to balance some of the ‘heat’.

JEH

I used a flat iron steak since the flank steaks were way too big for two people. I added fresh green beans with the scallions and it was perfect.

paula

Absolutely delicious! Only change made was added broccoli florets and a yellow pepper to up the nutritional content.

scott

I've made mongolian beef a number of times trying multiple different recipes. This isn't the worst one i've tried but it definitely lacked depth and flavor.

Michael

Amazing dish. Next time, I’d add the cornstarch to the marinade first for a better “velveting” effect

lindsey g.

10 out of 10. No notes. Delicious.

Jackie

Nice recipe but I modified second time: cut the steak thicker 1/2" and seared over high, per recipe, to brown but not overcook. I wanted more sauce so increased the soy-mirin mixture by 50% (subbed sake for mirin), increased cornstarch to 2 1/2 Tbs, used 1/2 tsp slightly heaping red pepper flakes, and increased the Shaoxing wine (I used dry Sherry) to 3 Tbs. Delicious with white rice and blanched broccoli.

Ctherrell

Getting that char is essential. Next time I will cut a little thinner so cooking time is less. Delicious meal!

J Murphy

Flavors were good, but makes too much of a mess on the stovetop to consider making it again.

Cat W.

Followed another’s suggestion to add broccoli, which ended up being a great addition.

Lou C

Fantastic, easy weekday recipe. Kids (16/15/12) loved it and requested that it join the regular rotation for prepared meals during the week. No additions/edits. Sherry, not Shaoxing. Those arbol chiles are no joke though.

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