This post Crispy Sticky Mongol Beef was last updated on 2022.
A stir fry is heaven made from super crispy pieces of beef coated with a sweet salty glaze. PF Chang’s copycat – done right! Marinating beef is crucial to ensuring that every bite has great flavour.
This recipe is similar to Honey Pepper Beef Stir Fry – with the addition of the crispy beef!
Mongolian Beef
This Mongolian Beef is my favorite. I am obsessed with this Mongolian Beef!
PF Chang’s is an Asian themed restaurant chain in the US. They seem to be everywhere – and it’s wildly popular. Its popularity meant that I had to try it while I was in the US. I actually didn’t mind the Chow Mein that my friend got, but personally I found the Mongolian Beef too sweet and too oily.
I didn’t get it. I couldn’t understand what all the fuss was about, and why America is so obsessed with Mongolian Beef! Every single other food on my “must try” list that I had on my US foodie road trip was a home run. But Mongolian Beef? Disappointing.
But knowing how popular it is, I tried it again at a Chinese restaurant in LA. I was curious, and I tried it too. This time I was successful! I understood! If done properly, it can be addictive. This is dangerous.
What is Mongolian Beef – and what does it taste like?
For the Australians reading this, Mongolian Beef is similar to what we know as Szechuan Style Beef and Peking Beef. Thin slices of beef that is shallow fried so it’s super crispy then tossed in a sticky sauce.
It’s different to what we know as Mongolian LambThe sauce is not as sweet and it is not crispy or fried.
It’s the combination of crispy and sticky that makes Mongolian Beef SO good. You can see how thick and caramel-like this sauce is. The right photo shows the sauce bubbling away, thickening, and coating the beef. Heaven in a pan, that’s what this is. 🙂
Did you notice that it was made in a skillet rather than a wok. Truth be told, I normally make it in my wok but I wanted directions to use a skillet.
It’s easier made in a wok because you can shallow fry the beef in the wok. But if you don’t have a wok, I recommend frying the beef in a small saucepan instead because the beef is cooked with only 1/4 cup of oil. If you use a skillet, then the oil spreads too thinly and you won’t get the same crispiness. Finish the rest of this recipe in a skillet after the beef is done. Easy!
This is right up there in the crispy/sticky stakes. This means that if I was given a choice between Buffalo Wings and this, I wouldn’t know which one to choose.
I actually do know. Most likely both. 🙂
– Nagi x
PS I got side tracked and forgot to mention that I tried a few recipes I found on a mission to get the closest match to the Mongolian Beef I had at a Chinese restaurant in LA, not PF Chang’s which I didn’t enjoy very much. A few were close, but didn’t nail it. This recipe is from Woks of life, which is run in part by a Chinese family that once owned a Chinese restaurant in America. It’s my “go to” source for American Chinese recipes. Every single recipe I have tried has been an absolute ripper. Honestly!
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
Recipe video for crispy, sticky Mongolian Beef
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Crispy, Sticky Mongolian Beef
Ingredients
Beef and Marinade
- 8 oz / 250g Steak (rump, scotch and flank), sliced into 1″ / 3mm pieces (Note 1)
- 1 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp cornstarch/cornflour
- 1 tsp Vegetable oil
Sauce
- 2 tsp cornstarch / cornflour
- 1/4 Cup Water
- 2 tbsp soy sauce (light and all-purpose, NOT dark)
- 1/4 Cup chicken broth
- 1 1/2 tbsp Note 2: Chinese cooking wine, dry sherry, and more chicken broth
- 3 Tbsp / 1/4 Cup Brown sugar lightly packed
Crispy Beef
- 1/4 – 1 1/2 Cups Note 1: Vegetable oil
- 1/4 Cup cornstarch/cornflour
Stir Fry
- 1/2 tsp Ginger, finely chopped
- 2 Garlic cloves crushed
- 2 Cut scallions/shallots into 1 1/2 / 4 cm pieces on the diagonal
Instructions
Beef and Marinade
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Combine the Beef, Marinade and ingredients in a bowl. Let marinate for 10 to 15 minutes.
Sauce
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Combine the cornstarch and a little water. Add the rest of the Sauce ingredients, plus any water.
Crispy Beef and Stir Fry
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Mix 1/4 cup cornstarch with your fingers and lightly coat the beef.
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In a large wok (Note 2), heat 1/4 cup oil on medium-high heat. Half of the beef should be added to the wok. Cook each side for approximately 45 seconds until crispy. Flip the beef (I use an egg flip), and cook for another 30 to 45 seconds, until crisp and golden. Place on a plate lined with paper towels. Repeat the process with any remaining beef.
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The oil should be thrown out.
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Add the ginger and garlic and sauté for about 15 seconds. Do not let it get too hot!
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The Sauce should be added to the wok. Bring the Sauce to a simmer. Let it cook for 1 1/2 minutes or until thickened into a glossy, sticky sauce.
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Stir in the beef and scallions. Continue cooking for 30 seconds.
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Serve immediately with rice, or Cauliflower rice for a low carb, high cal option!
Notes for Recipes
2. You can also substitute Mirin or Cooking Sake. Use Mirin to reduce the sugar by 1 tablespoon
3. Beef – This stir fry cooks quickly, so make sure to use a good cut of beef. For this recipe, you can use rump, flank, sirloin or t-bone as well as scotch fillet.
Cut the beef against its grain. You will see that most of the fibers in the beef are going in one direction. You will need to place the beef before you, so that the fibers are facing left to right. Next, cut the fibers. Then, cut parallel to the direction that the fibres are going (see here for an illustrative picture). This cuts the beef more tender.
Slow-cooked cuts such as chuck are not recommended unless the meat is tenderised (see How to tenderise beef in a Chinese restaurant)
4. This part can be done in a small saucepan, if you don’t have a wok. Because the skillet’s surface is too small, the oil will not spread evenly. Transfer the cooked beef to a saucepan and heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a skillet.
To share this recipe, I used a frypan to cook the beef in a pan. This is what I do most often in my wok.
5. This recipe is taken from The Woks of Life. This blog is my “go-to” trusted source of American Chinese recipes. It’s run by a Chinese American family that used to own a Chinese restaurant. This blog is as reliable as it gets!!
6. Assuming this serves 3, nutrition To calculate the nutrition, the oil I discarded was measured.
Nutrition Information:
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