Mongolian Beef
Mongolian beef is probably one of the most popular beef dishes in the United States and is found in many Chinese restaurants. Although leeks are commonly in authentic Asian dishes, most of the ingredients used and preparation applied don't resemble traditional Mongolian cuisine. Thus, Mongolian beef is not a traditional Mongolian dish. I am personally not sure about the origins of the dish but according to Wikipedia, Mongolian beef is a Chinese-American creation. Either way, it's one of my favorites and I was pleased with the outcome of this recipe!
Mongolian beef is probably one of the most popular beef dishes in the United States and is found in many Chinese restaurants. Although leeks are commonly in authentic Asian dishes, most of the ingredients used and preparation applied don't resemble traditional Mongolian cuisine. Thus, Mongolian beef is not a traditional Mongolian dish. I am personally not sure about the origins of the dish but according to Wikipedia, Mongolian beef is a Chinese-American creation. Either way, it's one of my favorites and I was pleased with the outcome of this recipe!
- salt to taste
- marinade:
- sauce:
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 6 cloves garlic thinly sliced
- 1 1/2 pounds beef tenderloin up to 2 pounds
- 4 tablespoons cooking oil divided
- 4 stalks leeks/scallions rinsed & sliced diagonally
- 2 inches ginger finely chopped
- 4 tablespoons dark soy sauce divided
- 2 tablespoon chinese rice wine or dry sherry
- 2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoon cornstarch
- 4 teaspoons oyster sauce
- 1/4 cup sweet soy sauce (kecap manis) or hoisin sauce*
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon sriracha sauce (thai chili sauce)
- 3/4 teaspoon white pepper powder
- 1/2 teaspoon maggi seasoning
- 2 tablespoon sugar or to taste use brown for more robust flavor
- Carbohydrate 13.856734632992 g
- Cholesterol 112.264111575 mg
- Fat 47.4220730798881 g
- Fiber 0.5649304883934 g
- Protein 36.7269141524894 g
- Saturated Fat 14.6440110757186 g
- Serving Size 1 1 Serving (245g)
- Sodium 1577.61564212731 mg
- Sugar 13.2918041445986 g
- Trans Fat 4.83595151388588 g
- Calories 640 calories
Step-by-step
- Slice the beef across the grain into thin slices. Add dark soy sauce, wine or sherry, sesame oil, and cornstarch, adding the cornstarch last. Marinate the beef for 30 minutes.
- Mix Sauce ingredients together and set aside.*If using Hoison sauce thin mixture with a little water, about 2 teaspoons.
- Heat up a wok with 2 tablespoons of oil and stir-fry the marinated beef until are half-done. Dish out and set aside.
- Heat up another 2 tablespoons of oil and saute the garlic and ginger until aromatic.
- Add the beef back into the wok and then the sauce. Continue to stir-fry until the beef slices are almost done, then add the leeks/scallions into the wok. Do a few quick stirs, add salt to taste, dish out and serve hot over rice.
Slicing beef tenderloin strictly across the muscle fibers shortens the protein strands, ensuring each bite yields easily to the tooth rather than chewing like leather. Cutting pieces to a uniform thickness of roughly one-quarter inch prevents uneven cooking when subjected to intense heat. Marinating these slices with cornstarch creates a protective moisture barrier, gelatinizing rapidly during the initial sear to lock natural juices inside the beef.
Stir-frying demands intense thermal energy, meaning home ranges benefit from preheating a carbon steel or cast-iron wok until faintly smoking before adding oil. Cooking the meat in stages—removing it when only half-done—prevents overcrowding the pan, which otherwise drops the surface temperature and causes the beef to steam rather than brown. Fresh ginger and garlic require only thirty seconds of contact with hot oil to release volatile aromatic compounds without scorching into bitterness.
Balancing fresh aromatics against preserved condiments like dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, and kecap manis builds depth through contrasting profiles of sodium, sweetness, and umami. Dried ginger lacks the enzymatic tenderness and bright, sulfurous bite of fresh rhizome, while bottled garlic pastes often contain acidifiers that dull the sharp, pungently sweet punch of freshly sliced cloves.
Finishing the dish relies on precise timing when introducing sliced leeks or scallions during the final sixty seconds of cooking. Retaining residual crunch requires removing the wok from the heat source immediately after the greens soften slightly, preventing them from turning khaki and losing their vibrant cellular structure.
