Mongolian Beef with Caramelized Soy Sauce and Tender Flank Steak
By Isabella Quinn
Prep
15 min
Cook
15 min
Total
30 min
Servings
3
Level
Easy
Cooking the beef pieces quickly and thoroughly before adding other ingredients will help keep mongolian beef made from flank steak tender. Mongolian beef is a sweet-savory stir-fry dish with spicy flavors and caramelized onions. Cooked beef has a smoky, sweet aroma.
Marinade ingredients are water, Shaoxing wine, salt, baking soda, cornstarch, and neutral oil. Baking soda is used to tenderize flank steak, and cornstarch coats the slices for cooking while oil helps keep them from sticking together. Stir-fry ingredients are garlic, yellow onion, green onion, black pepper, rice wine, sugar, and soy sauce. Optional ingredients include puffed rice noodles for added texture.
Select cooked, seared beef to add at the end of cooking only briefly. Indicators of properly cooked beef include a reduced, slightly scorched sauce after adding sugar and soy sauce to beef. Thicker pieces of beef and those cooked longer will be tough; cut the beef across the grain into strips no thicker than one-quarter inch.
Serve beef with fried vermicelli noodles and/or rice. Add sliced green onions to the dish for extra flavor. Puffed vermicelli noodles will be crunchy when served but will soften and become chewy as they absorb the sauce. To reheat leftovers, stir-fry over medium heat with a small amount of water until heated through.
Why we keep this one around
- Thin slices of flank steak marinated tenderize more quickly and should be fried in a skillet to give them a browned exterior.
- Baking soda, water, and cornstarch added to the marinade tenderize and coat the meat before cooking in a wok.
- Browning the beef before adding other ingredients leaves space in the pan for the onions and helps the beef slices brown before adding sauce.
- Adding Shaoxing rice wine to the sides of the pan helps it evaporate and flavor the dish before adding sugar and soy sauce.
- Sugar caramelizes with soy sauce when cooked and provides the barbecue flavor commonly found in Mongolian beef at Chinese takeout restaurants.
- Optional fried vermicelli provides a crunchy texture that softens in the dish's sauce and becomes chewy, adding texture to the dish.
Ingredients
- •1 lb beef flank steak (thinly sliced, between 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick)
- •2 tbsp water
- •2 tsp Shaoxing rice wine
- •½ tsp Kosher salt (use a little less if using fine salt)
- •¼ tsp baking soda
- •2 tbsp cornstarch
- •1 tbsp neutral oil
- •1 tsp cracked black pepper (more or less to taste)
- •1 tbsp Shaoxing rice wine
- •3 tbsp granulated sugar
- •2 tbsp regular soy sauce
- •1 tbsp garlic (minced, about 2 cloves)
- •½ large yellow onion (sliced)
- •1 bunch green onion (cut into 2-inch pieces; separate the white and green parts)
- •1 oz medium-thickness rice vermicelli (optional; use more or less to preference)
- •oil (as needed for cooking)
Instructions
- 1
Combine the thinly sliced flank steak, water, Shaoxing rice wine, salt, and baking soda in a mixing bowl. Mix vigorously until the beef absorbs most of the liquid.
- 2
Add the cornstarch and mix until the beef is well coated.
- 3
Add the neutral oil and mix until evenly distributed.
- 4
Set the beef aside to marinate for 10 to 15 minutes while preparing the remaining ingredients, or marinate it in the refrigerator overnight.
- 5
Optional: While the beef marinates, heat 1 to 2 inches of oil in a wok or pan to about 350°F for the vermicelli nest.
- 6
Check the oil with a wooden chopstick or skewer; if the tip sizzles rapidly in the oil, it is ready.
- 7
Fry the dry rice noodles until puffy, about 30 seconds to 1 minute, working in batches if needed and keeping the noodles completely submerged.
- 8
Remove the puffed noodles and set them aside to drain on paper towels.
- 9
Add enough oil to generously coat the bottom of a wok or sauté pan and heat it over medium to medium-high heat.
- 10
Add the marinated beef and sear it on both sides until just cooked and golden brown. Separate the slices so they cook evenly, working in batches if necessary.
- 11
Remove the beef and set it aside.
- 12
Heat 1 to 2 tablespoons of oil in the same wok or pan. Cook the garlic until fragrant, then add the yellow onion and white parts of the green onion.
- 13
Stir-fry briefly until the onions are no longer raw.
- 14
Return the beef to the pan and stir-fry with the black pepper.
- 15
Drizzle the Shaoxing rice wine around the pan and cook until fragrant and evaporated.
- 16
Add the sugar and soy sauce and stir-fry until well combined and the beef smells slightly caramelized or charred.
- 17
Add the green parts of the green onion and stir-fry briefly.
- 18
Serve over the fried rice vermicelli, if using, and with rice.
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