Simple Mongolian Beef Stir Fry Recipe

One of our favorite things to enjoy together as a family for dinner is this deeply satisfying Mongolian Beef Stir Fry. The quality of ingredients and flavor is better than takeout and fully satisfies our craving for yummy Asian food.

Do you ever leave Asian restaurants feeling nauseous or bloated? We love Asian food but the can be packed with sodium and preservatives. That’s the biggest reason we cook our favorite Asian recipes such as Thai Basil Chicken Noodles. Teriyaki Chicken Bowl, and our amazing Thai Chicken Sandwich at home.

If you’ve ever wondered how to make a good stir fry at home, we tell you exactly how to pull it off. Step-by-step from knife cuts to order or ingredients you’ll have everything laid out for you clearly from start to finish.

Ingredients for Mongolian Beef Stir Fry

Please note, that the printable recipe card has the full list of ingredients, quantities, complete instructions, and nutritional information. The following is a quick overview of the recipe.

Here are a few notes to remember as you choose ingredients.

Mushrooms. Shitake mushrooms are incredible in flavor, but expensive. A mix of different kinds of mushrooms is a little less expensive and will include some shitakes in it. White mushrooms, button mushrooms, mini bella mushrooms, or just about any common mushroom variety will work for this recipe.

Bell Peppers. I love the flavor of red, which is the sweetest. Green bell peppers have the most whang and add a nice edge to the recipe. Orange and yellow are both very good and more mild in flavor than green peppers while also less sweet than the red variety. Use what you have or what you love. Any of these bell peppers will work.

Broccoli Slaw. The broccoli slaw provides a delicious crunch and the mushrooms, onion, and peppers are a great combination of flavors and they cook at the same rate. You can experiment. Just note if you use something like broccoli, you may want to cook it a bit longer than other veggies. Something like eggplant would take less time. I always think in stages when putting a recipe together like this.

How to Make Mongolian Beef Stir Fry

The first step is to prepare your meat. First, pat the meat dry. Then, cut the sirloin across the grain into thin strips. Coat the sirloin strips in cornstarch and set them aside.

Once this is done, start cooking your rice on the stovetop.[ If you are making it in a rice cooker, start the rice before chopping your veggies or preparing the meat, because this recipe comes together fast.] While the rice is cooking, make the sauce and prepare the stir fry.

To make the sauce, heat half of the oil in a large wok or pan at medium-high heat. Add the garlic, ginger, soy sauce, water, brown sugar and pepper flakes. Cook the sauce for about 2 minutes and transfer it to a bowl. Set this aside.

Place the meat in the hot skillet. Brown it on both sides, then put it back in the bowl it was in. Next, add the remaining oil to the pan and cook all of the veggies until al-dente. Then, add meat and sauce back to the vegetables. Cook until the sauce thickens up the way you like it.
At the very end, toss the sliced green onions in the dish and serve.

Tips for Mongolian Beef Stir Fry

• This is a simple recipe but I highly recommend that you approach it in an organized manner since it comes together quickly. Chop and measure ingredients before starting and if cooking rice, start it before your stir fry.
• Use a wok or a large skillet deep-sided skillet.
• Avoid over crowding ingredients.
• Cut ingredients in similar size so they cook at the same rate. I kept the veggies in my dish sliced thinly so that it would cook quickly.
• Make sure the pan is hot before adding the oil and ingredients. Otherwise, you’ll be steaming the ingredients instead of frying.
• We love the contrast of sweet and spicy flavors. To make it spicier, add more pepper flakes. 
• Meat is easier to slice if it is very cold. Place the meat in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing it.

Substitutions and Variations

I already have a few variations suggested for the meat in the next section. Another way to make a variation is to try slicing or cubing your own. This is a more budget-friendly option and gives you more control. For some reason stew meat is expensive and not defined as the cut it comes from so can be tough.

Add toasted nuts such as cashews, peanuts or almonds or seeds such as sesame seeds. 

Best Kind of Meat for Stir Fry.

I used sirloin steak because it is a lean meat that cooks up tender and is flavorful. A flank steak or strip steak would have been another good choice.

What to Serve with Mongolian Beef Stir Fry

We love to make this Asian Rice. You can also serve the dish with brown rice, wild rice, wheat berries, barley, quinoa, or couscous. Our Soba Noodle Salad and Thai Basil Salad are cool, delicious, and great choices. Add a side of egg rolls, wonton chips, or steamed dumplings to your meal for a fun special touch.

I hope you enjoyed this delicious recipe as much as we do. Drop me a comment below, and don’t forget to give it a star rating. ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. Your comments and ratings help others decide if this recipe is for them too.

Mongolian Beef Stir Fry

Author: Hostess At Heart

Enjoy a delicious homemade Mongolian Beef Stir Fry that's better than takeout. Learn how to make a flavorful and satisfying Asian dish at home.

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Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 40 minutes mins

Course Main Dish

Cuisine Asian

Keyword: Beef Stir Fry, Mongolian Beef, Mongolian stir fry

Servings: 4 -6

Equipment

• 12″ Skillet

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• 1 lb of sirloin steak thinly sliced crosswise

• ¼ cup of cornstarch

• 3 teaspoons of canola oil

• ½ teaspoon grated ginger about 1/2 inch piece

• 1 tablespoon minced garlic about 2 -3 large cloves

• ½ cup water

• ½ cup soy sauce

• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes

• 3 large green onions sliced

• 10 oz package of broccoli slaw

• 1 cup

  mushrooms


  sliced thinly
• 1 red pepper sliced thinly
• 1 green pepper sliced thinly

Instructions

 

• Dry meat with a paper towel and slice into thin strips across the grain. Put the meat in a medium-sized bowl and coat the beef with the cornstarch. Set aside.
• Start cooking the rice while you prepare the rest of the meal.

• Heat half of the oil in a large wok or pan at medium-high heat. Add the garlic, ginger, soy sauce, water, brown sugar and pepper flakes. Cook the sauce for about 2 minutes and transfer it to a bowl. Don’t worry if the sauce doesn’t look thick enough at this point. The corn starch in the beef will thicken it up later.

• Place the meat in the same pan and cook until browned on both sides. Put the meat back into the bowl.

• Add the remaining oil to the pan and cook veggies until al-dente. Add meat and sauce back to the vegetables. Cook until sauce is at your desired thickness.

• Add the green onions at the last minute so the green parts will stay green and the white parts crunchy.
• Serve immediately over rice

Notes

Beef is easier to slice thinly if very cold. Place it in the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes before slicing.

Nutrition

Serving: 6gCalories: 321kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 31gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 69mgSodium: 1718mgPotassium: 862mgFiber: 1gSugar: 16gVitamin A: 1379IUVitamin C: 107mgCalcium: 93mgIron: 4mg

Nutritional Disclaimer

This recipe was calculated using the exact brands and measurements I used to make this recipe. If you are following a strict diet please note changing anything will cause the nutritional info to change. My calculations are intended as a guide only.

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Originally released on June 14, 2014, this Beef Stir Fry recipe has undergone updates to enhance our readers’ experience, including simple details and new images. No changes were made to the actual recipe.