Mongolian Beef (2024)

FAQs

What is Mongolian beef sauce made of? ›

Our recipe for Mongolian beef sauce includes oyster sauce, soy sauce, tamari soy sauce (as a replacement for dark soy sauce), chili sauce, sugar, and cooking wine. Check the ingredient list to see precise amounts. Don't forget that you can scale the recipe up and down!

Szechuan Beef vs Mongolian Beef

Szechuan Beef has a sweet and spicy flavor with added chili peppers and Szechuan peppercorns. The Szechuan peppercorns has a distinctive tingly numbing sensation when eaten. Mongolian beef has a mild and much simpler taste, making it a kids' favorite, outside of broccoli beef.

Mongolian Beef can be described as having a savory soy-based sauce with scallions as its main aromatic. Szechuan Beef has a similar soy sauce-based profile but with the addition of a spicy element, such as fresh or dried chilis and/or Sichuan peppercorns for a numbing sensation.

Cornstarch – this is for velveting, which is a key Chinese cooking technique that involves marinating the protein in cornstarch and various seasonings (such as white pepper, salt, shaoxing wine, and oils) before quickly passing it through hot oil. It's one of my favorite ways to guarantee moist and tender meat.

Directions. Whisk together soy sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, sugar, garlic, and red pepper flakes in a large bowl. Toss beef with marinade; cover the bowl and refrigerate for 1 hour to overnight.

Velvet the beef: The velveting technique involves tenderizing, marinating, and a quick searing of the meat. To tenderize: Sprinkle with baking soda (the secret Chinese meat tenderizer). To marinate (a quick marinade): Add basic beef marinade and mix to coat evenly. Let marinate for 15 minutes or up to overnight.

Hunan beef also packs in some heat in the form of chili peppers, but it's not a numbing heat whatsoever and I like to think of it as the milder cousin to Szeuchuan beef. What's the difference between Hunan beef vs Mongolian beef? Another favorite beef recipe of mine, Mongolian beef is much sweeter than Hunan beef.

However, Mongolian beef is less saucy than pepper steak. Mongolian beef also tastes slightly spicier, less sweet, and more pungent because of the fresh chili peppers, ginger, and scallions in the dish. What cut of meat is used for pepper steak? Top sirloin steak, flank steak, sirloin steak, rump or round steak.

In Chinese cooking, proteins like beef, pork or chicken are velveted first before stir-frying them. There are several ways to velvet, but at its most basic level, it involves marinating meat with at least one ingredient that will make it alkaline. This is what tenderizes the meat, especially cheaper, tougher cuts.

We also love serving this dish with garlic noodles, chow mein and a side of lightly roasted green beans. In the U.S. Mongolian beef is also commonly served over a bed of fried cellophane noodles, which adds a light, crisp texture to the overall dish.

What is another name for Mongolian beef? ›

Stir-Fried Spicy Beef (Previously: Mongolian Beef)

Sliced beef marinated in soy and then stir-fried with peppers and onions.

Despite its name, the dish has nothing to do with Mongolian cuisine. Mongolian beef is among the meat dishes developed in Taiwan where Mongolian barbecue restaurants first appeared. Thus, none of the ingredients or the preparation methods are drawn from traditional Mongolian cuisine but rather from Chinese cuisine.

Kung Pao is made with a spicier (and sweeter) sauce compared to Mongolian Beef, which is mainly just sweet. Kung Pao also usually contains peanuts, peppers, and onions. Beijing Beef is similar to Mongolian Beef but tends to be sweeter and is usually made with stir fried veggies.

Mongolian beef is a dish from Taiwan consisting of sliced beef, typically flank steak, usually made with onions. The beef is commonly paired with scallions or mixed vegetables and is often not spicy. The dish is often served over steamed rice, or in the US, over crispy fried cellophane noodles.

In a large saucepan, combine 1/2 cup tamari, sugar, vinegar, oil, sake and 1/3 cup water. Bring to a boil. Add ketchup, coriander, ground ginger and chili. Simmer for 10 minutes.

Make the Mongolian Chicken sauce by combining chicken stock, light soy sauce, brown sugar, white pepper, and cornstarch. I always like to premix my sauce to have it ready to go during the fast cooking process.

Typically, Mongolian consists of hoisin sauce, chili peppers, soy sauce, scallions, cabbage, green onions, ginger, broccoli, and mushrooms. Mongolian has a much simpler taste than Szechuan.