Mongolian Beef (Meng Gu Niu Rou)

Mongolian Beef is not Mongolian at all, but rather a dish created by early Chinese immigrants to the U.S.  Today, the Mongolian Beef dish from the popular restaurant chain P.F. Chang's is probably the most well-known version. The thin, tender slices of flank steak stir-fried in a savory brown sauce with lots of scallions and just a few dried red chiles makes this dish super flavorful, very mildly spicy (unless you bite into the peppers) and, therefore, very accessible and palatable to even the least adventurous of palates. Mongolian beef has a crispy coating and just enough sauce to coat the meat. And although dried chiles are the norm, I like to use fresh Fresno chiles instead.

2 lbs. flank steak

Tenderizer:
2 tsp. baking soda

3 tbsp. water

Marinade:
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tbsp. cornstarch
1 tbsp. Shaoxing wine
1 tbsp. soy sauce

Sauce:
1 cup water
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 tsp. dark soy sauce

Cornstarch slurry:

1 tbsp. cornstarch

2 tbsp. water

1 tbsp. minced fresh ginger
6 cloves garlic, finely minced
2 Fresno chiles, seeded and sliced into rings (or 5-6 whole small dried red chiles (I use Japanese dried chiles)

1 bunch (8) scallions, sliced along the bias (diagonal) into 1" sections

1. Slice the flank steak thinly across the grain into 1/4" slices and place into a bowl. Sprinkle with 2 tsp. baking soda and 3 tbsp. water; mix well to combine, cover with plastic wrap, and let sit in the refrigerator a minimum of 30 minutes, up to 2 hours. 

3. Place the beef into a colander and rinse very well under cool tap water. Place the beef into a bowl and pat dry with paper towels.

4. Add the marinade ingredients to the beef, stir well, cover, and place in the refrigerator to marinate at least 1 hour.

5. In the meantime, combine all the sauce ingredients together in a bowl or measuring cup; set aside.

6. Place 1 cup of cornstarch onto a plate or shallow casserole. Dredge the first batch of beef in the cornstarch. You will cook the beef in 3-4 batches so as not to overcrowd the pan (overcrowding lowers the oil temperature quickly and you'll end up with soggy, oily beef).

7. In the meantime, heat 1 cup of oil in a wok or large saute pan over high heat and add the 1st batch of dredged marinated beef. Cook the beef about 30 second each side, turning over with a slotted spoon or spatula. Remove the beef to a paper towel-lined plate to let drain. Repeat process with the remaining beef.

8. Remove all but 1 tbsp. oil from the same pan. Heat over high heat and add the minced ginger, garlic, chiles and sliced scallions. Saute for about 15-20 seconds until fragrant; add the sauce. Bring the sauce back up to a boil and cook for about 10 seconds. Stir in the cornstarch slurry and stir constantly until the sauce has  thickened.

9. Stir in the beef, toss well, and bring back up to a boil; turn off the heat and plate immediately. Serve with steamed white rice.

Thinly slice the trimmed flank steak along the bias. To tenderize the beef: place the beef slices into a bowl and sprinkle with 2 tsp. baking soda and 3 tbsp. water. Toss well to coat and refrigerate for 30 minutes up to 2 hours.

Place the meat into a colander and rinse very well under cool tap water.

Place the meat into a bowl and blot dry with paper towels.

Add the marinade ingredients; cover and refrigerate 1 hour.

Minced ginger, garlic, sliced scallions and sliced Fresno chiles.

Dark soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, regular soy sauce.

Dredge the marinated beef in cornstarch in batches.

Heat 1 cup of oil over high heat and fry the coated beef in batches about 1 minute.

Remove the fried beef to a plate with a slotted spoon; repeat with the remaining beef.

Remove all but 1 tbsp. of oil from the wok and heat over high heat; add the ginger, garlic, Fresno chiles and scallions; stir-fry for 15-20 seconds until fragrant.

Add the sauce ingredients; bring to a boil.

Add the cornstarch slurry and stir constantly until the sauce has thickened.

Add the beef to the sauce and stir to coat. 

Plate the beef and serve with steamed white rice.