Mongolian Beef

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Quick & Easy Mongolian Beef

This easy Mongolian beef recipe is one of those weeknight miracles — it takes about 30 minutes, uses simple ingredients you probably already have, and tastes better than most takeout versions. The sweet-savory sauce with soy, garlic, ginger, and brown sugar is absolutely irresistible.

Once you make it at home, you’ll never pay restaurant prices for this dish again!

Ingredients

Beef

• 700 g flank steak, thinly sliced
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• Salt and pepper
• 1/3 cup oil for frying

Sauce

• 2 tbsp sesame oil
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
• 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 2 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp cornstarch + 2 tbsp water
• 4 green onions, cut into pieces
• Sesame seeds to garnish

How to Make It

1. Pat beef dry, slice thin against the grain. Toss with cornstarch, salt, pepper.
2. Make sauce: sauté garlic and ginger in sesame oil, add soy sauce, water, sugar, oyster sauce. Simmer 3–4 minutes with cornstarch slurry until thickened.
3. Fry beef in hot oil in batches, 1–2 minutes per side until golden. Remove.
4. Drain most oil. Return beef, add sauce and green onions.
5. Toss over high heat 1 minute. Serve over rice.

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Lightening It Up

• Use reduced-sodium soy sauce to cut salt content significantly.
• Reduce brown sugar to 3 tbsp for a less sweet version.
• Skip frying and use an air fryer with a light oil spray — same crispiness, less oil.
• Serve over cauliflower rice or brown rice for added fiber.
• Add plenty of broccoli or bok choy to the stir-fry for vegetables.

Meal Prep Tips

Slice the beef and coat in cornstarch up to 24 hours ahead — store covered in the fridge. Make the sauce up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate. When ready to cook, just fry the beef and bring the sauce to a simmer. Dinner in 15 minutes!

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use frozen beef?

Thaw completely and pat extremely dry before using — excess moisture from frozen beef will cause the cornstarch coating to become gummy.

What if I don’t have oyster sauce?

Replace with 1 tbsp hoisin sauce or add 1 extra tbsp of soy sauce plus 1 tsp of fish sauce. The flavor will be slightly different but still excellent.

How do I stop the beef from sticking to the pan?

Make sure the oil is very hot before adding the beef, and don’t move it for the first minute — let it develop a crust before flipping.

Can I double this recipe?

Yes! Double all ingredients. Cook the beef in 3–4 batches rather than overcrowding the wok, and make the sauce in a larger saucepan.

What rice goes best with this?

Plain steamed jasmine rice is the classic pairing. Brown rice, fried rice, or lo mein noodles are all great options too.