Mongolian Beef, Tender Beef Versions (Rib-Eye, Strip, etc.)

Once introduced to Mongolian Beef at one of the nation’s best known Chinese restaurant chains, home chefs went on missions to develop copycat recipes. Many recipes are similar even identical. Sauce’s ingredients are often found in Chinese cooking, scallions, garlic, ginger, soy sauce, cornstarch, and brown sugar.

The dish is also relatively simple. Sauce requires minimal prepping and is systematically cooked in a single pan. Beef is sliced, lightly coated with corn starch, and rested to seal in flavors while helping beef crisp as recommended. Meat is seared, combined with sauce, glazed, then garnished with pre-cooked scallions. Dish is simply delicious.

The secret to great Mongolian beef is to quick sear tender beef strips all around in small batches making sure centers are cooked tender and moist. Overcooking will result in dry tough beef. 

I have tested my Mongolian Beef recipe with different cuts of beef. Although somewhat tougher, Flank is perhaps most common. Sliced thin and cut against its grain helps make it less chewy.

My favorite is “choice” Rib-Eye steak. It is moderately priced with sufficient marbling for natural tenderness. It can be sliced a little thicker to help prevent accidentally overcooking through.

I usually cut strips about 1” wide by 2 ½” long, ¼ to 3/8 inch for tender cuts.

Friends have shared surprisingly great results using economical shaved beef.

For convenance, I’m including two sets of ingredients proportioned to generously serve 4 or 6 guests.

For Tougher Cuts of Beef, please see this recipe using a slightly modified version of Irene Kuo’s “Slippery Coating for Beef” featured it in her incredible Chinese cookbook, “The Keys to Chinese Cooking”. Cornstarch is dissolved with water and mixed with soy sauce. Magically coating and resting beef with this mixture turns tough beef tender. Somewhat borderline tender, flank can also benefit from slippery coating.