Mongolian beef is built on tender strips of cornflour-crisped flank steak, tossed in a glossy, slightly sticky sauce of soy, dark brown sugar, garlic, ginger, and a hint of dried chilli. It is bold and savoury-sweet, with a satisfying chew and a lacquered finish. Served over jasmine rice and scattered with spring onion greens and sesame seeds, it makes a generous, deeply satisfying main.
600g
6piece
4clove
80ml
80ml
60g
1tsp
0.5tsp
4tbsp
120ml
800g
15g
1tsp| # | Product | Quantity | Notes | State | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | | 600g | — | — | |
| 2 | | 6piece | — | — | |
| 3 | | 4clove | — | — | |
| 4 | | 80ml | — | — | |
| 5 | | 80ml | — | — | |
| 6 | | 60g | — | — | |
| 7 | | 1tsp | — | — | |
| 8 | | 0.5tsp | — | — | |
| 9 | | 4tbsp | — | — | |
| 10 | | 120ml | — | — | |
| 11 | | 800g | — | — | |
| 12 | | 15g | — | — | |
| 13 | | 1tsp | — | — |
Slice the flank steak thinly against the grain into strips roughly 5 mm thick.
Flank steak · 600 g
Lay the sliced beef on a plate lined with kitchen paper and press firmly with more paper to remove as much surface moisture as possible.
Trim the root ends and any ragged outer layers from the spring onions so they are clean and ready to slice.
Spring onions · 6 pieceTrim the spring onions and slice them thinly on the diagonal, keeping whites and greens separate.
Transfer the sliced spring onion whites into a small bowl, ready to go into the wok with the aromatics.
Tip the spring onion greens into a separate small bowl and set aside to use as a garnish.
Crush each garlic clove lightly with the flat of the knife and slip off the papery skin, discarding it.
Garlic · 4 cloveMince the peeled garlic cloves finely, rocking the knife repeatedly over the pile until the pieces are very small and uniform.
Measure the soy sauce into a small bowl.
Soy sauce · 80 mlAdd the water to the soy sauce in the bowl.
Water · 80 mlAdd the soft dark brown sugar to the soy sauce and water.
Soft dark brown sugar · 60 gAdd the sesame oil to the soy sauce, water, and soft dark brown sugar.
Sesame oil · 1 tspAdd the dried chilli flakes to the bowl.
Chilli flakes · 0.5 tspStir everything together until the sugar has fully dissolved and the sauce is well combined.
Pour the stirred sauce into a clean small bowl and set aside until needed.
Tip the patted-dry sliced beef into a large bowl, then add the cornflour on top.
Cornflour · 4 tbspPatted-dry sliced beef · step 2
Toss the beef and cornflour together with tongs until every strip is evenly and thoroughly coated.
Pour the vegetable oil into the wok.
Vegetable oil · 120 ml
Set the wok over the highest heat and let the oil heat until it is shimmering and just beginning to smoke.
Add half the cornflour-coated beef to the hot oil in a single layer and stir-fry, turning frequently, until deeply golden and crisp on all sides.
Lift the first batch of fried beef out of the wok with tongs and transfer it to a plate lined with kitchen paper to drain.
Add the remaining cornflour-coated beef to the wok and stir-fry in the same way until golden and crisp all over.
Lift the second batch of fried beef out and transfer it to the same draining plate as the first batch.
Tip the minced garlic into the wok.
Spoon the cooked jasmine rice into a large bowl and set it nearby, ready to serve.
Cooked jasmine rice · 800 gHold the ginger under cold running water in a colander and rinse off any dirt.
Fresh ginger · 15 g
Scrape the skin from the rinsed ginger using the edge of a peeler.
Grate the peeled ginger on the fine side of a grater directly into a small bowl.
Add the finely grated ginger to the garlic already in the wok.
Add the spring onion whites to the garlic and grated fresh ginger in the wok.
Stir-fry the garlic, ginger, and spring onion whites over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until softened and fragrant.
Pour the reserved sauce mixture into the wok over the fragrant aromatics.
Bring the sauce to a full boil, stirring to lift any bits from the bottom of the wok.
Reduce the heat and simmer the sauce, stirring occasionally, until it thickens slightly and turns glossy.
Return all the fried beef to the wok with the sauce.
Toss the beef through the sauce with tongs until every strip is evenly coated and lacquered.
Stir-fry the glazed beef over high heat for a final minute until the sauce clings tightly and the beef is piping hot.
Spoon the cooked jasmine rice onto the serving plate, spreading it as a base.
| # | Product | Tool | Action |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 600 g | | Slice the flank steak thinly against the grain into strips roughly 5 mm thick.⏱ 3 minResultSliced flank steak |
| 2 | Sliced flank steakstep 1 | | Lay the sliced beef on a plate lined with kitchen paper and press firmly with more paper to remove as much surface moisture as possible.⏱ 1 minResultPatted-dry sliced beefused in step 16 |
| 3 | 6 piece | | Trim the root ends and any ragged outer layers from the spring onions so they are clean and ready to slice.⏱ 30sResultPeeled spring onions |
| 4 | Peeled spring onionsstep 3 | | Trim the spring onions and slice them thinly on the diagonal, keeping whites and greens separate.⏱ 1 minResultSliced spring onions |
| 5 | Sliced spring onionsstep 4 | | Transfer the sliced spring onion whites into a small bowl, ready to go into the wok with the aromatics.⏱ 1 minResultSpring onion greensused in step 30 |
| 6 | — | | Tip the spring onion greens into a separate small bowl and set aside to use as a garnish.⏱ 1 minResultSpring onion greensused in step 41 |
| 7 | 4 clove | | Crush each garlic clove lightly with the flat of the knife and slip off the papery skin, discarding it.⏱ 30sResultPeeled garlic clove |
| 8 | Peeled garlic clovestep 7 | | Mince the peeled garlic cloves finely, rocking the knife repeatedly over the pile until the pieces are very small and uniform.⏱ 1 minResultMinced garlic cloveused in step 24 |
| 9 | 80 ml | | Measure the soy sauce into a small bowl.⏱ 15sResultSoy sauce |
| 10 | 80 ml | | Add the water to the soy sauce in the bowl.⏱ 15sResultSoy sauce and water |
| 11 | 60 g | | Add the soft dark brown sugar to the soy sauce and water.⏱ 15sResultSoy sauce and water and soft dark brown sugar |
| 12 | 1 tsp | | Add the sesame oil to the soy sauce, water, and soft dark brown sugar.⏱ 10sResultSoy sauce and water mixture |
| 13 | 0.5 tsp | | Add the dried chilli flakes to the bowl.⏱ 10sResultSoy sauce and water mixture |
| 14 | — | | Stir everything together until the sugar has fully dissolved and the sauce is well combined.⏱ 1 minResultStirred sauce |
| 15 | — | | Pour the stirred sauce into a clean small bowl and set aside until needed.⏱ 1 minResultStirred sauceused in step 32 |
| 16 | 4 tbsp | | Tip the patted-dry sliced beef into a large bowl, then add the cornflour on top.⏱ 10sResultPatted-dry sliced beef and cornflour |
| Patted-dry sliced beefstep 2 | |||
| 17 | — | | Toss the beef and cornflour together with tongs until every strip is evenly and thoroughly coated.⏱ 1 minResultCornflour-coated beefused in step 20 |
| 18 | 120 ml | | Pour the vegetable oil into the wok.⏱ 15sResultVegetable oil |
| 19 | — | | Set the wok over the highest heat and let the oil heat until it is shimmering and just beginning to smoke.⏱ 2 minResultHot vegetable oil |
| 20 | Cornflour-coated beefstep 17 | | Add half the cornflour-coated beef to the hot oil in a single layer and stir-fry, turning frequently, until deeply golden and crisp on all sides.⏱ 3 minResultRemaining cornflour-coated beef |
| 21 | Fried beef batch 1step 20 | | Lift the first batch of fried beef out of the wok with tongs and transfer it to a plate lined with kitchen paper to drain.⏱ 30sResultRemaining cornflour-coated beef |
| 22 | — | | Add the remaining cornflour-coated beef to the wok and stir-fry in the same way until golden and crisp all over.⏱ 3 minResultFried beef batch 2 |
| 23 | Fried beef batch 2step 22 | | Lift the second batch of fried beef out and transfer it to the same draining plate as the first batch.⏱ 30sResultDrained fried beef batch 2used in step 35 |
| 24 | Minced garlic clovestep 8 | | Tip the minced garlic into the wok.⏱ 10sResultMinced garlic clove |
| 25 | 800 g | | Spoon the cooked jasmine rice into a large bowl and set it nearby, ready to serve.⏱ 1 minResultCooked jasmine riceused in step 38 |
| 26 | 15 g | | Hold the ginger under cold running water in a colander and rinse off any dirt.⏱ 30sResultRinsed ginger |
| 27 | — | | Scrape the skin from the rinsed ginger using the edge of a peeler.⏱ 30sResultPeeled ginger |
| 28 | Peeled gingerstep 27 | | Grate the peeled ginger on the fine side of a grater directly into a small bowl.⏱ 1 minResultGrated Fresh Ginger |
| 29 | Grated Fresh Gingerstep 28 | | Add the finely grated ginger to the garlic already in the wok.⏱ 10sResultMinced garlic clove and grated fresh ginger |
| 30 | Spring onion whitesstep 5 | | Add the spring onion whites to the garlic and grated fresh ginger in the wok.⏱ 10sResultSpring onion whites and minced garlic clove and grated fresh ginger |
| 31 | — | | Stir-fry the garlic, ginger, and spring onion whites over medium-high heat, stirring constantly, until softened and fragrant.⏱ 1 minResultFragrant aromatics |
| 32 | Stirred saucestep 15 | | Pour the reserved sauce mixture into the wok over the fragrant aromatics.⏱ 15sResultFragrant aromatics and reserved sauce mixture |
| 33 | — | | Bring the sauce to a full boil, stirring to lift any bits from the bottom of the wok.⏱ 1 minResultBoiled sauce |
| 34 | — | | Reduce the heat and simmer the sauce, stirring occasionally, until it thickens slightly and turns glossy.⏱ 3 minResultReduced glossy sauce |
| 35 | Drained fried beef batch 2step 23 | | Return all the fried beef to the wok with the sauce.⏱ 15sResultReduced glossy sauce and drained fried beef batch 2 |
| 36 | — | | Toss the beef through the sauce with tongs until every strip is evenly coated and lacquered.⏱ 1 minResultGlazed beef |
| 37 | — | | Stir-fry the glazed beef over high heat for a final minute until the sauce clings tightly and the beef is piping hot.⏱ 1 minResultMongolian beefused in step 39 |
| 38 | Cooked jasmine ricestep 25 | | Spoon the cooked jasmine rice onto the serving plate, spreading it as a base.⏱ 1 minResultCooked jasmine rice |
| Total Time | 31 min | ||
| Nutrient | Per serving |
|---|---|
| 871kcal | |
| 48g | |
| 39g | |
| 8g | |
| 83g | |
| 16g | |
| 2g | |
| 1,307mg |
Mongolian beef is built on tender strips of cornflour-crisped flank steak, tossed in a glossy, slightly sticky sauce of soy, dark brown sugar, garlic, ginger, and a hint of dried chilli. It is bold and savoury-sweet, with a satisfying chew and a lacquered finish. Served over jasmine rice and scattered with spring onion greens and sesame seeds, it makes a generous, deeply satisfying main.
What you’ll doYou will slice and thoroughly dry the beef before coating it in cornflour, then fry it in two batches in very hot oil until crisp and golden. While the beef drains, you will build the aromatics in the same wok, add the pre-mixed sauce, and simmer it to a gloss before returning the beef and tossing everything together over high heat. The critical moments are getting the oil hot enough before the first batch goes in, and keeping the final toss moving so the sauce lacquers the beef without burning.
