Weeknight 20 Minute Mongolian Beef

Mongolian beef is a very thinly sliced steak that has been quickly seared and coated in a sweet sticky sauce that is most commonly served over steamed rice with a side of vegetables.  The quickness of this recipe makes it perfect for a weeknight!

Boy do I have a delicious, deep savory beef flavored dish for you tonite.  And it only takes 30 mintues to make!

Mongolian Beef is a delicious, classic Chinese(ish) recipe that is so super simple to make you can make it on a weeknight!

I say Chinese(ish) because Mongolian Beef really became popular at PF Changs.  It’s not really Chinese and it’s not Mongolian.  But whatever it is it’s not the healthiest entrée to order out.

Sorry to tell you all this, but according to CalorieKing, there are over 720 calories in Mongolian Beef and 2700 mg of sodium!

But not to worry!  Our Mongolian Beef recipe has very few ingredients, we’ve cut the calories down to 300 and the best part is it comes together in under 20 minutes.

I’m so not kidding!  There is no reason to order take out or grab a pizza when you can literally have dinner made in under 30 minutes.

HOW TO MAKE MONGOLIAN BEEF

1. The first thing you need is …. well beef.  Flank steak, flat iron steak or a thin sirloin would all work well.  I was lucky enough to find beef already sliced at the supermarket, but you can also ask the butcher to slice it for you.  They have those razor sharp knives and can get the beef really thin.

2. Toss the beef in some cornstarch and then sear in a little olive oil over very high heat.  Be sure not to overcook the steak, it takes mere minutes on each side.

3. Continue cooking the steak in batches being careful not to overcrowd the pan.  If there are too many pieces in the pan they can steam instead of sear.

4. Add the sauce ingredients to the pan and dinner is done!

I also wanted to address a question that I get asked a lot.  Can you can substitute flour for cornstarch?   And isn’t cornstarch a GMO?

And the answer is … it depends and yes.

You have to use about 3 times the amount of flour to equal the thickening power of cornstarch.  But more importantly, you need to burn off the raw taste of the flour.  So you can substitute the cornstarch but the end result will be different.

As far as the GMOs go  …. I have found an ORGANIC cornstarch that I now use regularly.  I can only find it on Amazon.  It does NOT contain any GMOs and it has to be one of the best cornstarches on the planet.  I didn’t realize that there was a difference in quality in cornstarch.  I thought they were all made the same.

But once I switched I very quickly realized HOW much of a difference there was in cornstarches.

This is the one I buy.

Weeknight Mongolian Beef & Shrimp Stir Fry

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Description

A healthier version of PF Changs Mongolian Beef recipe. On the table in 20 minutes! Beef sautéed in a savory, tangy, brown sauce and served over rice or noodles.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 1 lb thinly sliced steak, flank or iron steak works best, although sirloin works as well (I bought mine pre sliced from the butcher)
• 3–4 Cloves Organic Garlic, minced
• 2 Tablespoons Corn Starch
• 1–2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1–2 Organic Scallions, thinly sliced

FOR THE SAUCE:

• ½ Cup Tamari Sauce (or organic soy sauce)
• ¼ Cup Organic Brown Sugar
• 2 teaspoons Corn Starch
• 1 teaspoon Ginger Paste (or dried Ginger Powder)

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Instructions

1. In a small saucepan, add just a teaspoon of oil. Turn the heat on low/medium. Add the garlic and ginger and as soon as you smell the garlic give it a stir and then add the rest of the sauce ingredients. Let it simmer as you cook the meat so it can thicken a bit
2. Meanwhile, heat 1-2 Tablespoons of oil in a large skillet over medium/high heat. Let the pan get nice and hot
3. Toss the sliced beef in a bowl with a little bit of corn starch and add the beef to the pan. You want to quickly sear the beef, not COOK it through, approximately 2 minutes per side. This may take several batches of cooking. Just keep the seared beef warm on a plate as you continue cooking
4. Once all the beef is done cooking, put all the beef back in the pan and pour the sauce from the saucepot into the pan with the beef. Mix well and let it simmer for a minute
5. Serve over rice
6. Garnish with scallions and/or sesame seeds if desired

WHAT TO SERVE WITH THIS:
BROWN RICE and STEAMED VEGETABLES

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