Weeknight 20 Minute Mongolian Beef

Boy do I have a delicious, deep savory beef flavored dish for you tonite.  And it only takes 20 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.

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.

I began by tossing the beef in some cornstarch which will help thicken the sauce.

But before I go any further, I 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 2 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.

So, again, I toss the beef in the cornstarch and it is then seared in a little olive oil over very high heat giving it TONS of flavor and sears in the juices.

The meat will only take about a minute or two per side.  Be careful NOT to overcook it.  It can become stringy and tough very quickly.   Add the sauce ingredients to the pan and the beef and dinner is done!

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Weeknight Mongolian Beef & Shrimp Stir Fry

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.

• Prep Time: 10 minutes
• Cook Time: 10 minutes
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 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:

• 1/2 Cup Tamari Sauce (or organic soy sauce)
• 1/4 Cup Organic Brown Sugar
• 2 teaspoons Corn Starch
• 1 teaspoon Ginger Paste (or dried Ginger Powder)

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

Notes

302 calories, 14 gr fat, 20 carbs, 1220 mg sodium, 26 gr protein

© HappilyUnprocessed. All images & content are copyright protected. Please do not use my images without prior permission. If you want to republish this recipe, please re-write the recipe in your own words AND link back to this post.

Recipe Source:  HappilyUnprocessed.com
I used all organic ingredients when making this recipe, and hope you do too!  🙂

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