Mongolian Beef is a Chinese-American dish featuring cornstarch-coated skirt steak fried until crispy and tossed in a sweet-savory-spicy sauce with garlic, ginger, and Thai chilis. The key to success is tenderizing the meat, coating it properly, and letting it rest before frying to achieve maximum crispness.
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Using a meat tenderizer, pound the skirt steak on both sides to tenderize it.
First, slice the steak with the grain into manageable sections, then slice those sections thinly against the grain.
In a large bowl, combine the cornstarch for coating and kosher salt. If using, grind the Sichuan peppercorns in a mortar and pestle and add them to the bowl.
Working in batches, toss the beef strips in the cornstarch mixture until fully coated. Shake off any excess.
Place the coated beef in a single layer on a wire rack set over a baking sheet and let it rest to dry out slightly.
Mince the garlic cloves, peel and mince the ginger, and split the Thai chilis lengthwise.
Separate the light green/white parts of the green onions from the dark green tops. Mince the light parts and cut the dark green tops into 1-inch pieces.
Heat the avocado oil in a wok over high heat. Once hot, add the beef in a single layer, working in batches.
Let the beef sear untouched for 1 minute to develop a crust, then stir-fry for another 1-2 minutes until crispy and cooked through. Remove from the wok and set aside on the wire rack.
Leave about 2 tablespoons of oil in the wok. Add the minced light green onions, garlic, ginger, and split chilis. Sauté until fragrant.
Add the packed brown sugar, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and water to the wok. Stir to combine.
Bring the sauce to a boil and let it reduce for about 4 minutes.
In a small bowl, whisk together 1 tsp cornstarch and 1 tsp cold water to create a slurry. Pour the slurry into the simmering sauce.
Bring the sauce back to a boil and cook for 1 minute, stirring, until it has thickened.
Return the crispy beef to the wok, add the dark green onion pieces, and toss everything together to coat in the sauce.
Serve immediately over a bed of cooked white rice.
Store cooked beef and sauce separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat sauce gently on the stovetop, combine with beef, and serve over rice.
wok · meat tenderizer · wire rack · mortar and pestle
Yes. Flank steak, ribeye, or sirloin work well. Any tender cut that you can slice thinly against the grain will give good results.
Let the cornstarch-coated beef rest on a wire rack to dry out slightly before frying, and fry in batches in a single layer without overcrowding. Sear untouched for 1 minute to develop a crust before stirring.
Cook the beef and sauce separately, then store in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat the sauce, add the beef back in, and toss to combine just before serving.
A large, wide skillet works as a substitute. The cooking method remains the same, though you may need to fry the beef in slightly smaller batches.
Heat the avocado oil over high heat until it shimmers and is hot enough that the beef sizzles immediately when added. This ensures a crispy, golden exterior.
