Mongolian Beef (Crispy Beef & Scallion Stir-Fry)
Mongolian beef — the takeout favorite: crispy-edged beef slices tossed in a sticky sweet-savory garlic sauce with lots of scallion. Restaurant-style crunch at home, no deep-fryer needed.
Prep Time20m
Cook Time10m
Yield4 servings
CuisineChinese-American
Spicy:
🌶️
Ingredients
- Flank or sirloin steak 450g, thin-sliced against the grain
- Cornstarch ½ cup (for coating)
- Light soy sauce 1 tbsp (marinade)
- Shaoxing wine 1 tbsp (marinade)
- Scallions 6, cut in 2-inch pieces
- Garlic 3 cloves, minced
- Ginger 1 tbsp, minced
- Dried chilies 3 (optional)
- Sauce: light soy sauce 3 tbsp
- Brown sugar 3 tbsp
- Water ¼ cup
- Sesame oil 1 tsp
- Neutral oil for frying
Steps
- Marinate beef with soy sauce and wine 10 min; toss in cornstarch to coat, shaking off excess.
- Shallow-fry beef in batches in hot oil 1–2 min per side until edges crisp; drain. (This gives the takeout crunch.)
- In a wok, heat 1 tbsp oil; sizzle garlic, ginger and dried chilies 20 sec.
- Add sauce (soy, brown sugar, water); simmer 1–2 min until slightly syrupy.
- Return beef and add scallions; toss 1 min so everything is glazed and scallions just wilt. Finish with sesame oil; serve over rice.
Tips
Slice against the grain and coat in cornstarch, then shallow-fry — that’s the crispy-edge secret. Brown sugar (not white) gives the glossy, caramelized takeout glaze. Keep scallions in big pieces so they stay sweet and crisp.
