Friday, February 5, 2016

Mongolian Beef Stir Fry



My husband and I love the flavors of Chinese and Asian cuisine.  One of the first recipes I ever made in a wok years ago was Beef and Snow Peas. When I saw this recipe for Mongolian Beef on The Woks of Life (a wonderful site if you enjoy Chinese and Asian food), I knew the piece of beef tenderloin in my freezer had a purpose! Although flank steak is traditionally used to make Mongolian Beef, the beef tenderloin was tender and delicious. I added snow peas to the stir fry and cooked my favorite brown rice to round out the meal.


It was a delicious meal! The meat was all at once sticky, sweet and sour with just amount of sauce coating the perfectly seared and tender meat.  My husband's comment after dinner was "We can have this anytime."  I love to hear that!


Mongolian beef is actually a Chinese-American restaurant creation and has nothing to do with real Mongolian cuisine, I found.  It became very popular served in one of the more well-known changs...oops,l I meant chains :) You will find that it is very similar to Chinese Orange Beef, without the orange.  


Chinese New Year 2016 is officially celebrated from February 8 - 13.  While the United States prepares for the big Superbowl game on Sunday, China will be preparing for the Lunar New Year - The Year of the Fire Monkey.  Many Chinese people travel to their home towns during the annual celebration to visit their families. Recently, a rare snowstorm resulted in over 100,000 (yes, that number is right!) people stuck in the Guangzhou train station. Talk about a travel nightmare! Hopefully, they've all made it to their destinations and will soon be enjoying their favorite authentic Chinese meals with family.

Mongolian Beef Stir Fry

Printable Recipe

Serves 2

8-10 ounces tenderloin of beef or flank steak, sliced against the grain into 1/4-inch thick slices (it's easier to cut if the meat is slightly frozen)
1 teaspoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon reduced sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon cornstarch, plus 1/4 cup for coating meat
1-2 cups of snow peas, cleaned
1 tablespoon oil, for stir-frying the snow peas

1/3 cup vegetable oil, for frying the beef
1/2 teaspoon minced fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup water or low sodium chicken stock
1 slightly rounded tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon cornstarch, mixed with 1 tablespoon water
2 scallions, cut into 1-inch long slices on the diagonal
Additional scallion for garnish, if desired

Rice or noodles for serving

Marinate the beef for 1 hour in 1 teaspoon oil, 1 teaspoon soy sauce, and 1 tablespoon cornstarch. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of cornstarch and toss with your fingers until lightly coated.
Meanwhile, prepare the rice or noodles of your choice according to package directions.  Set aside while cooking the beef.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add the snow peas and toss until still bright green and just slightly browned - about 1 minute. Season with a pinch of salt and pepper and remove with a slotted spoon to a platter and set aside.

Add 1/3 cup of oil to the same pan and heat again. Just when the oil starts to smoke, spread the pieces of beef evenly in the pan, and sear for 30 seconds to 1 minute (depending upon the heat of your pan) until you see a crusty coating. Turn over and let the other side sear for another 30 seconds or so. The beef should be well-seared and browned. Remove to a baking sheet lined with paper toweling. Prepare in two batches if increasing the recipe. 

Drain the oil from the wok, leaving 1 tablespoon behind, and turn the heat to medium. Add the ginger and red pepper flakes. After about 15 seconds, add the garlic. Stir for another 10 seconds and add the soy sauce and chicken stock (or water). Bring the sauce to a simmer, add the brown sugar, and stir until dissolved.

Let the sauce simmer for about 2 minutes and slowly stir in the cornstarch/water mixture and stir until thickened. Add the seared beef and scallions and toss everything for another 30 seconds or until there is almost no liquid left.  Add the beef mixture to the platter with the snow peas, garnish with the additional scallions, if desired, and serve. 

My Notes:  I added a splash of Cabernet wine when adding the liquids to the stir fry as I had an open bottle handy and it felt like a good idea!. 

Adapted from The Woks of Life

51 comments:

  1. This looks so fresh and wonderful --- I'll never need to go to Panda Express again!

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    1. I've never tried Panda Express! It was wonderful, Thank you, Sue!

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  2. This looks better than the one I had in the restaurants! Those beef slices are really tender, Susan.

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  3. This looks so perfect! Way better than anything in a restaurant :)

    Sues

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  4. I love to hear that too..I love asian recipes..and that blog is lovely..I will try this..my last asianish dishes were cloyingly sweet.
    I must admit I am craving General Tao..not home made..I love it home made..but so many steps for the best..I think I will throw caution to the wind and go to Rouge in Feb:)

    Looking good Susan:)
    I am nuts about Szechuan peppercorns..I might add? What do you thik?

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    1. I love General Tsao too! So many good recipes! I also cut back on the brown sugar just a bit. I never thought to use Szechuan peppercorns but think they would be perfect in this! Go for it ;)

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  5. I have a new wok... I can't wait to try this wonderful recipe Susan!Have a lovely weekend, a warm hug, xoxo

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    1. Congratulations on your new wok, Chiara, and I hope you enjoy this!

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  6. Oh my goodness, it's already Chinese New Year time of year? Where does the time fly? We so love Chinese food and need to prepare it more often at home. Cooking in a wok is so much more healthy for us and the veggies are always so crisp and bursting with color and natural flavor. Thanks for sharing!
    xoxo

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    1. That's how I feel too. The winter seems to be flying by (which is a good thing)! Thank you, Roz!

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  7. That sounds like something that The Great Dane and I would really like. Thank you!

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  8. Just found your blog and I really like this recipe---have to try it!!

    Jane

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  9. We love this, I made it last week. I do add the wine and a splash of OJ to brighten it up.
    I don't use filet mignon though, that must be decadent! I use a cheaper cut and simmer it till tender.
    Looks wonderful! Happy year of the monkey!

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    1. I have to remember the splash of OJ next time, Kathleen! It wasn't the good part of the tenderloin, just the butt end and it was on sale :) Thanks, Kathleen!

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  10. Very nice presentation Susan and the recipe sounds delicious. Reminds me we haven't done stir fry in quite a while.

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    1. I love stir fries if they don't have too many steps and this is a fairly easy one. Thank you, Larry!

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  11. Beautiful photography, Susan! I don't often make Asian foods, but like to eat them. Mongolian Beef is Howard's favorite, he always orders it. I will try this as it looks like something not real complicated like some Chinese recipes.

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    1. You're right, this one isn't as time-consuming as many other. Hope you try it :) Thank you, Marigene!

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  12. I love a good stir fry. This looks super delicious!

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  13. Susan, I think that your presentation is exquisite and thankfully doesn't resemble what most stir-fry dishes look like on the plate. Ah - "we can have this again" - words I love to hear.
    Sam

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    1. If only I could hear that after every meal I cook :) Thank you, Sam!

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  14. I enjoy cooking Asian food occasionally and you have presented a tempting dish. Chinese New Year is the perfect time for this - oh heck, anytime is perfect for this.

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    1. Sometimes the prep work makes people shy away but this one isn't bad at all. Thank you, Linda!

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  15. Susan, this looks amazing and so I tried it! It was better than it looks. Thanks so much for sharing it. No I can get my Panda Express fix at home!!!!!

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    1. So glad to hear you tried and like it, Renee! We thought it was very tasty too :)

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  16. This sounds wonderful Susan! Wishing you a Happy Chinese New Years! Gung Hoy Fat Choy!

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  17. Once again, you made something that I would like to try, if nothing else because it looks so simple~ I love the idea of using tenderloin too, much better than flank steak :)

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  18. Wow - just wow! Love this dish and it looks so full of flavor and tender - I am not craving this beef!

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  19. This turned out so well! Looks so yummy ♥

    summerdaisy.net

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  20. We all love Asian in my family and this beef would be a big hit! I am bookmarking this to try it Susan! Looks fantastic!

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  21. This Mongolian beef looks delicious Susan...I usually use ready made sauce...lazy way...but next time I should try making the sauce from scratch.
    Enjoy the rest of your week :)

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  22. Hi Susuan, my daughter and I always order Mongolian beef, this recipe will be a favorite around our house. Looks delicious!

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  23. My son told me about the stranded. He said this is the biggest human migration in the world. He is very happy right now in Shanghai, because he said it is like a giant ghost town. And it is so quiet! Love this dish. I don't eat beef anymore but it used to be one of my all time faves!

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  24. This is the perfect one-dish meal I would love to have everyday. All I need is just a big bowl of rice! This looks really delicious!

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  25. This looks so good, Susan! Chinese cuisine is my favorite and I'm loving your recipe. I think the tenderloin must be so tender. Thank you for sharing this and I look forward to trying it.

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  26. Using tenderloin for the recipe had to really make it special…tender and delicious.

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  27. This looks fresh and wonderful. Super yummy. A perfect one pot meal :)

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  28. Susan, I have that same plate. Pity it is not filled with your Mongolian Beef.
    Missed your cooking!

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  29. Wow! This looks like it came from a VERY nice restaurant.
    Amalia
    xo

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  30. Really I love this Susan! Look absolutely delicious !! xox

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  31. My husband loves Mongolian beef but have to say I've never even thought to make it. After seeing this I think I'll surprise him with it one evening. Thanks for the inspiration. I hope you're doing well.

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  32. What gorgeous pictures in this post! This dish looks amazing :)

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  33. THIS looks insanely delicious! I am soooo on board!

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