A Mongolian Beef And Broccoli better than take-out? YES! It IS possible.
With an added ingredient to make this thick and glossy sauce taste even BETTER than take-out, PLUS extra sauce in the recipe, the beef is tender/soft using less than half the oil than other recipes. Most Mongolian Beef recipes do not have the addition of vegetables and call for deep frying the beef in 1 cup or more of oil. But not this one. I tried many ways to reduce the calorie content in this recipe.
MONGOLIAN BEEF
I’m hoping you can see how soft, silky and smooth that beef really is. Plus, the addition of broccoli turns Mongolian Beef into an incredible family loved stir-fry!
VELVETING
The most important step in this recipe is to marinade the beef in a mixture of cornstarch and Chinese wine. The technique that most Chinese restaurants use to create that tenderised texture we love so much is called velveting. It feels like a secret to Chinese cooking. Well, not anymore. Velveting can be made up of a mixture of egg whites, baking soda and wine. In this case, we’re using cornstarch, Shaoxing and soy sauce.
HOW TO COOK THIS MONGOLIAN BEEF
After the meat is marinated, it is then — most traditionally — blanched in deep fried oil, then drained and ready to be stir fried. Well, as usual, I broke tradition to make this recipe easier for those of us home-cooks that aren’t comfortable with deep frying → not wanting to start any fires → not wanting to think of the fat pants needed afterwards.
NO DEEP FRYING
We only needed 1/4 cup of oil for 2 pounds (1 kilo) of beef strips, and found that was plenty, without needing to drain any oil afterwards or worry about where I was going to put any leftovers. The method works, don’t let it scare you. And only half the fat pants needed.
My biggest piece of advice is to have your oil hot before adding the meat. DO NOT have your oil on high heat, or it will spit and spatter all over you and your stove top. Just…..trust me. Medium heat is enough. If your oil is preheated and hot, your meat will cook FAST. Stir frying it for about 2 minutes is enough time, until you see crispy, golden edges.
MONGOLIAN SAUCE
Adding Hoisin sauce into tho sauce? Priceless. A delicious addition and adds an incredible flavour. Beautiful, soft Mongolian Beef. At first glance, who can be bothered with that extra step, but believe me, if you want Chinese restaurant quality beef, go the extra step and do it.
LOVE ASIAN INSPIRED RECIPES? TRY THESE!
Teriyaki Chicken
Mongolian Glazed Meatballs
Fried Rice
WATCH US MAKE MONGOLIAN BEEF RIGHT HERE
Mongolian Beef And Broccoli
Ingredients
Marinade:
- 2 lbs | 1 kg beef tenderloin , thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce*
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing (Chinese) wine**
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch (corn flour)
Sauce:
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce (important. See Notes)*
- 2/3 cup water
- 1/3 cup brown sugar (or coconut sugar)
- 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce (optional BUT adds incredible flavour)
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 3/4 tablespoon ground white pepper (or 1-2 teaspoons red chili powder)
Stir Fry:
- 1/4 cup oil
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 8 cloves (or 4 tablespoons) garlic, minced
- 1/2 tablespoon minced ginger
- 1 Broccoli , cut into florets
- 4 green onion / scallion stems , thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water (corn flour)
Instructions
- Whisk marinade ingredients together until well combined. Marinate the beef slices for 30 minutes to an hour (The more marinading, the more tender the meat will be).
- While beef is marinating, whisk together the sauce ingredients until well combined. Set aside and prepare vegetables.
- Heat up a wok over medium heat with the 1/4 cup of oil. When oil is hot, stir-fry the marinated beef in batches of four (don't crowd the wok) until they are just crisp on the edges (about 2 minutes. They cook FAST in the hot oil. Don't have the oil on high heat or it will spit and spatter all over you and your stove). Remove the meat, leaving as much oil in the wok, and set aside.
- Heat up the sesame oil in the wok with any remaining oil, and stir-fry the garlic and ginger until fragrant. Add the vegetables and stir fry until they are vibrant in colour and just tender.
- Add the beef back into the wok with the prepared sauce. Simmer in the sauce until the beef slices are cooked through (about 2 minutes); add the con starch mixture and the sliced green onions. Cook for a further minute or until the sauce thickens, wile stirring quickly.
- Garnish with extra green onion slices and serve immediately over rice or steamed vegetables.
Notes
**If you can't find Shaoxing wine, use a Rice Wine Vinegar; White or Apple Cider Vinegar instead.
Connor says
I wish I read the note on the low sodium soy sauce before cooking this haha. Can definately see what you mean about the saltiness.
Still a great tasting dish though!
EAP says
Karina, my family loved this so much, we made it two nights in a row! My husband is VERY particular, but he loved this. The first night we used beef, the second night we used pork…both times, the recipe was perfect!!! This is my first time cooking anything like this! I’m so ready to try more recipes! Thank you so much for taking the time to share your time and wonderful tips…along with your recipes!
Anne Chang says
Directly getting to the point, I am not sure if you proofread your article above before publishing it. I think there are a couple of mistakes in It. We Chinese almost always marinate meat, poultry and seafood with COOKING WINE, brown (ShaoXing) or white (rice wine), depending on the type of protein.. From my understanding, VINEGAR is never used in marinate process or the meat could be half cooked, however, I found twice you mentioned Vinegar in the Velveting section. Hopefully, it gets corrected soon. And you can just delete my comments
Karina says
Thank you for picking that up!
Susie says
This looks delicious, I can’t wait to make it. Could I substitute the beef for lamb?
Becca says
This recipe was amazing and in my opinion the hoisin is an absolute must. It’s an incredible addition to the flavor! I did have a question about the velveting/marinade though. I halved the recipe and used pre sliced very thin “philly steak” from a local farm. When I went to marinate the steak it wasn’t enough to cover the meat. I ended up pouring it all in a baking tray and “stirring” the meat every few minutes to make sure everything was coated. Would it hurt to use the full amount of marinade on just one pound of beef? Thanks!
Tara says
Just wow. I was looking for a recipe that I could make using limited ingredients. I was out of soy sauce so had to make my own. With that said… omg.
Full disclosure, 3 weeks out of work, my freezer is getting low, I used pork chops sliced thin. Added carrots, celery, and onion, as a filler (also sliced thin).
I am way more than impressed with the sauce. Just as a taste taste, I finger picked up a piece of brocolli and dipped it in the sauce before I left it for the family to eat. (Night shift) seriously almost broke one of my personal rules… no eating before bed. Amazing. I will make a change next time. I want some heat. I’m thinking either crushed red pepper or cayenne.
Seriously… use this recipe as a base. Worth it.
Brian says
Flavor of the sauce was one of the best “Asian” sauces I’ve ever made. I used Strip Loin instead of tenderloin, and Rapine instead of broccoli. It was awesome!
Carla says
Made this Mongolian beef stir fry last night and it tasted as good as it looked. The family loved it!
Clare says
I made this last night, and the only thing I omitted was the oyster sauce. My WHOLE family loved this! Thank you so very much! I don’t eat it, so I can’t taste along the way, but it was a hit! Very easy and ultra delicious!
marta mohan says
This was simply delicious! I had bought round steak by mistake and used it – cut it across the grain, seared it to a little crispy edge, followed the recipe (other than increasing the ginger a bit, and using dark soy and regular soy – just ran out. Fabulous ! it did splatter but worth it for the delicious meal.
Andrew says
Great! I’ve been making beef with broccoli for a long time using different recipes and I think this one is it. The only changes I made (because of what I had) were; white wine in the marinade and a Szechuan sauce in place of the hoisin which gave it just the right amount of spice.
Andrea says
This looks delicious, I want to try this recipe but not sure if I can find beef tenderloin and not break the bank:). Is there another cut of beef I could use? I appreciate your time!
Ray says
Flank steak
Ray says
You can also use a flank steak.
Trish says
The recipe is spot on. I did however make some changes, I sub 1 tbs of Chinese cooking wine with 1/2 tbs of lemon juice and 1/2 tbs of rice vinger. The non-alcoholic substitute. I am in muslim country and they dont have cooking wine readily available. I also used rice flour to mix in the marinade. (I didnt have any cornstarch on hand.) I went to the store and bought corn flour to be used for thickening sauce. It was soo delicious and flavorful, thank you!
Ryan says
This was pretty delicious! Had my own little twist and added a tbs of gochujang and some brussel sprouts in the mix. Topped with cilantro and cashew crumbs. Mmmm Mmm!
Thanks for sharing!
Liv Christianson says
Thanks for a great recipe! I did not have low sodium soy sauce but diluted 1/3 of the soy sauce with bone broth and a TBS of black bean sauce with good success. The only thing that surprised me was the heat from the white pepper. It was definitely more than moderately spicy which I loved but my children and mother couldn’t hack it. 🙂
Kimberly Sias says
I would love to try several recipes but cannot seem to get to the actual recipe
Karina says
Hi Kimberly, thank you for your comment! We had a frustrating technical issue that has just now been resolved and all recipes are showing once again. I’m so sorry for the inconvenience this has caused. If you need any further help, please email us and we will assist you in any way we can. Thank you for your patience! XOXO
Linda says
I live in Greece, where Steak is expensive & tasteless as they don’t hang meat to mature here.
Could I use chicken breast instead? Do you think it would taste good?
Karina says
You are welcome to try with the chicken. I am not sure if the sauce and chicken coordinate together but it is always worth a try. Hope you enjoy it! Let me know what you think!
Amy Y. says
Should that be 4 tsp, instead of tablespoons, of minced garlic? Conversion on jar says 1 clove = 1/2 tsp. Thanks!
Remy says
Very lovely – thank you for the time & effort that you put in x
Tammie says
Hello! This looks delicious! I would love to make it for my son’s birthday but because I will be bringing it to his home is there any way I can make it a little ahead of time? Thank you for your response!
Natalie @ In Natalie's Shoes says
This sounds amazing! I *always* order beef and broccoli when I eat Chinese. So happy to know how to make it at home now!
Susan L Lester says
is the chili powder cayenne pepper or chili powder blend?
Davinia says
Good recipe, I will definitely make it again. The only change I will make is to reduce the white pepper, it made the dish linger on the tongue with a bit of spice. Normally we love that but the baby was eating too and I think it was too much for him. Great recipe though.
Aimee says
This is absolutely amazing. And so quick and easy really. Restaurant quality for sure. Thanks for an excellent recipe!! Six (out of five) stars!! ;-P
Keith @ How's it Lookin? says
Looks delicious. No need for takeout, thanks for the idea
Joanna says
Oh goodness this was good. My pickiest eater had THIRDS. You don’t even know how unheard this is. Seriously.
I love your food.
I used coconut oil to stir fry and unfortunately that did spit and splatter all over but I survived and wow it was all good.
Grace says
This recipe was absolutely amazing! !! What a hit with my family…my son actually asked me if I ordered in the beef! Whoohoo nailed it! Thank you so much! ! It’s a keeper! Can’t wait to make it again???
Aqsa says
Hi can we use white vinegar instead of rice wine vinegar???
Karina says
Yes that’s fine
Jackie says
I made this as soon as your email came through and WOW! Karina you’ve out done yourself. This recipe is a winner for chinese dinner. Thank you for all of your work and amazing recipes. Your hard work shines through every recipe. I love following you. And the fire story made my day! Thank you for giving me a laugh. Now to attempt your cookie sticks!
Karina says
Haha Jackie thank you! It’s so nice to feel appreciated. YOU’VE made my day now!!! I hope you like the cookie sticks!
Wendy says
This looks amazing! I too would like to see the nutrition information. Love your work! I enjoy hearing how you arrive at the final recipe (including the fire stories!).
Karina says
Lol my fire situation is on point that’s for sure! Thanks Wendy!
Brandy says
I love your recipes! They are awesome! Why don’t you include the nutrition facts anymore?
Karina says
Hi Brandy! I found they were conflicting with some readers unfortunately. If I have a lot of requests to continue them again I definitely will!
Tina R says
I used eye fillet cut for this recipe followed it step by step and it was simply amazing . Thank you so much for the effort you go through to give your followers an amazing accurate easy to follow recipe . So many more I need to try on your page ❤️????
Karina says
Thank you so much Tina! I’m so happy you tried this one. And you’re very welcome, it’s a pleasure 🙂
karen says
Oh wow, this looks amazing, I have saved to try. Thank you for sharing.
Sue says
This was absolutely delicious and not difficult at all. Will be one of our regular favorites from here on out!