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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
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Mongolian Beef And Broccoli
Ingredients
Marinade:
- 2 lbs 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 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 garlic or 4 tablespoons, minced
- 1/2 tablespoon ginger minced
- 1 broccoli cut into florets
- 4 green onion scallion stems, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch corn flour mixed with 2 tablespoons water
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 corn 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.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This looks delicious, I can’t wait to make it. Could I substitute the beef for lamb?
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!
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.
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!
Made this Mongolian beef stir fry last night and it tasted as good as it looked. The family loved it!
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!
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.
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.
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!
Flank steak
You can also use a flank steak.
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!