Mongolian beef is my husband's favorite when we get Chinese takeout and this at home version is an awesome option. This a go to for us when we're trying to behave and layoff all the tasty fried snacks that find their way into our Chinese takeout orders. I mean crab Rangoon are life.
Ingredients
1.5 lbs flank steak
2 bell peppers julienne
1 bunch scallions (divided: large chunks of the greens and mince the white bulbs)
3 Tbsp oil
1 tsp ginger
4 cloves garlic
1/2 cup light soy sauce
1/4 cup low sodium beef stock
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup cornstarch
salt & pepper to taste
Directions
Thinly slice the flank steak against the grain and season with salt and pepper. The beef should be sliced about a 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick at the most. If struggling to slice the beef thin enough wrap the steak in plastic and place it in the freezer for about 20 minutes. The slightly firmer texture of the lightly frozen beef is easier to cut. One all the beef is cut and seasoned, lightly dredge it in corn starch and make sure to tap off the excess.
In a separate bowl combine the following to make your sauce: the minced garlic, ginger, soy sauce, beef stock, and brown sugar. Whisk the ingredients together and set aside.
Next you're going to heat half the oil over medium heat and pan fry the sliced beef on both sides. The beef will cook quickly, being so thin, so once you see browning on both sides its probably ready to be removed from the pan. Once halfway through browning the beef, change out your used oil for the other half of clean oil. This will prevent the beef from browning too quickly and unevenly due to the excess cornstarch that builds up in the frying oil.
Once all the beef is seared and set aside, drain the pain of excess oil and use it to saute the bell peppers and the minced white portion of your scallions. Once the peppers and scallion bulbs are aromatic (about one minute) add your sauce and let simmer for 2-3 minutes to cook out the raw garlic and ginger. add your beef to the sauce and simmer for another 4-5 minutes. The corn starch coating the beef will help the sauce thicken. If you prefer the sauce be thicker you can make a slurry of 1 Tbsp of cornstarch and 1 Tbsp of water and whisk it into the sauce. If using the slurry to thicken the sauce you will need to return it to a simmer to cook and activate the cornstarch. we served this over some quick brown rice and added some extra veggies with some simple steamed broccoli. Enjoyed by the whole family!