These EASY Chinese-inspired Mongolian beef stir-fry bowls are ready in just 10 minutes!! Loaded with rich savory flavor, crisp-tender vegetables, and served over rice!
Prep Time10 minutesmins
Cook Time10 minutesmins
Total Time20 minutesmins
Course: Beef
Cuisine: Asian
Keyword: beef bowl, easy mongolian beef, how to make mongolian beef, is Mongolian beef spicy, Mongolian beef sauce, mongolian beef stir fry, what is mongolian beef
Servings: 4
Calories: 682kcal
Author: Averie Sunshine
Ingredients
1poundflank steak or pepper steaksliced into thin 1/4-inch strips against the grain
⅓cupcornstarch
¾cupbrown sugarpacked (light or dark)* (See Notes)
½cupsoy sauceI used reduced-sodium** (See Notes)
½cupwater
¼cupcanola or vegetable oil
1cuppeasI used frozen, and did not thaw beforehand
1cupgrated or shredded carrots
1yellow bell peppersliced into thin 1/4-inch strips (or any color)
2stalks scallionsgreen parts only, sliced into 1-inch segments
3or 4 cloves garlicfinely minced or pressed
1inchfresh gingerpeeled and finely minced or grated OR 2 teaspoons dried ginger
1 to 2teaspoonssesame seeds
Cooked ricefor serving
Saltoptional and to taste
Pepperoptional and to taste
Instructions
Begin by cutting steak into thin ¼ inch thick strips, against the grain.
Place it into a large ziptop bag, cover with the cornstarch, seal, and shake the bag to move the beef around to ensure it is evenly coated; set aside momentarily.
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the soy sauce, brown sugar, water, mix; set aside.
In a large sauté pan, heat the oil over medium to medium-high heat. When the oil is shimmering, add the beef, evenly spaced, and sear for one minute on each side.
Remove the steak from the pan and set aside after it’s cooked taking care not to overcook; don't crowd the pan and cook in batches if you need to.
Taking care that you only have about 1 tablespoon oil leftover in the pan after removing the steak (drain off excess if there is), add the peas (I added straight from the freezer), carrots, bell pepper, scallions, and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes.***
Add garlic, ginger, sesame seeds, and sauté for an additional 1 minute, or until fragrant, stirring nearly constantly.
Add the seared steak back into the skillet, pour the soy sauce mixture over everything, and let it simmer for about 2 minutes to allow the sauce to thicken.
Scoop around 1/2 cup cooked rice into serving bowls, spoon the beef and vegetables over the rice, and if desired add salt, pepper, or additional soy sauce to taste before serving.
Recipe is best warm and fresh but will keep airtight in the fridge (store rice separately) for up to 4 days or in the freezer for 3 months, noting that the texture of the vegetables will change and they will be softer and not as crisp.
Notes
*Dark brown sugar will give a deeper, richer flavor profile than light brown, but both are fine.**I used reduced-sodium/lite soy sauce and prefer it but if you like more of a salty profile, you can use regular soy sauce.*** If you are going to use broccoli, mushrooms, or a denser vegetable, add it after searing and removing the beef, but before adding the peas, carrots, bell pepper, and scallions since they will likely need a 2 to 3 minute headstart.