Mongolian Beef

One of my favorite Asian dishes to get at a restaurant is Mongolian beef.  This recipe tastes so much like the popular restaurant version, you’ll swear you were sitting in a dimly lit room munching on lettuce wraps and slurping hot and sour soup.  Pair it with brown rice or garlic noodles for the full experience.

Ingredients

1 pound sirloin steak

¼ cup cornstarch

4 t toasted sesame oil, divided

½ t freshly grated ginger

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

½ cup low sodium soy sauce

½ cup water

½ cup brown sugar

Pinch red pepper flakes

4 green onions, sliced into thirds

Slice steak thinly into long strips; pat dry.  Toss cornstarch with steak until all pieces are coated and shake off excess.

Heat 2 teaspoons sesame oil in wok or large skillet on medium-high heat.  Add ginger and garlic.  Cook for 30 seconds, stirring constantly, then add soy sauce, water, brown sugar, and red pepper.  Cook for 2 minutes then transfer to a bowl (sauce will look thin, but will thicken when added to the beef).

Turn the heat to high and add remaining 2 teaspoons of sesame oil.  Add beef and cook until brown.  Pour sauce into wok or skillet with the beef and add green onions.  Cook until sauce is desired consistency.