Mongolian Beef...My Way

I was not a big fan of Mongolian Beef when I was growing up.  There was just something about a meal that had that much onion in it that didn't appeal to me back then. Now, my tastes have changed a bit and I definitely enjoy it more.  Though, I still don't order it too often at restaurants because there is always a chicken dish I'd rather have.  After making this recipe, though, I may be more of a fan for it...at least at home!  (most restaurants still serve it with far too much onion for my taste.)  Most recipes I have seen for Mongolian Beef instruct you to deep fry the beef.  Since I'm still trying to keep things more on the healthier side, I decided to do things a little different.  I decided to marinate the beef and then just stir fry it quickly.  I was pleasantly surprised by the outcome.  Though it wasn't "crispy" beef, it was amazingly tender and flavorful.

Before I give you the recipe, I want to talk about a few of the ingredients used.  I'm going to give you suggestions on what to substitute, if you need to, but know that the flavors will not be exactly the same.

First...Rice Vinegar.  Rice vinegar is NOT rice wine.  I found that you cannot substitute one for the other in recipes.  If you do not have rice vinegar you can use white wine vinegar.  You can use apple cider vinegar too, but I'd dilute it with a bit of water.

Second...Hoisin sauce.  This is a Chinese marinating/dipping sauce.  It's sort of like a thick, sweet molasses, soy sauce.  If you can't find this, you could use a barbeque sauce, or for the marinating part of this recipe, you could just use soy sauce.

Third...Sriracha hot chili sauce.   I LOVE this sauce.  I use it a lot and just wanted to introduce you to it.  It is a bit spicy, so make sure to taste as you add.  If you don't want spicy, I would suggest using a sweet chili sauce.  You should be able to find either one these in the Asian food isle at your local supermarket.

Mongolian Beef (My Way)

Ingredients:

1 lbs. flank steak

2 Tbls. Hoisin Sauce

1 Tbls. Rice Vinegar

1 Tbls. Sriracha hot chili sauce

2 teaspoons vegetable oil

1 Tbls. minced garlic

3 green onions, sliced

Sauce:

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup water

5 Tbls brown sugar

1 Tbls Hoisin

1 Tbls Rice Vinegar

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine 2 T Hoisin, 1 T rice vinegar, and 1 T Sriracha.  Slice the flank steak against the grain into 1/4" slices.  Tilt the knife blade at a 45 degree angle to the top of the steak to get wider cuts.  Place steak slices and marinade into a Ziploc bag, seal, and rub the meat to make sure all pieces are coated.  Marinate for 1 hour.

In a bowl, combine the all the sauce ingredients; stir until cornstarch and sugar has dissolved.  Set aside.

In a large skillet or wok, heat vegetable oil over medium high heat.  Add the beef and stir fry until the beef is almost cooked, about 2-3 minutes.  Add the garlic and quickly stir fry 1 minute.  Add the sauce.  Stir to combine and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and add green onions.  Cook 1-2 more minutes.  Serve over rice.  Enjoy!