What is in Mongolian Beef? A Look at This Popular Chinese-American Dish

Mongolian beef is a popular Chinese-American dish that consists of tender slices of beef, usually flank steak, stir-fried with onions, scallions, and a sweet-savory brown sauce. Despite its name, the dish actually has no connection to Mongolian cuisine. So what exactly is in Mongolian beef that gives it that distinctive flavor?

Key Ingredients

The most important ingredients in Mongolian beef are

• Beef – Typically flank steak or other tender cuts, sliced thinly against the grain This provides tenderness

• Onions – Sliced onions are sautéed until caramelized, providing sweetness.

• Scallions – Added at the end for freshness and flavor. Both the white and green parts are used.

• Sauce – The hallmark brown sauce is made with soy sauce hoisin sauce, rice wine sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and sugar. This gives the dish its characteristic savory-sweet flavor.

• Cornstarch – Used to create a light crispy coating on the beef and thicken the sauce.

• Neutral oil – For velveting the beef and stir-frying. Peanut or vegetable oil are typical choices.

• Rice – Mongolian beef is usually served over steamed white rice to soak up the delicious sauce.

Cooking Method

The cooking method for Mongolian beef involves:

• Velveting the beef – This tenderizes the beef and helps it retain moisture when cooking. The beef is marinated briefly in a mix of cornstarch, egg white, oil, and seasoning.

• Deep-frying – The velveted beef is fried briefly at high heat to create a seared, crispy exterior while keeping the inside tender.

• Stir-frying – The beef is stir-fried with the aromatic ingredients like ginger and garlic followed by the sauce ingredients until thickened.

• Tossing – At the end, the fried crispy beef is tossed back into the wok to absorb the sauce and finish cooking.

The entire cooking process is very fast, usually less than 15 minutes total, which is essential for retaining the beef’s tenderness and the vegetables’ crisp-tender texture.

Flavor Profile

The resulting flavor of Mongolian beef is:

• Sweet – From sugar or honey in the sauce plus the caramelized onions.

• Savory – The soy sauce, hoisin, Shaoxing wine, and sesame oil provide a rich umami taste.

• Aromatic – Ginger, garlic, scallions, and sesame oil give it a fragrant flavor.

• Slightly spicy – Many recipes include dried red chilies for a hint of heat.

The balance of sweet and savory, the tender beef, the velvety sauce, the crisp-tender vegetables, the seared edges on the beef, and the fluffy rice make this dish an irresistible favorite in many Chinese restaurants.

History

Mongolian beef was invented in Taiwan in the 1950s and became popularized in the US through Chinese-American restaurants. It was likely inspired by the Mongolian barbecue restaurant concept but with typical Chinese flavors like soy sauce, hoisin, and scallions.

Over the years, the dish evolved into a mainstream American favorite that you can find in restaurants and takeout joints across the country. It’s not authentic to any cuisine, but it’s beloved for the universal flavors of sugar, salt, umami, sweet onions, tender beef, and crispy bits.