Mongolian Beef

PF Chang's is one of my all-time favorite restaurants, so when I found this recipe on Pinterest, I was so excited to try it!  According to my chief minion, it's the BEST meal I've ever cooked.  He tends to exaggerate a bit, but I have to agree with him that it's pretty awesome.  I'm excited to try it again soon.

Ingredients:

Sauce--

2 tsp vegetable oil
1/2 tsp minced ginger (I found it in a squeeze tube in the produce section of Walmart.)
1 tbsp chopped garlic (I used minced garlic from a jar...keeping it simple.)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup water
3/4 cup brown sugar

Meat--

1 lb flank steak (I got 2 lbs and used half & froze half)
1 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup cornstarch
2 green onions, chopped

Directions:

1.  Cut your flank stake into bite-sized chunks.  I used my sharp new kitchen shears, and it was SO much easier than using a knife and cutting board.

2.  Lightly coat each piece of beef in cornstarch.  I over-coated mine and had to wipe off the excess after frying, which was a pain--be sure it's just a thin coat.  Allow the meat to rest for 5-10 minutes so that the cornstarch sticks.

3.  While your meat rests, heat 2 tsp vegetable oil in a pan on medium heat.  Add in the ginger and garlic.  Quickly add the soy sauce and water so your garlic doesn't scorch.  Stir for a few minutes until the mixture is hot.

4.  Stir in the brown sugar and allow it to dissolve.  Allow the sauce to simmer for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove sauce from heat and allow it to thicken as you cook the beef.

5.  Pour 1 cup vegetable oil into a frying pan and turn the heat up to medium-high.  Once the oil is hot, add in the beef.  After about a minute, flip the beef over to cook on the other side for another minute or 2.  I found out that beef cooks a lot faster than chicken, so be sure not to over-cook or it will be tough.

6.  Using a slotted spoon, remove the chunks of beef and dab off excess oil/cornstarch with a paper towel.  (This is the most tedious part of the recipe, but it's not too bad.)  Mix the meat in with the sauce.  Add in the green onions and stir over medium heat until warm.  Serve over rice.

 

This recipe made enough to feed both Jake and I with enough left over for Jake to have lunch the next day.  If you have a large family or kids that eat meat (Thomas just ate the rice with sauce), it may need doubling.  

It took about 45 minutes to make, but this was my first attempt.  It'll bet I could do it in 30 minutes next time.  Flank steak is fairly pricey, so it'll probably have to be more of a special occasion meal, but it is SO good...give it a try :)