There is a saying that Mongolian beef (葱爆牛肉)is a Chinese-American creation. In fact, it is a real Chinese dish but the name is different. Stir-frying meat with scallion is a common cooking method is China. Besides beef, lamb is also commonly stir-fried with scallion.
The name seems to show that the beef dish is Mongolian style. In fact, it is a dish originated from Chinese Shangdong province or Xingjiang province. The Chinese versions are different from American version.
In china, beef and lamb are considered to have some raw tastes. So beef stir frying dishes are not as common as pork. However when they are stir-fried with side ingredients as scallion or spices as cumin and chili powder, they are extremely yummy.
This is Elaine’s customized version because I add dried chili pepper shreds so that my dish will come out with a slightly spicy taste. This finally comes out great. You can serve this with steamed rice, plain noodles or apply the sauce on basic steamed buns.
Another beef stir fry recipe I would love to recommend: Szechuan beef stir fry. The cooking methods of the two dishes represent two Chinese stir fry methods: dry frying (GanBian) and tender frying (滑炒). The former one pursues the strong flavor and chewy taste and the later one pursues the tenderness of ingredients.
In order to make the beef tender, here are some important tips to share.
- When cut the beef slices, do cut off the fiber.
- Mix the egg white just before starting stir-frying process.
- Heat the work really hot before adding your beef slices and be quick during the process.
Ingredients:
- 1/2 pound beef tenderloin
- 2 scallions , sliced into sections around 3cm
- 3 green onions , sliced into sections around 3cm long
- 2 dried chili pepper , optional, cut into slices and seeds removed
- 1 inch root ginger , peeled and cut into shreds
- 1 middle size egg , only egg white needed
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
- 1/2 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon cooking wine
- 1 teaspoon black pepper powder
- 1 teaspoon starch , cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 2 tablespoons cooking wine
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
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Cut the beef into thin slices.
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Add salt, black pepper powder, starch and light soy sauce in the beef within a small blow and mix evenly.
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Just before cooking process, add egg white to marinated beef and stir in one direction until you get a paste.
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Heat up cooking oil in wok and stir fry beef slices around 1 to 2 minutes or until the beef begins to change color.
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Move the beef slices out and leave the oil in wok. Add ginger slices, 2/3 of scallion sections and chili pepper shred to cook until aroma.
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Return the beef slices in wok, do a quick fry and stir in stir fry sauce. Turn off the fire and add green onion sections and the left scallion. Mix well.
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Transfer to serving bowl and serve hot.
Your Chinese Mongolian Beef is just perfect, fantastic and looks so delicious!
Thanks Zaza for your lovely comments. Happy cooking ahead.
Great recipes and great page! We tried 11 recipes on my husband’s birthday party and every guest enjoyed it.
I would really like to suggest that you compile all the recipes and publish a book. I’ll definitely buy it 🙂
Su Ya from Frankfurt
Thanks Su Ya for trying my recipes and the lovely feedback. And that’s a great suggestion. I will try to compile the popular ones later.
Is there a substitution for cooking wine?
Hi Misty,
Cooking wine is an important seasoning in Chinese cooking. If it is really hard to find, you can skip it.
Did you use the seseme oil to fry of just any cooking oil
Hi Tiffany,
You can use any cooking oil. I am using sunflower cooking oil.
Hi Elaine,
Great recipes ! Can you please post the recipe for cumin lamb? My family loves it.
Thanks
Hi Neena,
I love cumin lamb too. I am on a trip currently for some family plans. Will post it as soon as I get the time.
Thank you! Enjoy the trip
Thanks Neena!
How many people does this serve please I am making it for work
Hi Sara,
This recipe can serve for 1 or 2 people. But I do not recommend frying larger amount once because of the limited fire in our kitchen.
What is the difference here between scallions and green onions? Wherever I look on google, it says it’s the same thing.
I was wondering the same thing. From looking at the pictures and the order things happen, it seems like Elena is referring to the diagonally cut whites of the green onions as “scallions” and the longer green sections as “green onions.”
As a child my family would go to out local Chinese restaurant here in Atlanta. We ate there and watched their children grow up as my sister and I grew. They closed down when I was 26. I’ve been trying to replace the Mongolian beef that they fixed there. This recipe sounds close to what they fixed. More savory than sweet. I will definitely have to try it.
When you list ” cooking wine’ what type do you use? I have tried many recipes for my husbands favorite dish. Your’s sounds perfect. I want to follow it exactly as written. Could you please clarify the wine? It makes a huge difference using the wrong one.
Thank you so much. The picture of the dish made me SOOOOOO hungry!
Leslie
Hi Leslie,
In Chinese cuisine, we love to use a small amount of cooking wine which is made based on yellow wine or rice wine. It does not add additional flavors to the dish and can remove any odd raw taste from the meat ingredients. So you can use only brand of Chinese cooking wine (料酒).