Mongolian Ground Beef is a 20 minute stir fry bursting with sweet and savory Asian flavors. It’s a perfect weeknight meal to come back to again and again.
We love our Mongolian Beef, based off of the popular takeout dish, but this time we’re simplifying it for you.
Give this easier, ground beef version a try in your kitchen tonight!
Ground meats make some of the quickest stir fry dishes. You can skip all that cutting and just get cooking. Two of our favorites are Ground Beef Bulgogi and Thai Basil Chicken.
This time we’re transforming your restaurant favorite…
What is Mongolian Beef?
The conventional Mongolian beef you find in Chinese restaurants is a stir fry of very thinly sliced beef, typically flank steak.
All is coated in a sticky sauce that beautifully combines sweet, salty and umami.
As much as we love the original recipe, sometimes we want those same flavors without the effort. That’s why we swapped the steak out for ground beef this time.
The result was delicious.
Why You’ll Love Mongolian Ground Beef
- It’s one of the easiest meals you will ever cook. Brown meat, mix in sauce, done! Perfect last minute dinner for tonight.
- The flavors are amazing. Even picky eaters will chow down on this one.
- You can serve it different ways. Put it over a rice or noodles, use it for Asian inspired tacos, or in a lettuce wrap.
- It can be customized with different variations, which you can find later in the post.
Ingredients
- Ground Beef – We use 85/15 lean for this recipe.
- Aromatics – garlic and ginger.
- Sauce – soy sauce, brown sugar, chicken stock, corn starch, black pepper, and sambal oelek (in its absence, you can substitute a mixture of sriracha, sweet chili sauce and red pepper flakes).
- Garnishes – green onions and sesame seeds.
How to Make Mongolian Ground Beef
This one couldn’t get much easier…
Heat some oil in a skillet and brown up the ground beef. Break it up with a wooden spoon as you go along.
While the meat is browning, mix together your sauce ingredients.
When the meat is browned up, stir in the sauce. Let it simmer for a couple of minutes to allow the sauce to thicken.
Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions, and serve over white rice or your favorite Asian noodles. It’s great on our Spicy Asian Noodles.
Variations
- Add some veggies like broccoli, bell peppers or snow peas.
- Substitute the beef for ground pork, chicken or turkey.
- A dash of sesame oil in the sauce adds a nice depth of flavor.
- Try it topped with a fried egg, it goes great.
Leftovers and Storage
You can refrigerate leftover Mongolian ground beef in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Simply reheat in the microwave, or on stovetop over medium heat with a tablespoon or two of water.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- High Heat for Browning: Cooking the ground beef on high heat helps to brown it nicely, adding a rich depth of flavor to the dish.
- Drain Excess Fat: After browning the beef, consider draining any excess fat for a healthier result without compromising the taste.
- Fresh Ingredients for Flavor: Using fresh garlic and ginger makes a significant difference in flavor compared to dried or powdered alternatives.
- Dissolve Cornstarch Properly: Mix the cornstarch with the chicken stock thoroughly to avoid any lumps in the sauce.
- Balancing the Sauce: If you find the sauce too sweet, you can adjust by adding a little more soy sauce or sambal oelek for heat.
- Let the Sauce Simmer: Allowing the sauce to simmer for a few minutes helps to thicken it and enhance the flavors.
So the next time you’re looking for some great Asian flavors super quick, try our Mongolian ground beef.
Also, check our other cracking Asian Recipes and Ground Beef Recipes on GypsyPlate, and come back again for all the new flavors coming to you.
Mongolian Ground Beef, on our Gypsy Plate… enjoy!
Try these other super quick stir fry dishes!
Ground Turkey Stir Fry
Thai Basil Fried Rice
Pork Stir Fry
Moo Shu Chicken
Hunan Shrimp
Beijing Beef
Sweet & Sour Meatballs
Thai Cashew Chicken
Mongolian Ground Beef
Mongolian Ground Beef is a 20 minute stir fry bursting with sweet and savory Asian flavors. It’s a perfect weeknight meal to come back to again and again.
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp oil
- 1.5 pounds ground beef
- 6-7 garlic cloves, finely chopped
- 2 Tbsp ginger, finely chopped
- 6 Tbsp soy sauce
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ½ cup chicken stock
- 1 Tbsp corn starch
- 2 Tbsp sambal oelek
- ¼ tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a skillet or wok over high heat. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking up with a spoon. Add ginger and garlic and cook until beef is browned and no more liquid remains in the pan.
- Combine soy sauce, brown sugar, chicken stock, corn starch sambal and pepper in a bowl. Add to the meat and combine well. Simmer a couple of minutes, until sauce thickens.
- Garnish with diced green onions and sesame seeds. Serve over hot rice or Asian noodles.
Nutrition Information
Yield 4 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 612Total Fat 37gSaturated Fat 12gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 20gCholesterol 152mgSodium 1674mgCarbohydrates 18gFiber 1gSugar 12gProtein 49g
Nutrition information calculated by Nutritionix.
Welcome to GypsyPlate! I'm Alpana, former wordwide tour manager and professional caterer, now full time blogger. I love exploring cuisines from around the world, and my recipes have been featured on sites such as MSN, Parade, Brit + Co, CNET and AOL. You can explore my entire collection of sortable recipes in my Recipe Index or learn more about me here.
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