Crispy Sticky Mongolian Beef

This recipe is similar to Honey Pepper Beef Stir Fry – with the addition of the crispy beef!

Mongolian Beef

I cannot get enough of this Mongolian Beef. I am obsessed! PF Chang’s is an Asian themed restaurant chain in the US. They seem to be everywhere – and it’s wildly popular. Because of its sheer popularity, I had to try it when I was in the US. I actually didn’t mind the Chow Mein that my friend got, but personally I found the Mongolian Beef too sweet and too oily. I didn’t get it. I couldn’t understand what all the fuss was about, and why America is so obsessed with Mongolian Beef! Every single other food on my “must try” list that I had on my US foodie road trip was a home run. But Mongolian Beef? Disappointing. But knowing how popular it is, I tried it again at a Chinese restaurant in LA. I had too, I was curious. This time, I scored! I understood! Made properly, it is absolutely addictive. Dangerously so.

What is Mongolian Beef – and what does it taste like?

For the Australians reading this, Mongolian Beef is similar to what we know as Szechuan Style Beef and Peking Beef. Thin slices of beef that is shallow fried so it’s super crispy then tossed in a sticky sauce. It’s different to what we know as Mongolian Lamb which is not fried or crispy, and the sauce is not as sweet. It’s the combination of crispy and sticky that makes Mongolian Beef SO good. See how thick and caramel-like the sauce is? The photo on the right is when the sauce is bubbling away, thickening and coating the beef. Heaven in a pan, that’s what this is. 🙂

Did you notice that I made it in a skillet instead of a wok? To tell you the truth, normally I make it in a wok but I wanted to try it in a skillet too so I could provide directions for that. It’s easier made in a wok because you can shallow fry the beef in the wok. But if you don’t have a wok, I recommend frying the beef in a small saucepan instead because the beef is cooked with only 1/4 cup of oil. If you use a skillet, then the oil spreads too thinly and you won’t get the same crispiness. After the beef is cooked, finish the rest of the recipe in a skillet. Easy! In the crispy / sticky stakes, I have to say that this is right up there with Buffalo Wings. That is to say, if someone put a plate of this and a plate of Buffalo Wings in front of me, I am not entirely sure which one I would go for. Actually, I do know. Probably both at the same time. 🙂 – Nagi x

PS I got side tracked and forgot to mention that I tried a few recipes I found on a mission to get the closest match to the Mongolian Beef I had at a Chinese restaurant in LA, not PF Chang’s which I didn’t enjoy very much. A few were close, but didn’t nail it. This recipe is from a blog called Woks of Life which is run by a Chinese family who used to run a Chinese restaurant in America. It’s my “go to” source for American Chinese recipes. Every single recipe I have tried has been an absolute ripper. Honestly!