Unlike a scoop of the sad, globby stuff you get at the mini-mall Chinese food buffet, this meal is fresh and peppery, the beef is lean and delicious, and you can make it entirely gluten-free. Serves two.
Ingredients
For the beef -
1 lb. flank steak
2 teaspoons gluten-free soy sauce
3 Tablespoons chili garlic sauce (find it in the Asian food aisle)
Vegetable oil for frying
For the beef coating -
4 Tablespoons gluten-free flour
4 Tablespoons corn starch
1/4 teaspoon salt
For the sauce -
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 teaspoons ginger powder
2 dried red chili peppers (more if you dare), cut into small pieces
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4 Tablespoons hoisin sauce (find it in the Asian food aisle)
4 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/2 cup water
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1 teaspoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon water
For serving -
3 scallions (green onions)
2 servings white or brown rice, prepared
1 cup carrots or broccoli, pre-roasted or steamed
Preparation
- Using a meat mallet, flatten the flank steak by about half the thickness.
- Slice into very thin strips. Trim as much fat from the steak as possible as you slice.
- Mix the soy sauce and chili garlic sauce in a large Zip-Loc bag and add the meat. Squish to distribute the marinade and coat the meat. Marinate in the fridge for 3-4 hours.
- Stir together the beef coating (flour, corn starch and salt) and place on a plate. Dredge the meat slices through the flour mixture, coating them thinly and evenly.
Cooking
- Fill a frying pan, wok or cast iron skillet with vegetable oil, about 1/8 inch deep. Heat to medium-high.
- Stir-fry the meat in the hot oil for about 3 minutes, until brown. Remove from the pan and drain on paper towels. Wipe any excess flour-coating and oil from the pan.
- Add the 1 Tablespoon of oil to the hot pan and then the next four sauce ingredients (garlic, ginger, peppers). Saute about 2 minutes, until garlic is golden.
- NOTE: If you are using dried red chili peppers with seeds, they are hot! I mean hot-hot, not kinda hot. Start with 2 and finish cooking this recipe -- then taste. You can add more if you dare.
- Add the next three sauce ingredients (hoisin, brown sugar, water) and stir well. Bring to a boil.
- Combine the teaspoon of cornstarch with a teaspoon of water in a separate bowl and whisk into the pan of sauce to thicken. (The consistency should be like thick syrup. Add another teaspoon corn starch/teaspoon water mixture to the sauce if not thick enough.)
- Carefully add the beef to the sauce and mix well. Add your roasted carrots or broccoli to the pan and heat through, 1-2 minutes.
Serving
Prepare your rice (add chopped scallions, if you wish). Spoon rice onto plate and top with the Mongolian beef. Sprinkle with chopped scallions.
A Little Backstory
I know what you're thinking: "Why go through all this trouble when I can pick up Chinese food for cheap and be eating it out of a little paper container in like 30 minutes?" Puhleeze. Stop it.
First of all, this recipe is spectacular. No take-out joint will come close. Second, this recipe seems long and involved, but I promise it comes together quickly. None of these steps (except the marinating, of course), takes more than a few minutes. Go easy on yourself and use a microwavable rice that takes just a few minutes, too. This will be a delicious point-of-pride meal that you simply won't experience with mediocre take-out.
We devoured this so fast -- I wish I would've doubled the recipe for leftovers!
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