Mongolian Beef — cooking with steak during the winter
Grilled steak is probably one of my favorite foods. There’s nothing better than a summer evening, a couple of steaks on the grill, a cold beer in my hand while the rice steams or the potatoes bake in the kitchen. Aaaahhhh, how I miss summer!!! I’m one of those people who prefer to do everything barefoot and preferrably in shorts, and that includes cooking and eating 
During the winter, though, it’s too damn cold to cook outside. I live in Nebraska and the winters are frigid and sometimes unbearable. As I look out my window, there’s drifts of snow here and there that still haven’t melted, blech! It’s not pretty snow, either. Not that first dusting of the year when snow is a bit exciting. This is dirty snow, mostly pushed up in piles by snow plows. Where the snow has melted, the dead grass peaks through. I can’t wait for spring!
So, when the temps and weather conditions force me inside for a long five to six months over the winter, I look for ways to make steak indoors. Most times when I get the craving for Chinese food, I reach for my phone and hit speed dial. (Um, yes, I do have my favorite Chinese restaurant on speed dial—don’t judge me, ha!) But I really love to cook, and if I have the time, I’d rather make it myself at home. Also, I’m one of those people who is always imagining someone has sneezed in the food I’m about to consume and, well, that’s just gross. Eeeekkkkk!!!
finished product — Mongolian Beef. Isn’t it pretty???
Today, I’m going to share with you a recipe for Mongolian Beef. I’ve seen a lot of different recipes online, and most are either too sweet, too salty with soy sauce, or they’re okay, but they forgot the mushrooms…and I need me some mushrooms in my Mongolian Beef!
MONGOLIAN BEEF
1 lb beef sirloin steak, sliced very thin.
(I find it’s easiest to slice from a slightly frozen state)
1 bunch green onion, chop the green onion just where it starts to turn white, keep
the bottom white onion piece, but chop off the root.
2 tbsp minced garlic clove
1 tbsp minced ginger (use only fresh ginger!!!)
3/4 c. soy sauce
3/4 c. brown sugar
1 c. water
1 8 oz pkg sliced mushrooms
Cornstarch
Vegetable oil
In a medium sized sauce pan over medium heat, add a couple tablespoons of vegetable oil. Let it warm up, then add the garlic and ginger and sauté just until the garlic becomes dark. Do not burn! Add the soy sauce, add water, and the brown sugar, mix it all together. Turn up the heat to a medium-high Bring the sauce to a boil and let it boil for about 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and let it cook for another five minutes. Set aside.
Add about 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup vegetable oil to a large frying pan with at least 2-inch high sides. Heat on high for about 3 to 5 minutes. While it’s heating, sprinkle the sliced steak with cornstarch on both sides. I just toss it in a bowl. I don’t really try to heavily coat it, just a sprinkle is all. Once the oil is heated, fry the steak on both sides. You’re looking for a crispy brown. I’d prefer to drop my steak in a large deep fryer for a couple of minutes, like they do in a Chinese restaurant, but I don’t have one of those big fryers. I just fry the steak in batches, setting the fried pieces on a plate with paper towel to soak up the excess oil.
Once this is done, I put the sauce pan back on the burner over medium-high heat to get it boiling again. I drop the browned, hopefully a bit crispy, steak into the boiling sauce. Boil it for about five minutes so that the sauce thickens. Add the green onion (green and white pieces) at the very last, letting it soften up just before serving.
Serve over white steamed rice.
Like I said, I’ve tried many different recipes. I prefer my Mongolian Beef a little less sweet and a bit more savory. I also don’t mind eating spicy food (love it, actually!) so if I want spicy, I just add a bit of red pepper flake to the sauce, just before adding the steak.
Stop back and see me soon! I’ll probably share my Bistek recipe (Filipino-style pan-fried steak and onions), yum!!! Stay warm!
Niecey Roy
Coming May 3, 2013 – Fender Bender Blues, a romantic comedy
Published by Wild Rose Press
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