Skip to main content

Mongolian Beef

Mongolian Beef is my all-time favorite Chinese dish—savory, slightly sweet, garlicky, and finished with that irresistible glossy sauce that clings to every slice of beef. Despite its name, the dish isn’t from Mongolia at all; it’s a Chinese-American creation inspired by flavors and cooking techniques from northern China, popularized in Chinese restaurants in the United States. The combination of tender sliced beef, aromatics like ginger and garlic, and a rich soy-based sauce makes it both comforting and bold, the kind of dish that feels special yet familiar every time it’s served.

Ceramic bowl was wheel-thrown and glazed by me.

INGREDIENTS
[serves 3 to 4 as a main course]
one pound of boneless ribeye steak, sliced
one and a half tablespoons of cornstarch
two tablespoons of Tamari soy sauce
two tablespoons of vegetable oil
one tablespoon of cooking Michiu
two teaspoons of oyster sauce
two teaspoons of Sriracha sauce
one tablespoon of roughly chopped ginger
two garlic cloves, sliced
four green onions, diced
a half teaspoon of sesame oil


Toss sliced ribeye steak with the cornstarch and evenly coat the steak. Set it aside for 20 minutes. In a small bowl, mix the soy sauce, cooking Michiu, oyster sauce, Sriracha and sesame oil.

Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add the steak in a single layer and stir-fry until the edges are browned, about 5 minutes. Transfer the beef to a plate lined with paper towels to drain.

Add the garlic and ginger to the same wok and stir-fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Return the steak to the wok and stir-fry for about 1 minute. Add the chopped green onions and continue to stir-fry for another minute.

Pour in the prepared sauce and stir-fry, tossing constantly, until the sauce thickens and evenly coats the beef, about 1 to 2 minutes.


Serve hot with steamed rice and stir-fried baby bok choy.

_____
More recipes:

ESSAYS | RECIPES | STYLES | IG

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Oh Snap! BTS Just Made the Grammys Irrelevant

I am not ARMY. The first BTS member to intrigue me was J-Hope, who appeared last year on one of my favorite Korean shows, Chef & My Fridge, with his refrigerator in tow. There, I learned that he had performed at Le Gala des Pièces Jaunes at Paris La Défense Arena at the personal invitation of Brigitte Macron, France’s first lady. Naturally, I found the performance on YouTube. Thirty-five thousand people filled the arena as thousands of voices in France roared the Korean lyric, “adeuri neom jal nagaseo mianhae, eomma.” One need not own a purple light stick to recognize that kind of cultural power. Afterward, I became mildly obsessed with J-Hope and, by association, BTS. Original photo by Sudhith Xavier. Photoshop by ChatGPT. A song currently in heavy rotation on my playlist is SWIM, from their latest album, ARIRANG. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and remained there for three consecutive weeks. During its debut week, its songs occupied the top nine positions on the...

Pasta al Tonno: A Korean Gal’s Ramyeon in Pasta

Growing up Korean, ramyeon was the reliable quick meal: intensely satisfying, reliably filling, and unlikely to leave much of a dent in the bank account. It was a cheap thrill, the sort of thing we were regularly warned was not particularly healthy while continuing to keep it stocked in nearly every Korean home. That contradiction was built into its history. Korean ramyeon was introduced in 1963, with government financing, as one possible response to South Korea’s severe postwar food shortage. Ceramic bowl was wheel-thrown and glazed by me. Once regarded largely as budget food, ramyeon now commands a global following that could almost compete with BTS. ARMY, please hold the hate mail. Pasta al tonno may not share ramyeon’s austere, mission-driven origin, but it occupies a similarly dependable place in many Italian kitchens, particularly among younger cooks and college students. It is quick, inexpensive, and deeply satisfying without putting an unnecessary dent in the wallet. Humble ...

Curated: Ballet Flats for Fashionistas

The ballet flat began, quite literally, with a foot in the theater. Claire McCardell and Capezio helped coax the slipper from studio floor to city pavement in the 1940s, while Audrey Hepburn and Brigitte Bardot later supplied the sort of cinematic endorsement no advertising budget could manufacture. What had been designed for pliés became a shorthand for modern femininity: graceful without fragility, polished without the architectural inconvenience of a heel. at Musée d'Orsay, Paris, France Its staying power lies in that contradiction. The ballet flat is delicate but practical, prim but faintly rebellious—the shoe of a woman who has somewhere to be and no intention of arriving with sore feet. And so, with a small curtsy and considerably better arch support, here are 12 curated ballet flats ready to take their turn in the spotlight. ANCIENT GREEK SANDALS Iro PVC Ballet Flats JavaScript is currently disabled in this browser. Reactivate it to view this content. ANCIENT GREEK SANDALS I...

Curated Sunglasses: Shades Without the Mourning

Sunglasses began as utility: a practical defense against glare, wind, and the indignities of squinting. Then fashion claimed them. Frames grew bolder, lenses darker, silhouettes more deliberate, until sunglasses became less an accessory than a small act of self-invention—the quickest way to suggest mystery, polish, or studied indifference. I lose sunglasses the way other people lose packs of gum: casually, repeatedly, and without explanation. After enough expensive disappearances and appropriate mourning periods, I now wear budget-friendly pairs almost exclusively. These 12 curated sunglasses offer the pleasure of a fashion statement without requiring a period of mourning when one inevitably vanishes. The trouble with a small indulgence is that shipping can cost nearly as much as the thing itself—unless, of course, one reaches the minimum. To spare us that particular absurdity, all 12 were curated from Amazon Prime. JOOPIN Oversized Sunglasses ZENOTTIC Retro Square Polarized Sunglasses...

Korean Gal's Guatemalan Red Beans with Pork Spare Ribs

Full transparency. I am afraid of pressure cookers. It is a fear instilled in me by my mom, a quiet but effective deterrent meant to keep me at a safe distance—especially when the pressure is being released. Reasonable? Perhaps. I would consider a therapist, but it has been years since I have needed one. Ceramic bowl was wheel-thrown and glazed by me. When I saw the Pressure Cooker Guatemalan Red Beans with Beef Short Ribs recipe in The World Central Kitchen Cookbook: Feeding Humanity, Feeding Hope , I knew I had to make a version of my own—one that did not require a pressure cooker. I also wanted the ingredients to feel simpler, more accessible. More importantly, I wanted the dish to center the red beans, rather than have them overshadowed by the richness of beef short ribs. This is not a bean stew, but a slow braise—one that relies on the gradual release of moisture from the ingredients themselves. So, changes were made—and thus, the name: Korean Gal’s Guatemalan Red Beans with P...

Curated Clutches: Tiny Bags, Big History

Before the clutch became the red-carpet punctuation mark of a gown, it had a more domestic ancestor: the reticule, a small handheld drawstring bag that emerged when women’s hidden tie-on pockets began losing their usefulness beneath slimmer, sheerer late-eighteenth- and early-nineteenth-century dresses. What had once been tucked under petticoats was suddenly carried in public, and privacy became ornament: silk, velvet, beadwork, embroidery, a little theater of necessity held in the hand. The bag was never only a container; it was a social adjustment, a concession to fashion’s old habit of taking away utility and selling it back as elegance. Yoko Ono: Music of Mind at The Broad The modern clutch came into its own in the 1920s and 1930s, when evening moved faster, dresses grew sleeker, and women needed only the glamorous minimum: powder, mirror, lipstick, perhaps money, perhaps not. Tiny dance purses, Art Deco shapes, celluloid and Bakelite, metalwork and beading turned the bag into an o...

Do Angelenos Really Believe Their Own Politics?

Los Angeles has proudly shouted ICE Out. The slogan is morally uncomplicated. Immigration is not. At the Dodger's Stadium, April 2025 I cannot join the chant—not because I excuse the Trump Administration’s conduct, but because I believe in the rule of law. It must bind everyone: those living in this country without legal status, the officers charged with enforcing immigration law, and the federal government that gives those officers their authority. Removal can be a lawful consequence of lacking legal status when it is ordered and carried out through lawful process. During the Obama Administration, more than three million people were formally removed from the United States. More than two million others were returned, generally without formal removal orders. Large-scale immigration enforcement is not new to this country, nor is it unique to Donald Trump. What is different—and indefensible—is a federal government violating the rule of law in the name of enforcing it. I beli...

Strawberry Cloud: A Boost of Healthy Goodness

Strawberries are generous little things. They arrive bright, fragrant, and almost too pretty to be practical, then quietly offer vitamin C, fiber, and the kind of berry-rich plant compounds that make a glass of pink milk feel more thoughtful than indulgent. Whole milk gives the drink its body: protein, calcium, and that soft, creamy structure skim milk could only dream of having. Peppermint leaves bring a cool lift and a gentle nod toward digestion, while Manuka honey adds floral sweetness with antibacterial activity, and antioxidant and anti-inflammatory compounds. This is not a medicinal drink, and thank goodness. It can be a wellness drink without becoming annoying about it. Watch out, Erewhon. I use the Breville 3X Bluicer® Pro Blender & Juicer , which blends it into something smooth and faintly frothy, but any blender will do. INGREDIENTS [serves 1] 1 cup whole milk 9 ounces strawberries, hulled 10 peppermint leaves 1 tablespoon Manuka honey Add everything to the blender a...

Pad Mee, My Way

In Thai and Lao kitchens, Pad Mee points broadly to stir-fried noodles: rice noodles loosened in a hot pan, glossed with sauce, sharpened by aromatics, and adjusted according to region, household, occasion, and whoever is standing closest to the wok. Ceramic bowl was wheel-thrown and glazed by me. Its history does not arrive with one neat origin story, which is part of its charm. Like many Southeast Asian noodle dishes, Pad Mee sits at the intersection of local rice culture, Chinese-influenced noodle cookery, and the everyday reality of feeding people quickly and well. Before a dish becomes famous enough to acquire fandom, it is usually just a meal. That is where Pad Mee is most interesting. It exists in variations: some sweeter, some darker, some spicier, some closer to Lao-style caramelized noodles served at gatherings, others tied to Thai regional cooking. Pad Mee Korat, from Nakhon Ratchasima, is one well-known branch of the family, but it is not the whole tree. Pad Mee’s real gl...

French Green Bean Casserole

No entrée stands alone. Even the most confident main course benefits from a supporting act that knows how to hold its own without clamoring for attention. The green bean casserole, in its most American form, is often nostalgic, sometimes heavy, rarely subtle. This version leans elsewhere. French green beans retain their snap. Gruyère and crème fraîche lend quiet luxury. Pancetta and shiitake deepen the room. It is familiar, yes — but composed, deliberate, and just decadent enough to feel dressed for the occasion. Served with turkey roast INGREDIENTS [serves 4 as a side dish] eight ounces of French green beans, trimmed one shallot, diced two celery stalks, sliced three ounces of shiitake mushrooms, sliced a quarter pound of Gruyère, grated two ounces of pancetta, small cubes two tablespoons of butter, melted one cup of panko a quarter cup of heavy whipping cream six ounces of crème fraîche Preheat the oven to 375°F. Bring a pot of water, enough to cover the beans, to a boil. Boil the ...