I like to make it at home, in a "Take Out/Fake Out" way to save us from extra oil, fat, and (in our case) gluten.
This crockpot recipe uses a homemade Hoisin sauce but if you have a bottled favorite you can use that instead.
Originally posted in 2008 during my Year of Slow Cooking.
(2 adults, 2 kids -- if you'd like more, double the ingredients)
There are a lot of ingredients --- don't get mad!
(updated: I've discovered that a few companies are now putting out a gluten free variety of Hoisin sauce. Feel free to use that if you don't want to make your own! And if you aren't gluten free, just ignore me! ;-) )
FOR THE MEAT:
This crockpot recipe uses a homemade Hoisin sauce but if you have a bottled favorite you can use that instead.
Originally posted in 2008 during my Year of Slow Cooking.
How to Make Homemade Mongolian Beef from Scratch
[scroll down for printable recipe card]
Day 157.
Ever since I made Chinese Lemon Chicken, I've wanted to make Mongolian Beef.
Yesterday, I gathered enough guts to give it a go.
Yesterday, I gathered enough guts to give it a go.
The results were phenomenal.
I gave myself a pat on the back.
This is an excellent crockpot meal. Since we are gluten free, I needed to play around a bunch of sauces and flavors because we can't use packaged Hoisin sauce.
If you can use hoisin sauce, you might want to simplify.
But my concoction worked, and surprised Adam and the kids---one of whom has never had "real" Mongolian Beef.
If you can use hoisin sauce, you might want to simplify.
But my concoction worked, and surprised Adam and the kids---one of whom has never had "real" Mongolian Beef.
The Ingredients to Make Homemade Mongolian Beef
serves 4(2 adults, 2 kids -- if you'd like more, double the ingredients)
Hold on to your hat!
There are a lot of ingredients --- don't get mad!
(updated: I've discovered that a few companies are now putting out a gluten free variety of Hoisin sauce. Feel free to use that if you don't want to make your own! And if you aren't gluten free, just ignore me! ;-) )
FOR THE MEAT:
2 pounds flank steak
3 cloves of garlic, minced
4 sliced green onions--one is for garnish
1 teaspoon dried minced onion (or 1/2 fresh onion, diced very small)
THIS IS THE SAUCE -- if you have bottle Hoisin, go ahead and use it here instead
THIS IS THE SAUCE -- if you have bottle Hoisin, go ahead and use it here instead
(approx 2 cups -- 18 ounce to 20 ounce bottle)
1/2 cup soy sauce (I used La Choy)
1/4 cup white wine
1/4 cup cooking sherry
1/2 tablespoon white wine vinegar (optional--I forgot to add it!)
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon molasses
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 tablespoon peanut butter (if allergic, use black bean paste)
3 tablespoon brown sugar
AND THEN:
AND THEN:
1/4 cup cornstarch (to dredge meat--don't add to sauce mixture)
1 teaspoon red chili flakes --- optional -- if you don't like things spicy, you can add at the table if you'd like.
1 teaspoon red chili flakes --- optional -- if you don't like things spicy, you can add at the table if you'd like.
The Directions to Make Homemade Mongolian Beef
--slice your meat in thin strips and toss in a Ziploc bag with cornstarch.
--add all of the liquid and dried spices to your crockpot, and the peanut butter, and mix well.
Add the garlic and three of the sliced green onions. If you are using fresh onion, add that now, too.
--put your meat on top, and toss gingerly to coat.
Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours. Flank steak is thin and have very little fat, and will cook quickly.
There isn't a lot of liquid in this dish, so if your crock tends to cook hot, please check it after 3 hours.
The meat is done when it is no longer pink and has reached desired tenderness.
I cooked our meat in a 6qt oval slow cooker and it was done after 4 hours on low.
The Verdict.
This serves enough to feed 2 hungry adults for dinner.
If you have a large family, you're going to need more meat and double the sauce.
Delicious. This is so good---before this year I would not have attempted to make something so "complicated" in a crockpot.
But really, the only complicated thing was figuring out what flavors would work and assembling the ingredients---the actual cooking and food preparation was a snap, and the kitchen was clean and mopped at 12noon.
But really, the only complicated thing was figuring out what flavors would work and assembling the ingredients---the actual cooking and food preparation was a snap, and the kitchen was clean and mopped at 12noon.
We had all of the ingredients on hand for this meal, except for the meat and the green onion.
Much better for our wallets, than take-out, and much, much, much less greasy than take-out.
Much better for our wallets, than take-out, and much, much, much less greasy than take-out.
Homemade From Scratch Mongolian Beef Recipe
Yield: 2 adults, 2 children
You can easily make homemade mongolian beef without added grease or gluten or sodium.
This recipe is for the CrockPot Slow Cooker but you can easily adapt it for use on the stovetop or in the Instant Pot.
The sauce is so yummy, you'd be able to make a rubber shoe taste good!
Ingredients
Ingredients needed for homemade Mongolian Beef
- (updated: I've discovered that a few companies are now putting out a gluten free variety of Hoisin sauce. Feel free to use that if you don't want to make your own! And if you aren't gluten free, just ignore me! ;-) )
- FOR THE MEAT:
- 2 pounds flank steak
- 3 cloves of garlic, minced
- 4 sliced green onions--one is for garnish
- 1 teaspoon dried minced onion (or 1/2 fresh onion, diced very small)
- THIS IS THE SAUCE -- if you have bottle Hoisin, go ahead and use it here instead (approx 2 cups -- an 18 ounce - 20 ounce bottle)
- 1/2 cup soy sauce (I used La Choy)
- 1/4 cup white wine
- 1/4 cup cooking sherry
- 1/2 tablespoon white wine vinegar (optional--I forgot to add it!)
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 teaspoon molasses
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1/2 tablespoon peanut butter (if allergic, use black bean paste)
- 3 tablespoon brown sugar
- AND THEN:
- 1/4 cup cornstarch (to dredge meat--don't add to sauce mixture)
- 1 teaspoon red chili flakes --- optional -- if you don't like things spicy, you can add at the table if you'd like.
Instructions
How to Cook Mongolian Beef in the CrockPot Slow Cooker
- --slice your meat in thin strips and toss in a Ziploc bag with cornstarch.
- --add all of the liquid and dried spices to your crockpot, and the peanut butter, and mix well.
- Add the garlic and three of the sliced green onions. If you are using fresh onion, add that now, too.
- --put your meat on top, and toss gingerly to coat.
- Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours. Flank steak is thin and have very little fat, and will cook quickly.
- There isn't a lot of liquid in this dish, so if your crock tends to cook hot, please check it after 3 hours.
- The meat is done when it is no longer pink and has reached desired tenderness.
- I cooked our meat in a 6qt oval slow cooker and it was done after 4 hours on low.
- Serve over steamed or fried rice, and garnish with freshly sliced green onion.
This looks and sounds delicious! Can't wait to try it.
June 5, 2008 at 6:43 AM
Mongolian beef is my husband's favorite take out dish. It looks like a lot of ingredients but I'm going to put it in my "must make someday" list.
June 5, 2008 at 6:45 AM
What I really like about your variety of recipes is that you are showing meals that can be put together at lunch for dinner. I have used a crockpot since I was young, all of my recipes require getting up early to fix dinner.
June 5, 2008 at 7:47 AM
YUMMY! This looks absolutely delicious! I love mongolian beef. I will definitely be trying this. Today I'm trying the Cream Cheese Chicken and tomorrow the Korean Ribs. Just found your blog this week and am thoroughly enjoying it! Thanks for all the hard work and sharing!
June 5, 2008 at 8:53 AM
Looks good--I'd like to link to this for a friend who likes Asian food.
June 5, 2008 at 10:10 AM
I am so impressed by your stamina with the crockpottery.
You go girl! Everything looks so tasty!
June 5, 2008 at 10:36 AM
This has way more ingredients than I usually put in the CrockPot, but it sounds so delicious I'll have to make a shopping list!
One (possibly silly) question: how thinly do you slice the beef? In the photo, it looks kind of like chunks to me.
June 5, 2008 at 10:47 AM
There are *definitely* a lot of ingredients---it's nuts, I tell you. It is so weird that we had all of them in the house. I'm going to have the best-stocked spice cabinet in town!
quinn, I needed to use poultry shears to cut the meat. Our knives aren't very sharp, and I got frustrated. I think thin strips of stir-fry beef would work quite well.
-steph
June 5, 2008 at 11:49 AM
Thanks!
June 5, 2008 at 11:59 AM
I LOVED the lemon chicken and this looks fabulous! I have all the ingredients as well but for the beef so hopefully I'll be able to make this soon. Thanks so much for your awesome recipes!
June 5, 2008 at 12:52 PM
WHOA that looks amazing! And I've never heard of black bean paste. Hmmm...my daughter has a PB allergy so I'll have to check that out. Thanks for the tip! I usually use almond butter as a substitute.
June 5, 2008 at 4:02 PM
Out of curiosity, why are you gluten free?
I love your site!
June 5, 2008 at 6:37 PM
I just came across your blog last night and I must say how very impressed I am. I even put a link on my blog: www.lunchsack.blogspot.com. Thanks for all the great ideas. Keep them coming!
June 5, 2008 at 7:24 PM
Do you think you could substitute arm roast for flank steak? I don't know the difference between the two.
Looks delicious and is now on my "to make" list.
June 5, 2008 at 7:34 PM
Hey Crockpot Lady -
I plan on making this on Sunday. Can't wait! One question - do you use ginger powder or fresh ginger? This will be about the sixth recipe I have used from this blog, and every single one of them I would make again. I LOVE this site.
You Rock the Crockpot!
June 6, 2008 at 4:41 AM
Holly, we eat gluten free because we have a family member with celiac.
Bridget, I actually don't know what arm steak is! Any cut of thin, tender meat would work well. The sauce is yummy!
Carrie, I used ginger powder. Fresh ginger would taste great, though, if you have it. Thanks for testing so many recipes out----I'm glad they are working!
xox
steph
June 6, 2008 at 6:30 AM
June 6, 2008 at 8:19 AM
UGH. way too many ingredients.
1 1/2 lb beef flank steak sliced thinly
Marinade:
1 teaspoon rice wine or dry sherry
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon of sugar
SAUCE
2 Tablespoon hoisin sauce
2 Tablespoon hot bean sauce (or milder Black Bean sauce)
2 teaspoon cornstarch
1 cup of water
8 to 10 green onions, chopped in 1 1/2 inch lengths (flower the white ends for better cooking results)
marinate meat overnight.Or a few hours. Put the rest of ingredients in crock, add meat. cook for 3-4 hours high, 6-7hours low. tastes wonderful, but a lot less ingredients.
June 8, 2008 at 6:41 PM
Hi Mikey, thanks for posting that! We can't use Hoisin sauce due to the wheat that is added to it, which is why I needed to make my own.
I hear you on the number of ingredients, but sometimes you gotta do what you've gotta do.
I did link to an "easier" one that uses bottled hoisin--which is quite similar to yours.
-steph
June 8, 2008 at 6:59 PM
I was so excited to find you through a friend. I love to find new recipes that make my time in the kitchen easier, and when I found out you were gluten-free...YIPPEEEE!!! I made the Mongolian Beef for my family of 5 the other night and it was a huge hit. My daughter said, "That's some good chicken Mommy!" (every meat is chicken to her). I used really cheap cooking wines and wasn't even that careful with my measuring. I doubled the recipe and had 2 good sized servings left over. I also made the Lemon Chicken last week and it was good too. I can't wait to try another recipe! The coconut cake looks FABULOUS!
June 25, 2008 at 5:49 PM
Dana, thank you so much for reporting back! We loved this dinner, and I'm so glad that your family did, too.
xox
steph
June 25, 2008 at 5:51 PM
Just got finished eating the Mongolian Beef and it is delicious. We have hoisin sauce but I made it your way as I had all the ingredients. We served this with broccoli for a broccoli/beef kinda thing. We try to low carb it around here but it would be great over pasta or rice too. Thanks again for an awesome recipe.
July 5, 2008 at 2:21 PM
yay, and you're welcome!
-steph
July 5, 2008 at 2:38 PM
Before microwaves, I used to stirfry alot because I would forget to thaw something(I was a single mom with 3 kids for a long time). The reason I stirfried is that you can slice meat very thin if you don't thaw it out completely. So to make this an even easier dish, I recommend you use meat that is just thawed enough so you can slice it and then remember to slice against the grain so it isn't tough.
regards,
Theresa
July 22, 2008 at 8:53 AM
I made this last night for dinner with my parents. I had about two pounds of meat, so I doubled the recipe. I also didn't have cooking sherry or white wine, so based on the suggestions on this site(http://homecooking.about.com/library/archive/blalcohol6.htm) I used orange juice and beef broth instead. It turned out great! All three of us really liked it. Thanks for the recipe!
Becky
July 23, 2008 at 12:19 PM
Great recipe and easy to adapt...I used kikkoman teriyaki sauce in place of the soy sauce and white wine and grape jelly in place of molasses. Sometimes the best ingredients are the ones you are stuck with in a pinch! I also used round steak instead of flank steak which a lot of crockpot books use interchangeably. Think it requires a little more time for tenderizing though... Thanks for the great dish!
July 24, 2008 at 12:46 PM
This was sooooooooo delicious! Like Terri said...you can make this at lunch for dinner! It was awesome, and super easy to make and I will definitely be adding this to my rotation of dinners! I am going to try to convert some of my favorite recipes for my crockpot...I will let you know if something comes out fantastic! I also made your Enchilada Casserole and it was awesome too! I am really looking foward to trying some more of your recipes! Thanks so much!
July 29, 2008 at 8:47 PM
I keep meaning to try this and losing it. Is it tagged under "red meat?" I'm printing it now but just wondered why not.
August 2, 2008 at 11:28 AM
This was so yummy! Thank you for posting all these wonderful recipes. We are without an oven right now and your blog has been so handy. I've made several recipes and loved them all.
November 7, 2008 at 11:50 AM
this is going on the menu this week! we are peanut free so I'll be substituting sunbutter instead. . .
December 7, 2008 at 4:13 PM
We had this for dinner tonight and I really enjoyed it. My husband felt it was too spicy for him, though so next time, I will omit the chili flakes. Thanks for the recipe! :) Tomorrow, we're trying chicken makhani. . . :)
December 20, 2008 at 2:30 PM
Yum! Just found your blog in January2009! I am having a great time working my way through your year of crockpot cooking. I am the only one in the house with Celiac's Disease and it is so good to find so many delicious GF family friendly recipes in one place. We all (family of 5)ate and enjoyed the beef. I would tone down the red pepper for the kids next time -though my husband and I loved it as is!
February 16, 2009 at 1:23 PM
Being gluten-free myself, I don't find this to be very many ingredients at all. I've cooked from recipes that make War and Peace look like a children's picture book.
February 25, 2009 at 5:06 PM
Looks great! We are going to try it this week! (Although, it's not "real" Mongolian. We are from Mongolia and have never seen anything remotely like it there!)
I just found your site after neglecting my crockpot for weeks! Can't wait to get using it again!
March 8, 2009 at 9:07 PM
Funny enough, I just made this yesterday and posted about it today. When I came back to link to your original recipe, I realize you made it exactly a year ago today! Too funny.
Another great recipe; thanks!
June 5, 2009 at 10:30 AM
I made this yesterday for my big family, and doubled the recipe. It was FANtastic! I have decided (in order to save myself a step) that when your recipe's call for sliced flank steak, I just buy stew meat. It works really well and cuts out a step for me! Thanks again for your fantastic blog. =)
August 13, 2009 at 9:43 AM
I don't care how many ingredients are in this recipe - it's so worth it! Not only was it delicious but, for a change, I didn't feel like Chef Boyardee (just heating up the contents of cans). Furthermore, it was done in only two hours! AWESOME!
October 18, 2009 at 9:29 PM
Just tried this today, it was GREAT and totally worth it!!. I didn't use the sherry and halfed the brown sugar and red pepper flakes, but doubled the beef. It was perfect and a whole new taste to my family. Not too spicy/hot. This was perfect for three people. Thank you for what I consider a new twist on beef stew. Thanks again!
January 11, 2010 at 3:42 PM
I made this with chicken and used the breading method from your orange chicken recipe. It was awesome!
February 21, 2010 at 2:18 PM
Absolutely deliscious! A "Keeper" for us - I will put it in the list of "things to make when I can't figure out what to make".
Made the crockpot cheesecake and added the pumpkin and spices for a friend last night - beaters tasted good and I hope she will like it. Very easy!
Trying the orange chicken tonight.
Thanks for such a wonderful site.
March 10, 2010 at 10:38 AM
This is delicious! I served it with brown rice, green beans, and an asian coleslaw-- yum! It would also be good with steamed or stir fried broccoli. My 7 and 4 year old gobbled everything up (although the 4 year old needed to have the sauce rinsed off). Granted it's more ingredients than usual for this site, but it was about what you'd find for a standard asian stir fry kind of recipe and I had all of it on hand. Also, I used the black bean paste since we have a peanut allergy in our house.
I did make a few changes, which were very tasty:
--used 3 lbs rump roast, cut into big 1 1/2 “ slices
–- I browned the meat first in 3 batches. I don't usually do this for crock pot recipes, but it makes a pretty big flavor difference when you have the time/initiative. Since I had so much meat, I wanted to be sure this was good because we'd be eating a lot of it!
--doubled sauce
--no white wine on hand, so I used about 2 Tbsp mirin and the rest water
--reduced soy sauce to 1/2 cup plus 2-3 Tbsp
--used 1 tsp ground ginger plus 1 tsp Chinese 5 spice
--used sherry vinegar instead of white wine vinegar
This turned out wonderfully! I cooked it on low for about 7 hours, give or take. We ate it a few days later and I think it only gets better if you make it a day or so ahead of time. With 3 lbs of meat we had enough for 2 adults and 2 kids for dinner, leftovers for 1, and another full meal of meat for 4 of in the freezer. Food in the freezer makes me so happy!
Thanks for the awesome recipe. It was nice to have asian flavors with a cheaper cut of beef and more quantity than the standard stir fry.
July 21, 2010 at 7:25 AM
I found your site today and want you to know I love your entire site!!!! I searched what to do with flank steak and found this recipe and let me tell you it is AMAZING!!!!!!!! I loved it and so did the kids and hubby!!! looking forward to trying many more on your site!
November 1, 2010 at 4:15 PM
Just made this today. This came out VERY good! The meat was super tender, and it had the same taste as mongolian beef. Not as crispy as say PF Changs version...but very good! The hubby loved it. Thanks!!!
November 17, 2010 at 4:33 PM
I made this over the weekend and it turned out great! I used round steak because I had one in the freezer to use up. I cooked it for about 5 1/2 hours and I couldn't believe how tender the meat came out - this is a fabulous way to cook round steak! I think the next time I'd cut down on the soy sauce, as it was pretty intensely salty, but I will definitely be making this again. Thanks for a great recipe!
March 21, 2011 at 7:16 PM
This recipe looks great! Sun Luck Hoisin is gluten free! This may be a new development since you first tried this recipe. I needed hoisin sauce for a different recipe and searched the internet for a gluten free version. There are 2 companies that make it gluten free, but Sun Luck is the one that's easy to find in my area.
May 14, 2011 at 9:24 PM
Wow, it knocks your socks off! I added a little extra roasted red pepper for husband who likes it hot. I used brown rice to cut some the sweetness. Also I used 1/2 cup unsweetened pineapple juice to replace sherry and white wine. I also added 1/4 white wine vinegar to cut some of the intensity. It gave it a sweet sour taste that was wonderful.
This was my first time using Sesame oil. It really adds richness doesn't it?
It seems close to a Texas BBQ brisket also. I thought it could make a great appetizer sauce with little frozen meatballs that don't break apart in the sauce.
I cooked on high for 3 hours then turned to low for the last 1 1/2 to 2 hours. I thought I plugged in crock pot but it plugged in herbal tea maker. It was still very tender. Husband was surprised and how tender it was. I was planning on cooking it on low for 8 hours. :-D
Thanks!
June 27, 2011 at 5:44 PM
Made this for tonight's dinner and WOW!!! It is so yummy. This is a keeper in our household.
I am trying several more from your site this week and I can't wait, especially if they all taste this awesome!!! Thank you for making it so easy =)
August 21, 2011 at 3:48 PM
OMFG!!! I got a three out of four review on this recipe. I loved it, as did my husband and son. My daughter thought it was too spicy but wow! It came out great!!! Thank you so much for your incredible site.
September 27, 2011 at 7:39 PM
Just wondering if the ginger that is called for in the recipe is fresh ginger or dry granulated ginger?
October 20, 2011 at 12:07 PM
Love this recipe! So delicious!
April 3, 2012 at 2:49 PM
I made this and served it with crunchy stir fry baby veg and wholegrain rice. Deeeeeelish! My husband was so impressed, he asked me to show him how to make it! Seriously, this is akin to him offering to buy me a diamond ring (just never going to happen!)...
June 27, 2012 at 12:44 PM
Just so ALL WHO ARE GLUTEN FREE KNOW: soy sauce is NOT gluten free. Use equal amounts of Tamari sauce ~ I use San-J brand....
IF you have Celiac and are not GF "by choice" this is important!!
June 5, 2014 at 9:46 AM
Good point, Lisa. My little one has Celiac,so everything on the site and in the cookbooks are made free of gluten. We use LaChoy brand soy sauce, which is free of gluten. I even take it with me in my purse! :-)
June 5, 2014 at 9:49 AM
I'm confused. Are you saying in the recipe to use Hoisin sauce instead of ALL those other ingredients to make the sauce or are you saying use Hoisin sauce instead of Soy?
July 4, 2016 at 6:05 AM
Hi Mandy, sure thing. Yes, go ahead and use a bottle of Hoisin instead of ALL the listed items. Hoisin has tons of soy sauce in it already; no need to add any additional.
I hope this helps a bit!
July 4, 2016 at 8:09 AM