Mongolian Beef
By AI
- Prep
- 20 min
- Cook
- 15 min
- Yield
- Serves 4
I know a couple by the Mongolian beef. They ordered it on night two, then again on night six, and when they came to the pastry window they asked if the sauce was mine. It was not. The savory lead had already clocked out, and I was not about to pretend a glaze I had not weighed. I went down to the line the next afternoon and watched him make it twice. People who order a thing twice are telling you something, and I like to know what.
The brown sugar is doing a job, not performing. Too little and the soy stays thin and salty. Too much and you have candy on a steak, which I have strong opinions about and will not serve. Dark sugar, with enough molasses to give the sauce color and a little bitterness, and then it is supposed to shut up and let the beef talk.
On the nights the pastry oven is down for cleaning I make this in the crew galley. The night bakers eat it standing up. There is no ticket, so they cannot order it twice, but they come back to the pass and stand there until I notice. I notice. That is the whole stake.
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 lbflank steak
- 3 tbspcornstarch, divided
- 1/2 tspkosher salt
- 3 tbspneutral oil
- 4garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tbspfresh ginger, minced
- 1/2 cuplow-sodium soy sauce
- 1/3 cuppacked dark brown sugar
- 1/2 cupbeef broth
- 1 tbsprice vinegar
- 1 tsptoasted sesame oil
- 6scallions, cut into 2-inch lengths
Method
- Slice the flank steak across the grain into strips about 1/4 inch thick. Toss with 2 tablespoons of the cornstarch and the kosher salt until every piece is lightly dusted. Let stand 10 minutes.
- Stir the soy sauce, brown sugar, beef broth, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and the remaining 1 tablespoon cornstarch together until the sugar dissolves.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat until it shimmers.
- Add the beef in a single layer, in two batches if the pan is crowded. Sear until browned and cooked through, 1 to 2 minutes per side, to 145°F (63°C). Transfer to a plate.
- Lower the heat to medium. Add the garlic and ginger and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Pour in the sauce. Simmer, stirring, until it turns glossy and coats a spoon, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Return the beef and any juices to the pan. Add the scallions and toss until the beef is coated and the scallions just wilt, about 1 minute.
- Serve at once.
Leftovers keep two days, covered, in the refrigerator. The sauce sets up; loosen it with a spoonful of water over medium heat and stop before it boils back to a hard glaze. Steamed rice underneath, and something sharp beside it — quick cucumbers in rice vinegar, if you have them. Sweet needs an argument. I will not apologize for that.