Mongolian Beef with Broccoli is easy and better than takeout! Tender beef in an Asian inspired sauce with crisp tender broccoli served over rice! This is a family favorite recipe that you will love!
I love Chinese food, but I am very picky when it comes to it. So I love when I can make it at home.
This Mongolian Beef is savory, rich and full of flavor. The tender crisp crunch of broccoli makes it feel fresh and light! A perfect springtime meal!
The Beef for Mongolian Beef with Broccoli
Lets talk about the meat! The Butcher Man always gets so many questions when it comes to thinly sliced beef. Do you use flank steak, skirt steak or another kind of meat?? The Butcher Man knew exactly what to use when I told him I needed thin sliced beef. He gave me top round beef and it is perfect for this dish! Juicy, tender and full of flavor and so easy to slice up at home!
Here is the info straight from the Butcher Man: Top Round beef is a cheaper cut of beef compared to flank or skirt. Ask you butcher to cut you a piece and then you can slice it at home, or ask your butcher to slice it for you. This cut of beef is budget friendly, full of flavor and tender. If you want to spend more money (and many people do), then go all out and ask for a sirloin or tenderloin cut of beef that can be sliced thin. But you will find the Top Round is just as good as any meat that you will pay more for.
I use 1 1/2 pounds of top round beef. You will see the Butcher Man gave it to me in a big cut of meat (He usually will slice it for me but I wanted to show you what the cut looks like). I cut the meat against the grain into strips around 1/4 thick, maybe a bit thinner. If the strips/pieces are really long, cut those in half.
Take your cornstarch and rub it all over the meat, making sure it is all covered. Set aside, let it sit for at least 10 minutes, which is perfect so you can chop and steam your broccoli and make your sauce (and don’t forget to get your rice cooking).
The Broccoli
I chop my broccoli (about 1/2 lb), then use my large skillet that I will use for the meat, add a little water (about 1/4 is all that is needed) and add the broccoli. Let it steam (with the lid on the skillet) on med-high for about 5 minutes. Once it turns bright green and is crisp tender, remove from pan and set aside. Rinse your skillet of any broccoli bits so it is ready to cook the beef.
The Sauce for Mongolian Beef with Broccoli
For the sauce I use canola oil (olive oil works too), minced garlic, soy sauce, water, brown sugar, ground ginger, and white pepper (black pepper will work to, white pepper is just more a subtle peppery taste).
NOTE: You will need to use Low Sodium Soy Sauce, or the sauce may be super salty.
Using a small saucepan, add the oil and minced garlic, stirring until it is fragrant. Then add your soy sauce, water and brown sugar, mix/whisk together completely. Heat on medium heat. Add in your ground ginger and white pepper. You can adjust the seasonings as needed. Stir occasionally until the sauce comes to a boil.
Taste the sauce and if it is too sweet, you can add more water and some extra soy sauce.
While you are waiting for your sauce to boil, make a cornstarch slurry. This will thicken your sauce. To make the slurry it is just cold water and cornstarch, equal parts. I use 2 tbsp. of each, mix it up and set aside.
When your sauce comes to a boil, add in the slurry and whisk until thickened. When I say thickened I don’t mean paste thick…just gravy, saucy thick. If you find your sauce won’t thicken, then make some more slurry (equal parts cornstarch and cold water) and add a little at a time until its thickened to your liking. Set the sauce aside.
Making Mongolian Beef with Broccoli
In a large skillet or wok, heat 3/4 cup oil and add sliced beef. Let the beef cook, tossing and moving it around so all sides are cooked and start to brown.
After the beef has cooked, remove it from the pan, wipe your pan down with a paper towel (emptying any extra oil from the pan).
Place meat back in skillet/pan, and add the sauce, add the broccoli, stir until combined. On medium heat, let is simmer for a few minutes. (You can also add the broccoli to each plate as it is served if you don’t want the broccoli added in the sauce).
Serving Mongolian Beef with Broccoli
Beef and Broccoli is delicious on its own, but we love it over rice. We love brown rice, or Basmati Rice, and top it with green onions (that I forgot to add before my photo). Additional soy sauce can be added as needed.
A NEW TWIST ON THIS DELICIOUS RECIPE:
My sweet friend made this yummy dish… but instead of using broccoli she used asparagus! I love asparagus and can’t think of a more perfect combo! Instead of adding broccoli, add the cut asparagus spears to your dish until they are cooked to your liking and enjoy! Thanks Amber for this new and tasty take on my Beef and Broccoli!
Hope you enjoy!
If you like Mongolian Beef, try my Mongolian Chicken. For another Asian Inspired dish, try my Firecracker Chicken or my Sweet and Sour Chicken! For some fast and easy meals that are Asian inspired try my Fast and Easy Korean Beef that is made with ground beef, Fast and Easy Ground Chicken Orange Chicken, or my Fast and Easy Chicken Broccoli Ramen Stir Fry.
Here are some products I used to make this recipe!
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Mongolian Beef with Broccoli
Ingredients
Beef and Broccoli
- 1 1/2 lbs top round beef
- 3/4 cup cornstarch *for coating the beef
- 3/4 cup canola oil, for cooking the meat
- 1/2 lbs broccoli, chopped (a yummy alternative is using fresh cut asparagus)
- 1/2 cup water, for steaming/cooking the broccoli
Mongolian Sauce
- 1 1/2 cups low sodium soy sauce *make sure it is low sodium or it will be salty
- 1 1/2 cups brown sugar
- 1/2 cup water *for the sauce- separate from the water for the broccoli
- 1/8 tsp white pepper *black pepper works too
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger *or more to taste
- 2 tsp canola oil, for sauce *or olive oil
- 1 1/2 tbsp minced garlic
Cornstarch Slurry (for thickening the sauce)
- 2 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp cold water
For Serving Mongolian Beef
- Brown or White rice to serve with Mongolian Beef
- 5-6 green onions, sliced *for serving – optional
Instructions
- Slice your top round beef into thin slices, against the grain, 1/4 thick.
- Rub the cornstarch all over the sliced beef, making sure it is completely covered. Let sit for 10 minutes (while you prepare everything else.)
- Chop your broccoli, then add to large skillet, with 1/2 cup of water. Cook on med-high heat with a lid on the skillet, letting it steam for 5 minutes or until crisp-tender and bright green. Remove from the pan and set aside.
- In a saucepan or different medium skillet (this is to make the sauce), add 2 tsp oil with minced garlic, stir and let cook until fragrant. Then add soy sauce, water, brown sugar, ground ginger and white pepper. Bring to a boil.
- Make your cornstarch slurry with equal parts of cornstarch and cold water, mix together. Add to sauce when it boils and whisk until thickened. (See Notes if your sauce doesn't thicken). Remove from heat and set aside.**taste your sauce, if it is too sweet for your liking, add a little more water to lessen the sweet taste. adding 1 tablespoon at a time!
- In your same large skillet you used for the broccoli, heat your 3/4 cups oil. Add the beef, tossing it and moving the beef around so it can cook and starts to brown. DO NOT OVER-CROWD YOUR PAN – WORK IN BATCHES IF NEEDED SO BEEF COOKS EVENLY.
- Remove beef from pan, and clean out any extra oil from the pan.
- Add beef back to skillet, and pour sauce over it. Mix together, then add broccoli. (If you have people that hate broccoli or you do not want it mixed in with the sauce, leave it out and add it to each serving as desired).
- Serve over rice. Top with green onions (optional).Soy sauce can be added to taste.
Notes
