RecipeTin Eats’ sizzling Mongolian beef stir-fry

Name: RecipeTin Eats’ sizzling Mongolian beef stir-fry
Cook time: 1 h 30 min
Yield: 6-8 as part of a banquet
Cuisine: Chinese
Ingredients: 350g oyster blade beef, cut into strips 5mm thick x 6-8cm long – see note; ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda; 1 tsp cornflour; 1 tbsp light soy sauce; 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine

RecipeTin Eats

May 11, 2023

Serve this sizzling stir-fry in a cast-iron pan if you can.Nagi Maehashi

easyTime:1-2 hoursServes:6-8 as part of a banquet

To recreate the dramatic sizzle at Chinese restaurants, heat a small cast-iron frying pan on the stove until smoking hot. Then pour the finished dish into the hot pan and take it to the table, sizzling and spitting.

Ingredients

Tenderised beef

350g oyster blade beef, cut into strips 5mm thick x 6-8cm long – see note
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
1 tsp cornflour
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp Shaoxing wine

Sauce

1 tsp cornflour
2 tsp dark soy sauce
1 tsp light soy sauce
1½ tsp sambal oelek or sriracha
2½ tbsp hoisin sauce
1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
¼ tsp Chinese five spice powder
¼ cup water
1 tsp sesame oil

Stir-fry

3 tbsp vegetable oil
1 large onion, cut into 1cm thick wedges
3 spring onions, cut into 5cm lengths, white part separated from green
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

Method

Step 1
Combine beef and marinade ingredients and mix well. Set aside for 1 hour.
Step 2
To make the sauce, mix cornflour with the soy sauces in a medium bowl, then add the remaining sauce ingredients. Set aside.
Step 3
In a wok, heat the oil on high, then cook the onion and the white part of the spring onion for 1 minute. Add the garlic and cook for 10 seconds. Add the beef then cook until the meat is no longer red – about 2 minutes.
Step 4
Add the sauce and cook until it reduces and the beef starts to caramelise, about 3 minutes. Don’t worry, the beef will not become tough because it has been tenderised.
Step 5
Toss through the green part of the spring onion and cook until it just starts to wilt, and serve while it is still sizzling.

Note: Your local Chinese restaurant is not serving pricey tenderloin. It is tenderising an economical cut of beef, so that’s what we’re replicating. Trust me when I say you will recognise the texture.