A couple weeks ago during girl’s weekend, my Mom and I decided to pop into PF Changs for a delectable dinner out.
Right away we agreed to split an entree, as they’re usually plenty big enough for two. One order of my Mom’s favorite Chinese dish of all time – Mongolian Beef – comin’ right up!
The first bite was simply sensational. The thinly sliced beef melted in our mouths, while the consistency and taste of the subtly-sweet sauce was spot on.
It was nearly, dare I say, perfect.
Only nearly perfect though, because the teeny-tiny plate sitting on our table was hardly enough for one, AND it was overflowing with 5 times as many green onions as pieces of beef!
“Where’s the BEEF?!” we wanted to shout!
“I’m going to write a letter.” my Mom declared, in between bites of delectable but hard-to-find meat unearthed from an endless supply of green onions.
Oh, I haven’t told you? My Mom’s a letter writer. If you mess with her, she will totally tell someone about it.
“Mom, don’t write a letter.” I tried to reason with her. “This is clearly a travesty, but nobody at PFC’s gives a rip what we think,” knowing she’d write one anyways.
Which, obviously, she did. And, obviously, got a $25 gift certificate in the mail because of it!! “Uh-HUH!” she exclaimed when she ripped open the letter.
This recipe’s for you, Mom. May you never have to write another Mongolian Beef related letter ever again.
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Copycat PF Chang’s Mongolian Beef
Description
Copycat PF Chang's Mongolian Beef tastes just like PF Chang's version, but is made much healthier, and cheaper, at home!
Ingredients
- 1lb flank steak, sliced thinly against the grain
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 2-1/2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1/2 bunch asparagus, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pieces
- 3 garlic cloves, grated or finely minced
- 1 inch knob of ginger, peeled and grated or finely minced
- 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce or gluten-free tamari (dish will not be GF if using soy sauce)
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 3 green onions, cut into thirds
- cooked rice
Directions
- Toss the flank steak with cornstarch in a plastic bag until all the pieces are coated. Empty into a colander and shake off excess cornstarch. Set aside.
- Heat 1 Tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add asparagus and cook for 1 minute. Add in garlic and ginger, then immediately add in soy sauce or tamari, water and brown sugar. Turn heat down to medium and let the sauce simmer for 2 minutes. Pour the sauce mixture into a bowl and set aside.
- Heat 1-1/2 Tablespoons oil in the same skillet over high heat. Add the beef and cook, stirring every so often, until it is just barely cooked. Some pink still showing is ok. Add the sauce with asparagus back into the skillet, turn the heat down to medium-low, and simmer until sauce reaches your desired thickness.
- Stir in green onions and serve over rice.
This recipe is courtesy of Iowa Girl Eats, http://iowagirleats.com.
Why buy overpriced, undersized, nearly non-existent Mongolian Beef (chicken, or salmon!) at a restaurant, when you can easily make it at home?!
Enjoy!
[…] 5 years ago 0 1 min read 0 I made this Mongolian Beef. The only change that I made was to add 1/2 tsp of red pepper flakes to the sauce ingredients […]
[…] Mongolian Beef and white rice with some asian side yet to be determined (new to me recipe) http://iowagirleats.com/2011/07/26/chinese-take-out-fake-out-vol-2/ Friday Roasted Veggie Mac N Cheese with break sticks […]
My boyfriend and father both do the same kinds of things as you describe Ben doing in this post. They make me go “?????? Why this?” I found measuring cups on the opposite side of the kitchen from where they normally go, in a drawer I almost never open, last week. I had been wondering where they’d gone for the better part of June.
BTW, Kristin, my son-in-law is from Iowa. Great people come out of Iowa……I couldn’t have asked for a better husband for my daughter
I must try this! My hubby loves Chinese food and I am tired of the 2 Chinese places in our small area. Have you ever made this with chicken? I am going to try it as hubby has a hard time digesting red meat. It sounds amazing! Thanks so much for the Take Out Fake Out recipes! Looking forward to more.
[…] Adapted from Iowa Girl Eats […]
Oh YUMMO! Thanks for sharing. I did add a container of mushrooms just because we LLOOOOVVVEEE mushrooms.
Made this recipe tonight, it was awesome!!!
Thanks so much!
Great recipe. We made it once last week and we’re making it again tonight!!! It’s delicious! Thanks for sharing!
I was just looking for a great recipe, but this post totally made me laugh! :D I think that I will try it tonight.
@Erin, That’s funny! My very picky 3 year old also loves to eat anything on a stick!
[…] popular dish, which I also served on sticks, a la beef teriyaki from the Chinese take-out place! Mongolian Beef – he ate it all! I cooked it as the recipe states, then took some of the sturdier pieces and put […]
Thank you so much for this recipe! My suddenly very picky three year old ate a ton of this (once I figured out that he thinks everything tastes better when served on a stick)! The hubby and I loved it too! It’s going into the menu rotation! It’s so good, I’ve posted a link on my blog to your site! Thanks again!
For your next Fakeout Takeout, you should try this: http://rasamalaysia.com/chinese-food-recipe-cashew-chicken/
I promise you will not be sorry. It’s the best cashew chicken I’ve ever had, and the baking soda trick alone is worth my weight in gold.
[…] have pages and pages just waiting for the perfect occasion or meal. One such bookmarked recipe was this one from Iowa Girl Eats that I finally made and quickly became one of my favorite dishes ever. This also became an instant […]
Made this tonight for hubby and I – used a bit less soy sauce because I ran out, but it was delish! Definitely a repeat recipe for us…thanks!!
Kristin, I know you made Asian-inspired meals often, and they look fabulous! I am adding this one to our menu this month. I was curious what brand of soy sauce you usually buy? They all seem to taste a bit different and I am looking for a good one. TIA!
I use Kikkoman. It’s the absolute BEST!
Oh my gosh!
Your BPWW posts crack me up. It is the exact same in our house and because my boy is off work for the month, he has been ‘helping’ around the house. What a mess!
I don’t take pictures though because they would just fraustrate me. I am a virgo…we are OCD by nature!
Just made this….and though my hubs isnt home yet I have already tried two bites….so good!
My sauce isn’t as “rich” looking as yours. I think I put too much cornstarch which makes it look more cloudy. Oh well…it still tastes amazing!