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!
Rachel 07.26.2011
My weird quirk..
I CRAVE food like I’m 9 months pregnant and then I can not for the life of me say no to the craving.
So, I am sitting here reading this and drooling over the mongolian beef. I figure, well I will just make it tomorrow for dinner.
Then my sweet husband calls on his way home from DSM (who was stopping by Best Buy at Jordan Creek) and I tell him he should go to P.F. Changs for me :) Being the dear that he is, he agrees and should be on his way home with my bedtime snack of mongolian beef soon.
Thanks for the great post!
Rachel 07.26.2011
OH, and I will be trying your recipe soon. I just needed an immediate fix.
Iowa Girl Eats 07.26.2011
OMG hubby is the BEST! :D
Kay 07.26.2011
OCD isn’t these “quirks” or habits that people are sharing. I’m not trying to ruin a few funny stories, but many people are ignorant to what OCD truly is. I just feel it shouldn’t be used lightly. You don’t have a “bit” of OCD, it’s a disorder, not a quirk someone has. I feel more agitated by this since it was trending on Twitter.
Anna @ Food Fitness and Frolicking 07.26.2011
Welcome to the club! My house is spotless while my car is like a dumping ground for my daily errands..nothing too bad..but it doesn’t seem to bother me ONE BIT, ha. The mongolian beef looks grrreat by the way!
Jess 07.26.2011
My mom was a letter writer too.
She used to get free trash bags and coupons from them if the bags ripped and she wrote a letter to them. She has also received car wash tokens in the mail after writing a letter about a car wash in the area.
Mellissa 07.26.2011
These all made me laugh so hard! My OCD- the shampoo and conditioner bottles must be facing the same way on the shelf. The boyfriend will turn them just to hear me get in the shower and move them.
Anna 07.26.2011
HAHA! Hilarious post :) I love summer fruit and I typically spend a small fortune on fruit at the local grocery store. But if it’s not up to par, I return it for another fruit item or my money back. Am I cheap? My boyfriend thinks I’m nuts (in his opinion, NOT worth the trip to the store for $5 back) but I’m not wasting my money on brown, mushy watermelon!
James 07.26.2011
Dang, just when I’m attempting to be a vegetarian you remind me why this never lasts with me! I have too many quirks to list out without somebody responding I need therapy (duh). I’ll throw in that couch throw blankets need to be folded after use and I cannot leave for a trip if the kitchen sink isn’t clean. It legit bothers me.
Iowa Girl Eats 07.26.2011
Ew me too!
Cristy 07.26.2011
I’m a total letter-writer, so I completely get your mom here!!!
OCD? I can’t leave the house if every bed isn’t made perfectly (I’m talking bounce a dime off the thing) and all dishes are in the dishwasher perfectly stacked. I have actually stood at the dishwasher after my husband has loaded the dishwasher while my husband watches in stunned silence and completely rearrange everything. Weirdo.
erica 07.26.2011
my friend is a let’s-hash-my-complaints-out-neeeowww! type. we all tell her to give us warning so we can sneak away before the drama unfolds. LOL.
Cassie 07.26.2011
I am TOTALLY the same way. I will, politely, point out that something isn’t up to standard…and if it doesn’t get resolved in person, then I will write or call corporate on it. It’s gotten me and my friends free movie tickets, gift cards to Olive Garden and Applebees and lots of apologies. I feel kinda bad sometimes, but sometimes, things just need to happen the right way. I don’t expect EXCELLENT service constantly, but do at least expect to have the standard level of service.
Bridget 07.26.2011
Funny! I don’t know why your car isn’t clean. Maybe you’re not in it enough? I go nuts if my suburban is cluttered and messy. My kids know the drill–take your stuff with you or mom will be unhappy! ;)
Emily 07.26.2011
boys are so cute when they try to help!
Machelle 07.26.2011
your mom reminds me of my sister in regards to letter writing or e-mailing complaints……..or even if she’s just seeking a product she can’t find, AND, she always gets some sort of freebie out of it! me….i get NADA, nuttin, zip! and men and stashing things where they DO NOT belong! the ex-husband, for whatever reason, unbeknownst to me, stashed one of those big plastic veggie trays w/a lid (you know, like if you bought a pre made veggie platter from HyVee) in the oven. yep…you see it coming…i fired up the oven to bake something, there’s an odd burning smell, it intensifies, i whip the oven door open and there is a blazin fire going on! the ex completly panics & runs in circles, i snatch the baking soda out of the cupboard, shake a pile in my hand and blow it into the oven. hell-of-a-mess!!!! i was not happy! he had the nerve to blame me for not checking the oven first. key word here….EX HUSBAND! =)
Iowa Girl Eats 07.26.2011
omg I am dying over these!
Casey @ Pocket Full of Sunshine 07.26.2011
I am still giggling over this post.
I’m a total weirdo–I cannot handle if something in front of me isn’t visually appealing. Like, if a magazine is facedown instead of faceup, it must be fixed before I can remotely concentrate on anything. And if the TV remotes aren’t fanned out in a perfect arc on the ottoman, I will be fanning them until they are.
Iowa Girl Eats 07.26.2011
HAHAHA ME TOO!
Stephanie @cookinfanatic 07.26.2011
My mom totally does the same thing with the letter writing!! I’m so glad I’m not the only one with this lol. This recipe looks really delicious and I bet rivaled PF Changs but much much healthier ;)
Carrie 07.26.2011
Oh my gosh – I am the same way about the car versus the house. I had a fight with my husband last night about keeping the house super clean, and he silently led me out to my mess of a car. I think it is because our car is totally OUR OWN and belongs to no one else???
Iowa Girl Eats 07.26.2011
HAHAHA, this made me laugh so hard.
Amy 07.26.2011
Oooh, your recipe looks awesome! And, I’m totally with your mom – writing letters (versus complaining in person) totally works. It’s more polite, avoids a scene, and gets the point across, because seriously, nobody writes letters anymore!
My quirks? I switch toilet paper rolls so they are the “right” way (lol) and I am a bit ocd about making sure the stove, oven and curling/straightening irons are turned off/unplugged. A roomie once left the oven on for like, 18 hours and I think I almost had a heart attack!
Lexi 07.26.2011
My mom is TOTALLY a letter writer too! I guess it’s better than complaining when i’m in her presence!
The only thing that might be mildly weird is that I always put the toilet lid down after I’m done using it. When people leave it up at my house, it drives me nuts. It’s just a gross thing to look at!
erin 07.26.2011
same! i hate when people leave the toilet lid up! i think it’s totally gross! logically why can’t people put the lid down when I already have it down at my house. and i always put it it down at others.
Machelle 07.26.2011
i agree!
JAH 07.27.2011
I have to have the toilet seat down, too! Not only because I think it’s gross to leave it up, but if I do, my blind cat will fall in when he tries to perch himself on top of it!
Michelle 07.26.2011
Ha! The cupboard/dishwasher play-by-play = hysterical! Can’t wait to try this dish!
debbie 07.26.2011
this post literally had me laughing out loud. My mom is a letter writer too, totally.
J3nn (Jenn's Menu and Lifestyle Blog) 07.26.2011
At least your hubby puts it in the dishwasher! Mine walks past the dishwasher that I left wide open for him to put his dish in and instead puts it in the sink! Lol. Men.
Your takeout Fake out looks delish. My mom is a “caller,” so don’t feel bad, haha.
Jessica A 07.27.2011
My husband does the same thing. I dont understand. The dishwasher is there to hide dirty dishes and then to wash said dirty dishes.