Shortcut Mongolian Ground Beef

5 from 10 votes

Shortcut Mongolian Ground Beef

This shortcut Mongolian Ground Beef has all the delicious flavor and heartiness of our classic Mongolian Beef recipe, but it’s made with ground beef instead of flank steak.

Prep Time20

Cook Time10

Total Time30

Course: shortcut mongolian beef

Cuisine: American/Chinese

Servings:

Calories: 357kcal

Author: Kaitlin

Ingredients

For marinating the beef:

1 pound ground beef
2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine (or dry cooking sherry, optional)
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/4 teaspoon baking soda

For the sauce:

3/4 cup hot water (or hot low sodium chicken or beef stock)
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 teaspoon dark soy sauce (optional)
1/4 cup brown sugar (light or dark)
1 tablespoon cornstarch (mixed with 2 tablespoons water to make a slurry)

For the rest of the dish:

⅓ cup cornstarch
¼ cup neutral oil
3-8 dried red chili peppers (optional; use as little as 3 for mild heat or as many as 8 for a kick!)
2 teaspoons ginger (minced)
4 scallions (white and green parts separated, cut on a diagonal into 2-inch/5cm pieces)
3 cloves garlic (chopped)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

In a medium bowl, mix the ground beef with the Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, and baking soda. Set aside to marinate for 20 minutes while you prep the other ingredients. (Or if making ahead, cover and refrigerate overnight.)
Next, make the sauce. To a measuring cup, add the hot water and soy sauce. Then stir in the dark soy sauce and brown sugar. In a small bowl, mix up the cornstarch slurry.
Once you’re ready to cook, add ⅓ cup cornstarch to a shallow dish. Break up the ground beef into pieces on top of the cornstarch, then use your fingers to break up the ground beef into nuggets and toss them in the cornstarch.
Heat your wok or skillet over high heat. Add the oil and ground beef in a single layer and fry until golden. Once a golden crust has formed, use a wok spatula to flip the beef and let it brown once more undisturbed. Repeat until the beef is uniformly seared. Remove from the wok, leaving behind any oil.
With the heat on medium-high, add the red chili peppers and cook for 1 minute.. Add the ginger, and fry for 30 seconds. Add the white parts of the scallions and the garlic, and cook for another 30 seconds to a minute.
Stir up your sauce and add it to the pan. Bring to a simmer, then stir up your cornstarch slurry and add it to the sauce mixture. Once the sauce has thickened enough to coat the back of your spatula, add the beef along with the scallion greens. Toss until the scallions are just wilted. Serve with steamed rice!

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