Mongolian Beef: Does It Include Mushrooms?

Mongolian Beef is a Chinese-American dish that combines tender beef with stir-fried vegetables in a savoury sauce. While the dish does not traditionally contain mushrooms, some recipes do include them, and they can be added as desired. This dish is often served with rice and can be adapted to be vegan by substituting soy chunks for beef.

Vegan Mongolian Beef

Mongolian Beef is a Chinese-American dish that typically includes beef, mushrooms, and stir-fried vegetables in a savoury sauce. To make vegan Mongolian beef, you can replace the beef with soy chunks, soy curls, tofu, or seitan. Here is a recipe for vegan Mongolian beef using soy chunks:

Ingredients

• Soy chunks
• Starch
• Vegetable oil
• Garlic
• Ginger
• Scallions
• Soy sauce

Instructions

First, rehydrate the soy chunks by soaking them in boiling water. Next, coat the soy chunks in starch and fry them in vegetable oil until crispy. In a separate pan, stir-fry the garlic, ginger, and scallions. Add the fried soy chunks to the pan and mix well. Pour in the soy sauce and stir until the soy chunks are coated. Serve immediately with steamed rice.

You can also make vegan Mongolian beef with seitan by dredging the seitan strips in cornstarch, frying them in oil, and then coating them in a sweet and savoury sauce. This dish can also be made with tofu or soy curls, which can be purchased online or at specialty grocery stores.

Mongolian Beef with Mushrooms recipe

Although Mongolian beef is not actually from Mongolia, it is a very popular dish, especially in Chinese-American restaurants. It is a combination of tender beef and stir-fried vegetables in a savoury sauce. Here is a recipe for Mongolian beef with mushrooms.

Ingredients

For the marinade:

• 500 g organic beef tenderloin, cut into thin strips (or flank steak)
• 1/4 cup soya sauce
• 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon soft brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

For the stir fry:

• 2 tablespoon mirin (Japanese rice wine)
• 4 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 12 shiitake mushrooms, stems removed, thinly sliced (100 g) (or white oyster mushrooms, shiitake mushrooms, or white mushrooms)
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1 large broccoli head, cut into flowerets, quartered if large, stems trimmed
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds, garnish (optional)
• Fresh cilantro, garnish (optional)
• Rice or noodles for serving

Method

Firstly, prepare the marinade by combining the beef with the marinade ingredients. Leave to marinate for around an hour. The beef should be moist after marinating.

Next, preheat a wok or large sauté pan over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of oil. Remove the steak from the marinade and stir-fry half of it until brown, for 2-3 minutes. Remove the cooked steak and set it aside on a plate, then stir-fry the remaining steak and set that aside too.

Add the remaining tablespoon of oil to the wok. Stir-fry ginger, garlic, and pepper flakes for 10-15 seconds, stirring constantly. Then, add the broccoli and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes. After this, add the mushrooms and stir-fry for another 2-3 minutes.

Add the sauce and beef. Stir-fry for another 30 seconds to a minute, until the sauce thickens. The scallions should be wilted, and there should be almost no liquid, as the sauce should cling to the beef. If there is still sauce left, increase the heat and stir until thickened.

Finally, plate and serve with steamed rice or noodles. Enjoy!

Stir-frying Mongolian Beef

Mongolian beef is a Chinese-American dish that combines tender beef with stir-fried vegetables in a savoury sauce. It is a popular dish that can be made in just 30 to 45 minutes. The beef is typically flank steak, but other cuts like sirloin steak or beef chuck can also be used.

To make stir-fried Mongolian beef, start by coating the beef strips in cornstarch and let them sit for about 15 minutes. This will give the beef a crispy exterior. In a separate pan, heat some vegetable oil and sauté garlic, ginger, and other aromatics. You can also add chillies to this mixture if you want some spice. Next, add the beef to the pan and stir-fry in batches until it is seared and dark brown. Set the beef aside and mix water, brown sugar, and soy sauce in the same pan to create a sauce. Thicken the sauce by mixing cornflour with water and pouring it into the pan. Once the sauce has thickened, add the beef, garlic, and chillies back into the pan and stir until the beef is coated. Finally, add spring onions, scallions, or other vegetables like broccolini and mushrooms, and toss everything together. Serve immediately with steamed rice or noodles, and sprinkle with sesame seeds or red pepper flakes for extra flavour.

If you want to make a vegan version of Mongolian beef, replace the beef with soy chunks. Rehydrate the soy chunks by soaking them in boiling water until they double or triple in size. Coat the soy chunks in starch and fry until crisp before stir-frying with garlic, ginger, and scallions. Serve with steamed rice.

Mongolian Beef marinade

The key to a delicious Mongolian beef dish is in the marinade. This popular Chinese-American dish combines tender beef with stir-fried vegetables and a savoury sauce. The beef is often marinated to tenderise it, creating a juicy and flavoursome dish.

A typical marinade for Mongolian beef consists of several ingredients that are combined and then used to coat the beef before cooking. The beef is then refrigerated for several hours, or even overnight, to allow the flavours to develop and penetrate the meat.

There are several variations of a marinade for Mongolian beef, but some common ingredients include soy sauce, vegetable oil, garlic, ginger, and scallions or green onions. Other ingredients that can be added to enhance the flavour include hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, cornstarch, baking soda, and mirin. These ingredients create a savoury, slightly sweet, and aromatic marinade that tenderises the beef and adds a unique flavour to the dish.

Some recipes also suggest adding a small amount of sherry, broth, or salt to the marinade. These ingredients can enhance the savoury flavour of the dish and further tenderise the meat. It is important to note that the specific measurements of each ingredient may vary depending on personal preference and the desired flavour profile.

The marinade plays a crucial role in the overall taste and texture of the dish. By marinating the beef, the meat becomes more tender and juicy, resulting in a melt-in-your-mouth texture. The flavours of the marinade also penetrate the meat, infusing it with a combination of savoury, sweet, and aromatic notes that complement the other ingredients in the dish, such as the stir-fried vegetables and savoury sauce.

Origin of Mongolian Beef

Despite its name, Mongolian Beef does not originate from Mongolia. Traditional Mongolian cuisine includes dishes such as buuz (steamed dumplings), khorkhog (a type of barbecue cooked with hot stones), and airag (fermented mare's milk). Mongolian Beef, a stir-fried dish with slices of beef, soy sauce, and green onions, is not part of Mongolia's culinary traditions.

Instead, the dish likely originated in Taiwan during the mid-20th century. During this period, Chinese immigrants settled in Taiwan, bringing with them diverse culinary traditions from mainland China. This led to the creation of new dishes adapted to local tastes and ingredients, including Mongolian Barbecue. This style of cooking involved grilling meats and vegetables on large, flat iron griddles, a technique that was not truly Mongolian but rather an inventive twist on stir-frying methods common in Chinese cuisine.

The term "Mongolian" was likely chosen for its exotic appeal and marketing potential in the Western market. In the mid-20th century, Western consumers were fascinated by Mongolian culture, fueled by popular media and romanticized images of Mongolian warriors and nomads. By naming the dish Mongolian Beef, restaurateurs could attract curious customers and set their dish apart from other Chinese offerings.

Mongolian Beef was introduced to the United States by Taiwanese chefs in the 1950s and 1960s, as Chinese and Taiwanese restaurants began to gain popularity. They presented a hybrid dish, blending familiar flavors with the theatrical cooking style of Mongolian Barbecue. This version of Mongolian Beef, featuring thinly sliced beef stir-fried with a savory sauce made from soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and garlic, quickly became a staple in American Chinese restaurants.

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