Mongolian Beef Recipe {Video} - Butter Your Biscuit (2024)

FAQs

Why is Mongolian beef chewy? ›

Like many stir fry dishes, it is important to thinly slice the meat, which means stir-frying will obviously overcook the meat, which in turn will make it tough and chewy.

Velvet the beef: The velveting technique involves tenderizing, marinating, and a quick searing of the meat. To tenderize: Sprinkle with baking soda (the secret Chinese meat tenderizer). To marinate (a quick marinade): Add basic beef marinade and mix to coat evenly. Let marinate for 15 minutes or up to overnight.

While there are several ways to velvet, a pound of meat needs about two teaspoons of cornstarch and two teaspoons of oil, says Leung. You may also include two to three tablespoons of water. For beef, add a 1/4-teaspoon of baking soda for tenderizing.

Ginger: Ginger contains an enzyme called zingibain that can help to tenderize meat. Garlic: Garlic contains a natural compound called allicin, which can help to break down meat fibers. Rosemary: Rosemary contains a natural acid called rosmarinic acid, which can help to break down meat fibers.

There are two popular velveting techniques in Chinese cooking: the baking soda method and the cornstarch method. Before making your favorite Chinese stir-fry, learn how to velvet thinly sliced beef with baking soda to ensure tender, juicy meat.

Making the Mongolian Beef Sauce

Whisk the Mongolian Beef Sauce ingredients together consisting of soy sauce, water, brown sugar, Asian sweet chili sauce, rice wine, hoisin, pepper, sriracha and cornstarch.

Marinating beef for your stir-fry is an important second step of velveting that should never be skipped. The marinade isn't as much about soaking the beef in a lot of liquid or adding a bunch of different flavorings like you may be used to. It's about giving the beef an extra juicy texture.

Rub a flank steak with olive oil, season it with salt and pepper and slide it onto a foil-lined sheet pan for easy cleanup. Then just broil it until it's medium-rare, 6 to 8 minutes. No flipping needed.

Just as you would with dry brining, rinse your meat until it's (mostly) free of all the baking soda.

How do you stir-fry steak without it getting tough? ›

Toss With Corn Starch

This is similar to (but less involved than) a common technique in Chinese restaurants called velveting, where they will marinate meats in corn starch and cooking wine or soy sauce for about 15 minutes. The corn starch helps keep the beef moist and tender while cooking.

What Cut of Beef Is Best For Beef Stir-Fry? Flank steaks are the most popular choice for making a stir-fry. However, you can also use sirloin steak, skirt steak, Denver steak, or even beef chuck. Beef chuck steak is the most economical choice, but it does require some extra trimming.

When exposed to too much heat, the fat within the muscles gets rendered out completely, ridding the steak of the moisture that makes it tender. On the other hand, if that fat doesn't have enough time to break down, the resulting steak will be as tough as it would be if it were adequately cooked.

Muscle fibers contract and push out moisture as meat cooks. It first starts to happen when the internal temperature reaches 104℉ (40℃) and greatly increases once you hit 140℉ (60℃). This is why ribeyes, chicken breasts, and pork chops turn dry and chewy when you cook them for too long.

You Undercooked The Steak

If removed from the heat too soon, the connective tissue will remain intact. The steak may appear juicier when rare, but can have a chewy, sinewy texture. It's especially important not to undercook tougher cuts that have more connective tissue.

Tenderize the steak: Use a meat tenderizer to break down the muscle fibers in the steak. You can also use a marinade that contains acidic ingredients like vinegar or citrus juice, which can help to break down the connective tissues. Cook the steak to the right temperature: Overcooking can make a steak tough and chewy.