Speedy Mongolian style beef stir-fry
I love dishes like this that have maximum flavour but require minimum work, using ingredients that people are likely to already have at home. The beef is tender, sticky and sweet – you will love it.
Ingredients
For the beef
For the sauce
- vegetable oil, for frying
- 7 garlic cloves, crushed
- 8 large dried red chillies
- 2 tbsp brown sugar
- 50ml/2fl oz dark soy sauce
- 1 tsp cornflour
- 3 spring onions, trimmed and cut into 5cm/2in pieces
To serve
- 2 x 250g packets microwave sticky rice
- white sesame seeds
Method
To make the beef, place the beef in a large bowl. Pour in the oil and soy, then add the cornflour and mix until the beef is nicely coated. Set aside.
To make the sauce, heat a dash of oil in a wok or frying pan until hot. Add the garlic and chillies and cook until the garlic is a deep golden brown and the chillies are almost blackened in places. Set the garlic and chillies aside in a bowl.
Cook the beef in batches in the same pan over a high heat, until the beef is seared and dark brown. Set aside in the same bowl as the chillies and garlic.
Mix 100ml/3½fl oz water, brown sugar and soy together in a jug. Heat more oil in the same pan, if needed, and pour in the sugar mixture. Cook for a few minutes over a medium heat.
Mix the cornflour with 1 tablespoon of water in a small bowl to make a slurry and add that to the pan. This should thicken the sauce instantly. Add the beef, garlic and chillies straight back in and stir through so the beef is glistening and covered in the shiny sauce. Add the spring onions and toss together.
Microwave the rice according to the packet instructions. Serve the beef with the sesame seeds sprinkled over and the sticky rice.
Recipe Tips
To cut any type of meat very thinly, I have a great trick: freeze the meat for 4 hours in manageable chunks for cutting. Then take a sharp knife and cut as thinly as you can. Freezing for a few hours helps to stabilize the shape, making it easier to cut and hold the meat in place.