Mongolian Beef

Tonight's dinner was inspired by my cooking class at Le Cordon Bleu on Saturday. I loved this dish when I had it on Saturday and decided it would be perfect to make the dinner with the girls. Mine turned out a little spicier than the chef's version, but we love our food with a little spice. I would probably cut down the spice a little if I were making this for a crowd. The recipe called for a skirt steak, but I substituted a flatiron steak and it worked just fine. I put the steak in the freezer for about 45 minutes before slicing it very thin against the grain. The thinly sliced meat then went into a marinade for just a few minutes.

The next step was to stir fry the vegetables with a couple of dried red chili peppers for a minute or so before removing them. The marinated beef was stir fried in batches so the wok would not be too crowded. Once all the beef was browned, the vegetables went back in along with some bean thread noodles and a sauce and all was allowed to warm up for a couple of minutes. The bean thread noodles had been covered with room temperature water and allowed to soak for 15 minutes prior to being added to the stir fry.

This dish is really quick and easy to make which is perfect for a weeknight dinner.



Mongolian Beef (serves 4)
Le Cordon Bleu Master Chef Cooking Class

1 pound skirt steak (or flatiron), thinly sliced cross grain
2 egg whites
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon white pepper
3/4 teaspoon salt
pinch of sugar

1 package (3.75 ounces) bean thread noodles
3 dried red chili peppers (use only one to lower heat level)
1 red bell pepper, julienned
1/2 inch piece fresh ginger, julienned
1 leek, sliced into half moons, soaked to clean and then dried
2 cloves garlic, sliced

4 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon chili paste (use 1/2 tablespoon to lower heat level)
2 teaspoons hoisin sauce
1 teaspoon white vinegar
Salt and pepper to taste
Sugar to taste

1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon water

Mix egg whites, cornstarch, white pepper, salt and sugar. Add beef slices and let marinate for about 5 minutes or longer if desired.

In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, chili paste, hoisin sauce, white vinegar, salt, pepper and sugar to taste. Set sauce aside.

In hot wok add canola oil and stir fry dried chile peppers, red bell pepper, ginger, leeks and garlic for 1-2 minutes. Remove vegetables from wok and set aside.

Add marinated beef slices in batches to not crowd the pan and stir fry until browned. Remove beef as it browns. Once all the beef is browned, add it all back into the wok along with the stir-fried vegetables. Add the drained bean thread noodles and the sauce and continue stirring until heated through.

Add the water to the cornstarch to make a slurry and add slurry as needed to thicken sauce and add gloss to the dish.

My rating: