PF Chang's Mongolian Beef

*** You can also serve it with Quinoa instead of steamed rice

P.F. Chang's Mongolian Beef Copycat Recipe:

(Recipe adapted from Food.com)

http://www.food.com/recipe/P-F-Changs-Mongolian-Beef-66121

Estimated prep and cooking time = 30-45 minutes

Ingredients: 

2 teaspoons vegetable oil 

½ teaspoon fresh ginger, minced 

1 tablespoon garlic, chopped 

½ cup soy sauce 

½ cup water 

¾ cup dark brown sugar, you can use light if that is all you have 

vegetable oil, for frying the steak (about 1 cup)

1 – 2 lb. flank steak - you can make it 3 pounds of steak if you are not a family who likes a lot of sauce

¼ cup cornstarch maybe a tad more

2 large green onions (chives), chopped

Optional: sesame seeds and hot garlic chili sauce or Sriracha

Side options: steamed Calrose, Jasmine, or brown rice, or Quinoa. Make lettuce wraps by using butter lettuce. Skipping the rice altogether.

Directions:

Sauce: Heat 2 tsp. of vegetable oil in a medium saucepan over medium/low heat.  Don't get the oil too hot.

Slice the flank steak against the grain into 1/4" thick bite-size slices. Tilt the blade of your knife at about a forty five degree angle to the top of the steak so that you get wider cuts. 

Add ginger and garlic to the pan and quickly add the soy sauce and water before the garlic scorches.

Dissolve the brown sugar in the sauce, and then increase the heat to medium and boil the sauce for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce thickens.

Remove it from the heat.

Beef:

Dip the steak pieces into the cornstarch with your fingers to apply a very thin dusting to all sides of each piece of beef.  Let the beef sit for about 10 minutes so that the cornstarch sticks. 

As the beef sits, heat up one cup of oil in a wok (you may also use a skillet for this step as long as the beef will be mostly covered with oil).

Heat the oil over medium heat until it's nice and hot, but not smoking. Add the beef to the oil and saute until brown.

Stir the meat around a little so that it cooks evenly. 

After a couple minutes, use a large slotted spoon to take the meat out and onto paper towels. 

Dab excess oil off meat with a paper towel and add to medium saucepan with the sauce in it. 

Put the pan back on the oven over medium/low heat. 

Add chopped green onions and let sauce simmer until warm.

Serve over your favorite rice.

*** Add Garlic Chili Sauce and sesame seeds for extra goodness.

Quinoa:

You can purchase a box of Quinoa at any supermarket. I buy the Trader Joe's Organic Quinoa. You can make it in the microwave, stove-top, or in your rice cooker. I used the rice cooker.

Two different ways:

Simply treat quinoa like rice. Add two parts water to one part quinoa, stir, cover and press cook on your rice cooker.

I also add a splash of olive oil and salt to the water before cooking the quinoa. You can also substitute the water for chicken stock or vegetable stock.

We used 1 cup of quinoa and 2 cups of water.

In a pan you can add in 1-2 tablespoons of diced garlic and a little olive oil. Heat until garlic is a little browned. Add this to your cooked quinoa for extra DELICOUSNESS!

Serve kung pao chicken, canned tuna, or Mongolian beef over Quinoa. It's a yummy and quick side dish!