Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef (Print Version)
Tender beef in rich savory-sweet sauce with garlic, ginger, and soy. Slow cooked to perfection with simple ingredients.
# What You Need:
→ Beef
01 - 2 pounds flank steak, thinly sliced against the grain
→ Sauce
02 - 3/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
03 - 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
04 - 1/2 cup water
05 - 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
06 - 1 tablespoon sesame oil
07 - 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
08 - 5 cloves garlic, minced
09 - 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
10 - 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
→ Thickener
11 - 1/4 cup cornstarch
→ Vegetables & Garnish
12 - 5 green onions, sliced (white and green parts separated)
13 - 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
14 - Steamed white or brown rice, for serving
# How-To:
01 - Toss the sliced flank steak with cornstarch in a large bowl until all pieces are evenly coated. Shake off any excess cornstarch before proceeding.
02 - Transfer the coated beef pieces to the slow cooker insert, spreading them in an even layer.
03 - Whisk together the soy sauce, brown sugar, water, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, grated ginger, minced garlic, black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes in a separate bowl until the sugar has dissolved completely.
04 - Pour the prepared sauce mixture over the beef in the slow cooker. Gently toss to coat all the beef pieces evenly with the sauce.
05 - Scatter the white parts of the sliced green onions over the top of the beef and sauce mixture.
06 - Cover the slow cooker and cook on low heat for 4 hours, or until the beef is fork-tender and the sauce has thickened slightly.
07 - Stir in the green onion tops and cook for an additional 10 minutes to wilt them slightly.
08 - Serve the Mongolian beef hot over steamed white or brown rice, garnished with toasted sesame seeds and additional green onions if desired.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The beef becomes impossibly tender without you hovering over a hot stove for hours
- That sauce hits every single flavor note sweet, salty, savory with zero guesswork
02 -
- Cutting against the grain means slicing perpendicular to those long muscle fibers in the meat
- The sauce might look thin at first but it thickens beautifully as the beef releases its juices
03 -
- Partially freezing the flank steak for 30 minutes makes it so much easier to slice thin
- Toast your sesame seeds in a dry pan for 2 minutes before garnishing