Authentic Mongolian Beef Copycat Recipe Like PF Chang's (2024)

FAQs

What is PF Chang's Mongolian sauce? ›

Deep and flavorful, our Mongolian Style BBQ Sauce can attribute its flavor profile to smoked black pepper, sweet molasses, soy sauce and garlic making this sauce versatile for marinades and as a finishing sauce.

Usually when we go to PF Chang's, I am all about the Kung Pao Scallops, but Mongolian Beef is also a favorite of mine. Crispy but tender pieces of beef coated in a thick, sweet and a little salty sauce. It's almost like eating beef candy! Add some red pepper flakes if you want to balance the sweetness with some heat.

BAKING SODA

This is the KEY ingredient to super tender beef. Baking soda is commonly used in Chinese cooking to tenderize beef. If you're curious about the science behind it – baking soda neutralizes acid and raises the pH level, which causes the meat to become more alkaline.

Szechuan Beef vs Mongolian Beef

Szechuan Beef has a sweet and spicy flavor with added chili peppers and Szechuan peppercorns. The Szechuan peppercorns has a distinctive tingly numbing sensation when eaten. Mongolian beef has a mild and much simpler taste, making it a kids' favorite, outside of broccoli beef.

Our recipe for Mongolian beef sauce includes oyster sauce, soy sauce, tamari soy sauce (as a replacement for dark soy sauce), chili sauce, sugar, and cooking wine. Check the ingredient list to see precise amounts. Don't forget that you can scale the recipe up and down!

Chang's Original Chinese Sate Sauce

A naturally brewed sauce made from fresh anchovies and salt, Fish Sauce is used extensively in Thai and Vietnamese cooking. Fish Sauce adds a unique delicious savoury flavour to your soups, stews, stir-fries, curries, dressings and as a dipping sauce.

Despite its name, the dish has nothing to do with Mongolian cuisine. Mongolian beef is among the meat dishes developed in Taiwan where Mongolian barbecue restaurants first appeared. Thus, none of the ingredients or the preparation methods are drawn from traditional Mongolian cuisine but rather from Chinese cuisine.

In Chinese cooking, proteins like beef, pork or chicken are velveted first before stir-frying them. There are several ways to velvet, but at its most basic level, it involves marinating meat with at least one ingredient that will make it alkaline. This is what tenderizes the meat, especially cheaper, tougher cuts.

Flavor Profile: Szechuan Beef is known for its spicy and numbing flavor, while Mongolian Beef offers a sweet and savory taste. Region of Origin: Szechuan Beef originates from the Sichuan province of China, while Mongolian Beef is inspired by the cuisine of Mongolia.

In Chinese cooking, velveting meats includes 2 steps: tenderizing and marinating. Tenderize beef in a mixture of baking soda, soy sauce, salt, and oil. Let the mixture marinate for at least 15 minutes or overnight for optimal flavor and tenderness.

How to velvet beef for Mongolian beef? ›

To prepare the dish, thinly sliced flank steak is first “velveted” or tenderized by marinating it in a mixture that includes baking soda, before being coated in cornstarch.

Hunan beef also packs in some heat in the form of chili peppers, but it's not a numbing heat whatsoever and I like to think of it as the milder cousin to Szeuchuan beef. What's the difference between Hunan beef vs Mongolian beef? Another favorite beef recipe of mine, Mongolian beef is much sweeter than Hunan beef.

Stir-Fried Spicy Beef (Previously: Mongolian Beef)

Sliced beef marinated in soy and then stir-fried with peppers and onions.

Chinese restaurants typically use flank steak, an affordable cut with great flavor. The steak should be cut thinly against the grain. Each slice should be about one-eighth of an inch thick, since thinner slices have more surface area for the marinade.

Mongolian Sauce 2.1kg Gluten Free

This sauce is made from chilli, garlic and soy sauce so that it can pair with beef, seafood or lamb. You can use it in your stir-fries, noodles or as a dipping sauce, it is also conveniently bain marie and freeze-thaw stable.

Szechuan Beef is characterized by its bold, spicy, and numbing flavors, often derived from Szechuan peppercorns and chili peppers. Mongolian Beef, on the other hand, has a milder and sweeter flavor profile, with a balance of savory and sweet notes from ingredients like soy sauce and brown sugar.

Mongolian food is heavy in meat but because they do not have lots of spices this food qualifies for light spicy food.

Mongolian food tends not to have the same level of spice and heat as many Asian cuisines, but it certainly is largely influenced by the rest of the continent. Similarly, the drinks in Mongolia are a bizarre mixture, and as you can probably guess, very dairy-oriented.