02.15.17

Whole30 Mongolian Beef Stir Fry

My husband requested Mongolian Beef recently and I thought, hmm…I am going to try and make a Whole30 approved version. I am crazy about how this Whole30 Mongolian Beef Stir Fry turned out, absolutely DELICIOUS.

Whole30 Mongolian Beef Stir Fry

We all grew up eating it, and it’s universally just a delicious dish. Beef stir-fried in a savory and sweet sauce that will make your taste buds sing!! To add some veggies to this classic Chinese take-out dish, I just quickly pan-seared some baby bok choy. It’s packed with nutrients and I adore this little veggie so much! You can eat it alone, or serve with cauliflower rice to keep it Whole30! 

 

Whole30 Mongolian Beef Stir Fry

I hope you enjoy this Whole30 Mongolian Beef Stir Fry recipe as much as my husband and I. It’s one I am pretty sure he will ask for regularly now!

Whole30 Mongolian Beef Stir Fry

Whole30 Mongolian Beef Stir Fry
Serves: 4 people
Print
4.67 from 3 votes
Cook Time30 mins

Ingredients

For the Mongolian Beef:

  • 1.5 pounds skirt or flank steak
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon arrowroot starch
  • 4 tablespoons avocado or extra virgin olive oil
  • 3 garlic cloves thinly sliced
  • 1 1-inch piece fresh ginger, finely grated
  • 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
  • 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes optional
  • 1/2 cup low-sodium beef broth
  • 6 green onions sliced into 1.5-inch pieces (white and green parts)
  • 1/2 cup coconut aminos (I like Big Tree Farm Brand)
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 1 teaspoons fish sauce I like Red Boat
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds for serving
  • Seared Baby Bok Choy recipe follows, for serving

For the Seared Baby Bok Choy:

  • 1 tbsp avocado oil
  • 2 heads baby bok choy, rinsed, dried, and halved lengthwise
  • 1 tsp fish sauce
  • freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

Make the Mongolian Beef:

  • Place the flank steak on a cutting board and using a meat mallet or the back of a skillet, tenderize the meat, pounding the steak until it is [1/2] inch thick. Remove and discard the parchment paper, then slice the steak against the grain into [1/4]-inch-thin pieces. Add the steak to a large bowl and sprinkle with the salt, pepper, and arrowroot starch. Toss to coat.
  • In a large nonstick skillet, heat the avocado oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches so you don’t crowd the pan, add the steak in a single layer. Sear the steak until it forms a deep brown crust, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer the cooked steak to a plate and set aside. Repeat until all the steak is cooked and all of the meat is set aside.
  • Add the garlic, ginger, sesame oil, and red pepper flakes to the skillet and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Pour in the beef broth and bring to a simmer. Let simmer for about 2 minutes and use the back of a spoon to scrape up any brown bits from the pan.
  • Return the steak to the skillet. Stir in the green onions, coconut aminos, rice vinegar, and fish sauce and bring the sauce to a simmer. Cook, stirring often, until the sauce has thickened, 3 to 5 minutes.
  • Spoon the stir fry over the Cauliflower Rice and sprinkle with the sesame seeds. Serve with the Seared Baby Bok Choy.

Make the Bok Choy:

  • In a large skillet over medium-high heat, heat the avocado oil. Sear the bok choy until golden brown, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Add the fish sauce and season with pepper to taste.

 

 

32 Comments

  • Reply
    Amber
    February 4, 2022 at 5:56 pm

    I received your first cookbook as a Christmas gift and have been working my way through some recipes. This one was AMAZING! The flavor was great and the hubby loved it! I will say it was a tad salty, but that was my fault for using regular beef broth that I had on hand, rather than the low sodium version that the recipe calls for. This will definitely be in our normal rotation now!

  • Reply
    Meagan
    October 15, 2021 at 6:28 pm

    4 stars
    This is delicious, but far too oily as written! I’d either half the initial oil quantity or remove the remaining oil after frying the beef (perhaps even both?). The oil content was so high it separated into large clear oil puddles on reheat. With that modification, a lovely recipe we’ll be making again!

    • Reply
      Jacqueline Waters
      November 17, 2021 at 10:53 pm

      Entirely too salty. I have a major salt tolerance just way too much.

  • Reply
    Brooke
    August 12, 2021 at 2:34 am

    ALEX! This is SO good! My husband said several times “This tastes like takeout!” and “Never make another stir fry again. You’ve found the perfect one.” Only tweak was that I added a little Whole30 Yellowbird Sriracha because we love spice. Thank you so much for bringing yummy Whole30 asian-y food into our lives! And the best part – I don’t feel like crap after I eat it haha.

  • Reply
    Toni
    June 2, 2021 at 11:57 pm

    I need nutrition breakdown-am I missing it?

  • Reply
    Christina
    May 16, 2021 at 1:34 am

    5 stars
    This was absolutely amazing! The flavors are restaurant quality and I’m so happy I stumbled across your site. Yay! One thing we added was a sliced onion, which I let sweat down and added to the sauce before the meat. All delicious! Thank you!

    • Reply
      Alex
      May 16, 2021 at 1:10 pm

      Fantastic!! Thank you so much, Christina! I am glad you found my site, too!! xoxo

  • Reply
    Lucie
    January 5, 2021 at 5:54 pm

    If we aren’t doing W30 is soy sauce a good sub for coconut aminos?

    • Reply
      Alex
      January 5, 2021 at 10:37 pm

      yes– but just omit the fish sauce (as it will be too salty with both)

    • Reply
      Christina
      October 17, 2021 at 4:05 pm

      Could you sub a different cut of beef?

  • Reply
    Whole30 Week 1 review (Meal Plan Monday) - re:focused me
    July 11, 2017 at 2:25 am

    […] Mongolian Beef with stir fry veggies and cauliflower […]

  • Reply
    Lizzie
    June 20, 2017 at 1:54 am

    Made this tonight — it was so delicious! Love your blog!

    • Reply
      Alex
      June 20, 2017 at 6:45 pm

      YAY! Thanks, Lizzie 🙂

  • Reply
    Christine
    May 31, 2017 at 2:41 pm

    This was so incredibly yummy! I’m just starting my first Whole 30 and this will definitely be a staple in the rotation.

    • Reply
      Alex
      May 31, 2017 at 8:02 pm

      YAY! I am so glad! Good luck with your Whole30!

    • Reply
      Katie
      March 9, 2022 at 9:30 pm

      5 stars
      So yummy! Even my kids are obsessed!

  • Reply
    Melissa
    May 23, 2017 at 3:55 am

    This was absolutely delicious! Did not change anything!! My boyfriend loved it!!

    • Reply
      Alex
      May 23, 2017 at 12:38 pm

      Yay!! it’s a favorite of mine, and such a man pleaser too! 🙂

  • Reply
    Clean-Eating Pantry Items that ROCK. – The Defined Dish
    May 17, 2017 at 1:32 pm

    […] cooking Whole30 + paleo. I use it regularly when thickening up my asian stir fry dishes (like my Mongolian Beef) and when making creamy, delicious “gravy” like sauces (like my skillet chicken […]

  • Reply
    Sara
    May 8, 2017 at 10:45 pm

    Doing Whole30 and noticed that my fish sauce has sugar in it. I will use lemon juice instead as you mentioned in your comments. Hopefully turns out well because I doubled the recipe!

    • Reply
      Alex
      May 8, 2017 at 11:59 pm

      It’ll still be great!! Don’t worry. With this recipe lemon juice will be a great substitute. 🙂

  • Reply
    Sarah
    April 28, 2017 at 3:38 am

    I made this tonight and it was delicious – thank you! I was wondering about the 4 tbsp of oil that you say to put in the pan to fry the steak because it’s not in the ingredient list that way. It seems like a LOT. I used all of it but then I soaked some up with a paper towel thinking that it would all feel too oily. In the end, it was perfect.

    • Reply
      Alex
      May 1, 2017 at 1:26 am

      I do the 4 tbsp. of olive oil because the steak with the arrowroot is so sticky and sticks the pan so easily, so the extra oil helps prevent that from happening. After your steak is browned, if you prefer to remove some oil, that is just fine like you mentioned 🙂 glad you liked it in the end!

  • Reply
    Jaime
    April 15, 2017 at 9:04 pm

    Do you have a good sub for fish sauce? My husband is allergic and I’ve notice a lot of whole30 recipes call for it. This looks delish!

    • Reply
      Alex
      April 16, 2017 at 1:18 pm

      When something calls for fish sauce, try subbing in lime or lemon juice instead and see what you think! 🙂

  • Reply
    Zeenie
    April 9, 2017 at 3:28 pm

    I meant not doing Whole30

  • Reply
    Zeenie
    April 9, 2017 at 3:27 pm

    I was looking for a good Mongolia beef recipe and this sounds delicious. I am doing Whole30 so instead of using 1 tablespoon arrowroot can I use 1 tablespoon cornstarch? I don’t have arrowroot.

    • Reply
      Alex
      April 9, 2017 at 7:55 pm

      Yes! If not Whole30, Cornstarch is the perfect substitute! 🙂 Enjoy!!!

  • Reply
    Kristi Smart
    February 25, 2017 at 1:16 am

    Made this tonight and it is AMAZING! Going to be a permanent in our meal rotation. Thank you!!!!!

  • Reply
    Lois Chisum Hudson
    February 23, 2017 at 2:09 am

    I just have to tell you that this was sooooo good! I made this for my family tonight and everyone (including my 4 kids) really loved it. My husband is so picky about “healthy” recipes being changed from just the normal ingredients. He said that this mongolian beef was better than Pei Wei. Great job!

    Sincerely, a fellow DFW mom (:

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