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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.
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!
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
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.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Made this tonight — it was so delicious! Love your blog!
YAY! Thanks, Lizzie 🙂
This was so incredibly yummy! I’m just starting my first Whole 30 and this will definitely be a staple in the rotation.
YAY! I am so glad! Good luck with your Whole30!
So yummy! Even my kids are obsessed!
This was absolutely delicious! Did not change anything!! My boyfriend loved it!!
Yay!! it’s a favorite of mine, and such a man pleaser too! 🙂
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!
It’ll still be great!! Don’t worry. With this recipe lemon juice will be a great substitute. 🙂
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.
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!
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!
When something calls for fish sauce, try subbing in lime or lemon juice instead and see what you think! 🙂
I meant not doing Whole30
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.
Yes! If not Whole30, Cornstarch is the perfect substitute! 🙂 Enjoy!!!
Made this tonight and it is AMAZING! Going to be a permanent in our meal rotation. Thank you!!!!!
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 (: