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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.
It really is better than takeout! I love this recipe! So easy to make and delicious! We make this about once a week!
Yay! Thank you so much for the review
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!
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!
Entirely too salty. I have a major salt tolerance just way too much.
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.
I need nutrition breakdown-am I missing it?
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!
Fantastic!! Thank you so much, Christina! I am glad you found my site, too!! xoxo
If we aren’t doing W30 is soy sauce a good sub for coconut aminos?
yes– but just omit the fish sauce (as it will be too salty with both)
Could you sub a different cut of beef?