Mongolian-style beef rice bowl

Mongolian beef recipe

Because of its name, you’d be forgiven for thinking Mongolian beef is a traditional Mongolian dish. So what is Mongolian beef and where does it come from? This flavour-packed stir-fried beef with warm spices actually hails from Taiwan and is loved for its tender beef in a rich, savoury sauce. This Mongolian beef stir-fry recipe uses beef mince in a tasty twist and served with rice and greens in a Mongolian beef rice bowl that’s perfect for an easy midweek meal.

Mongolian beef ingredients

For this recipe for Mongolian beef, you’ll need some top-quality beef mince. The savoury sauce is made using ⅓ cup (80ml) oyster sauce and ¼ cup (60ml) hoisin sauce. Mongolian beef recipes also call for spices, such as 2 tsp finely grated ginger and 1 tsp Chinese five spice, to balance the flavours. The vibrant veggies include 2 carrots cut into long matchsticks and 1 bunch of baby buk choy, halved lengthways. To serve, you’ll need 1 ½ cups of sushi rice, which is ideal for rice bowls as it cooks quickly and its sticky consistency perfectly complements the soft and crunchy textures in the dish. You’ll also need some spring onions and 2 tbs chopped peanuts to scatter over the dish to serve.

How to make Mongolian beef

This easy Mongolian beef rice bowl is a breeze to prepare. First, cook the rice by placing it in a large saucepan with 2 ¼ cups (560ml) cold water over high heat. Bring it to the boil then reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook for 12 minutes or until the rice is tender and the water has been absorbed. Set aside, covered, for 5 minutes to steam.

Meanwhile, place the spring onion in a small bowl and cover with iced water. Set aside for 10 minutes to curl.

Now it’s time to cook the beef. This dish cooks quickly so it’s important that you have all of your ingredients prepared - chopped, sliced and measured - beforehand. Heat a wok or large frying pan over high heat. Add the mince and cook, stirring to break up lumps, for 5 minutes or until the mince changes colour. Add the ginger and five spice and stir-fry for 1 minute or until aromatic. Add the oyster sauce and hoisin sauce and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes or until heated through.

Then you’ll need to blanch the buk choy. You can do this by placing the buk choy in a large heatproof bowl. Pour over boiling water and set aside for 1 minutes or until it’s just tender. Refresh the buk choy under cold water and drain well. You can also drain the spring onion curls at this time. When you’re ready to serve, divide the rice among serving bowls and top with the mince mixture, carrot, spring onion and buk choy. Sprinkle with peanuts to serve. If you want a little heat in your Mongolian beef and rice, you can add sliced chilli. You can also add coriander sprigs if you like.

Now get cooking

There are plenty more rice bowls to enjoy with our collection of recipes. Start the week with a meat-free tofu and egg rice bowl. Try this sticky mushroom rice bowl with nori-wrapped salmon for dinner and you’ll be bowled over by the flavours, and this nourishing satay tofu and rice salad bowl is just the thing for a summer dinner. For more Asian-inspired beef mince dishes, try this satisfying Korean-style ginger beef, and beef chow mein ready in just 20 minutes.