Copycat P.F Chang's Mongolian Beef

One of the only good things about my sports injury is that it means I have plenty of time to cook a nice dinner once I arrive home from school.  On an average day, I’m typically torn between working out and making dinner, mostly because I love to do both!  I know that I always could do both, but I hate to eat after 8:00 p.m., mostly because I feel that it’s too close to my bed time.  Yes, that’s right, I go to bed early, but in all fairness, I do get up at 3:00 a.m.

So last night, seeing I’ve been eating Paleo, (which means that Jeff has sort of been fending for himself) I decided to make a special dinner.  Jeff’s always been a fan of steak; therefore I decided to surprise him with a copycat recipe of P.F. Chang’s Mongolian Beef.  It must have been pretty good too, because he literally ate the entire dish.  I did cut back on the steak portion though, but next time I’ll definitely be using the entire pound.

My Paleo Dinner: Chicken and Ham Spinach Salad

2 cups baby spinach
4 oz. shredded chicken
1 oz. cubed ham
½ avocado
4 snap peas (cut in pieces)
2 Tbsp. fresh salsa

P.F. Chang’s Copycat Mongolian Beef
Printer-Friendly Version

Ingredients:

2 tsp. vegetable oil
½ tsp. ginger, minced
1 Tbsp. garlic, minced
½ cup reduced sodium soy sauce
½ cup water
¾ cup dark brown sugar
Vegetable oil for frying (about ¾ cup)
1 lb. Flank steak
¼ cup cornstarch
2 green onions, chopped (optional)

Directions:

Sauce:
In a medium saucepan, over a medium-low temperature, heat the 2 tsp. vegetable oil. (make sure not to make it too hot!)  Add in the ginger and garlic, and then quickly pour in the soy sauce, plus, water so that the ingredients don’t burn.  Place the dark brown sugar into the liquid and allow to dissolve, you may need to stir around a bit.  Now, increase the heat to medium and boil the ingredients for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce thickens.  Remove from the heat and set aside.

Beef:

Begin by cutting the steak into about ¼” bite-size slices.  Once the slices are ready dip them into the cornstarch, making sure that each side is lightly coated.  Let the beef slices sit for about 10 minutes allowing the cornstarch to sink in. 

While you’re waiting for the beef to finish, heat up the ¾ cup vegetable oil in a wok set over a medium heat.  It should be nice and hot, but not boiling.  Once ready, add the beef to the wok and sauté the slices until nice and brown.  Make sure to stir the beef around during this process to ensure that it cooks evenly.  When it’s down cooking, remove the slices from the oil and place on a plate with paper towel, in order to absorb the extra oil and then pat dry.

Add the beef slices to the sauce, and stir together.  Place the saucepan back on the stove, over a medium/low heat.  Add the chopped green onions and allow to simmer until warm.

Remove the pan from the heat, and serve.

Source: Six Sister Stuff