Recipe: Grass Fed & Finished Chinese Takeout Mongolian Beef

Chinese takeout was always one of my favorite meals as a kid. I absolutely loved the flavors of the sweet sauces and savory meats. As I grew older and became more conscious about where my food comes from, I stopped ordering from most Chinese takeout places because I didn’t want to eat the meat that often comes from factory farms.

But I still absolutely love the experience of eating those dishes. For that reason, making my own Chinese takeout style food - but better - is one of my favorite easy and satisfying meals. This Mongolian beef recipe has all of that satisfying takeout flavor, except it’s made with great quality ingredients including responsibly sourced beef.

Also Read: Bison vs. Beef: The Benefits of Replacing Beef with Bison in Your Diet

Out of curiosity, I did a bit of research on the origins of Mongolian beef. It turns out, it’s not even Mongolian. But that doesn’t make it any less delicious. Apparently it was developed in Taiwan when Chinese barbecue restaurants first became popular. Nothing about it is Mongolian in the least, from the ingredients to the preparation.

I’m a huge fan of authentic ethnic cuisine, but when your craving is for Chinese takeout, you have to accept that it’s simply designed to be delicious and satisfying with addictive flavor combinations. This beef dish is crispy and sweet with delicious notes of ginger and garlic. It’s simple and it hits the spot.

Our grass-fed & finished beef is raised essentially wild on a beautiful 20,000 acre ranch here in New Mexico. The cows roam freely as far as the eye can see with extremely minimal handling. For those familiar with New Mexico, it might sound surprising that there’s so much lush green grass for them to graze on. These fields are naturally irrigated by a sparkling river flowing with ice-melt from the Sangre de Cristo mountains.

As you might guess, this means the grass is incredibly pure and nutritious. Our cattle enjoy the shade of large trees, blue sunny skies and direct access to this river. People tell us all the time that they stopped eating beef because it was too difficult to find a truly reliable source. We felt the same way, until we began sourcing from this farm. We started stocking beef due to popular demand from customers who wanted to eat this meat with the knowledge that it’s impeccably sourced.

Also Read: Grass-Fed & Finished Beef: Our Latest Offering

We work exclusively with masterful local butchers, chosen depending on species experience. Our beef is cut by Amish butchers who have been practicing their craft for generations. Five people work on one animal at a time and the utmost care and precision is put into each cut of meat.

Everything is pressure sealed immediately after butchering and flash frozen at the peak of freshness. Every order is hand packed at our warehouse in Santa Fe and shipped in reusable coolers with dry ice, straight to your door.

Ingredients:

(Serves 4)

• 1 pound beef top sirloin steak
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• 4 tablespoons bison tallow or avocado oil
• 2 teaspoons fresh ginger, minced
• ⅓ cup coconut aminos
• ⅓ cup water
• ½ cup coconut sugar (can sub dark brown sugar)
• ½ cup green onions cut into two inch pieces (about 4 stalks)

Instructions:

1. Slice the top sirloin steak into ¼ inch thick pieces. Add to a small bowl and coat thoroughly with the ¼ cup cornstarch.
2. In a large cast iron skillet heat the bison tallow or avocado oil over medium high heat, until shimmering.
3. Sear the steak, making sure to shake off any excess cornstarch coating before adding to the pan. Arrange the meat in a single layer so it can brown evenly. Cook on each side for about a minute. If necessary, cook the steak in batches - don’t crowd the meat in the pan or else it won’t sear properly.
4. Remove the steak from the pan and set aside to rest while you cook the remainder of the dish.
5. If necessary, add more tallow or oil to the pan. Sauté the minced ginger and garlic for about 15 seconds.
6. Add in the coconut aminos, water or bone broth and coconut sugar.
7. When everything comes to a boil, add the sirloin steak pieces back into the pan.
8. The sauce should begin to thicken within about 30 seconds. If it needs a little extra thickening, mix together a tablespoon of cornstarch with an equal amount of cool water. Mix thoroughly and add into the sauce.
9. Just before completing cooking, add in the green onions. Stir to combine and cook for about 30 seconds to meld the flavors.
10. Serve and enjoy!

Also Read: The Future of the Environment Depends On Grass-Fed Beef