Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef Recipe

There's nothing like slow cooked beef when you're craving a hearty, meat-based meal, and Mongolian beef takes things to another level with the addition of some mixed veggies and soy sauce for an undeniably East Asian flavor. But while the origins of Mongolian beef might seem obvious, this unique recipe actually didn't come from the nation of Mongolia. A result of Mongolian barbecue, which was created by comedian and restaurateur Wu Zhao-nan in Taiwan in the early 1950s, Devour.Asia notes that Mongolian beef is ultimately a clash of Chinese and American cuisine.

Recipe creator Susan Olayinka of The Flexible Fridge has an easy but authentic take on this recipe that requires little more than some familiarity with a knife and a slow cooker. You'll need just 10 minutes to prepare this dish, but will have to do some waiting for the 150-minute cooking time. Needless to say, the end result is more than worth it, so let's take a look at what you need to get started.

Before chopping your carrots, you need to peel them. Although some people don't mind carrot skin, this recipe works best with freshly peeled and skinless carrots. Start by holding each carrot to your cutting board at a 45-degree angle, with the thin tip on the board and the thick end in your hand. Now, use a peeler to remove the skin from your carrots by moving it in both an upward and downward motion. As you move the peeler across your carrot, slowly turn it with your hand to remove all the skin.

Once you're done skinning your two medium carrots, chop them into matchstick pieces that are approximately two inches long. The best way to do this is to start by cutting them in half. Afterward, carefully cut the halves lengthwise into matchsticks.

Now you need to chop the four garlic cloves, which of course means you have to first peel your garlic (if you have pre-peeled garlic, you can skip this step). The easiest way to peel your cloves is to smash them with the flat end of your knife. Always keep the sharp end of the knife facing away from you and use the heel of your hand to hit the flat part of the blade downward into the cloves.

If you don't have a garlic press, you can use the smashing technique, which is almost identical to the aforementioned technique to peel cloves. Take a look at the Mashed guide for an in-depth walkthrough.

The final phase of chopping is the star of the recipe: the beef steak. You'll need to carefully chop your beef into one-inch pieces, as pictured above. For the best results, cut against the grain of the steak. The grain refers to the meat's muscle fibers, which can easily be spotted in most beef since they all typically run parallel to each other in the same direction. 

If you're having trouble chopping your beef steak, place it into a sealed freezer bag and put it in the freezer until each piece is firm to the touch — this should take about 20 minutes. Par-freezing your beef steak will make the cutting process much easier. Just be sure to defrost your steak before moving on to the next step.

When your Mongolian beef is cooked and ready, consider garnishing it with some chopped spring onion or red chilli flakes. "Another garnish is crispy onions — I feel it will work well with the soft texture of the food," Olayinka says.

As for sides, there are plenty of options that Olayinka suggests. "This dish will pair so lovely with some plain white rice or even other plain carbohydrates. For example, plain quinoa, plain cous cous, plain Farrow, millet, and things like that," she says.

If you have any leftovers, you can safely store them in the refrigerator for three to four days.