Slow Cooker Mongolian Beef (Printable Version)
Savory-sweet tender beef with garlic and ginger, slow cooked for rich, silky sauce and perfect texture.
# What You Need:
→ Beef
01 - 2 pounds flank steak, thinly sliced against the grain
→ Sauce
02 - 3/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
03 - 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
04 - 1/2 cup water
05 - 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
06 - 1 tablespoon sesame oil
07 - 1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
08 - 5 cloves garlic, minced
09 - 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
10 - 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
→ Thickener
11 - 1/4 cup cornstarch
→ Vegetables & Garnish
12 - 5 green onions, sliced (white and green parts separated)
13 - 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
14 - Steamed white or brown rice, for serving
# How to Make It:
01 - In a large bowl, toss the sliced flank steak with cornstarch until all pieces are evenly coated. Shake off any excess.
02 - Add the cornstarch-coated beef to the slow cooker.
03 - In a separate bowl, whisk together soy sauce, brown sugar, water, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes until well combined.
04 - Pour the sauce over the beef in the slow cooker and toss gently to coat evenly.
05 - Scatter the white parts of the green onions over the top of the beef and sauce mixture.
06 - Cover and cook on low for 4 hours, or until the beef is tender and the sauce has thickened slightly.
07 - Stir in the sliced green onion tops and cook for an additional 10 minutes.
08 - Serve hot over steamed rice, garnished with toasted sesame seeds and extra green onions if desired.
# Expert Advice:
01 -
- The sauce develops this incredible complexity while it bubbles away, balancing sweet and savory in ways that make people ask for seconds before theyve even finished their first serving
- Most of the work happens in the slow cooker, leaving you free to handle everything else on your to-do list while dinner practically makes itself
02 -
- Resist the urge to lift the lid too often because every time you do, you release heat and extend the cooking time significantly
- The sauce will look thin at first but thickens beautifully as the cornstarch from the beef coating slowly dissolves into the liquid
03 -
- Use tamari instead of soy sauce and check that your hoisin is gluten-free if you need this to be gluten-free
- Pat the beef dry before tossing with cornstarch so the coating actually sticks instead of sliding right off