Lucas Sin's Mongolian Steak

Recipe | March 18 2022

Mongolian beef is a popular dish in Chinese takeout restaurants but it’s history is surprising. It was actually invented by a Taiwanese restauranteur and has nothing to do with Mongolia.

My version is slightly elevated. Rather than sizzling beef slices, I sous vide the whole steak, then sear it and slice it after resting. It’s served with a sweet beef stock and abalone-sauce-based reduction, as well as nice charred pieces of onion, scallion and chives.

Serves: 2
Time: 30 minutes, plus 1 hour steak sous vide cooking

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Ingredients 

Steak

230g (8 oz) Westholme striploin, 2cm (1 in) thick
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Salt
Cooked rice, to serve

Alliums

1 handful Chinese chives, cut into 4cm (1 1/2 in) segments
2 spring onions (scallions), cut into 4cm ( 1 1/2 in) segments
1/4 red onion, cut lengthwise into 1/2cm (1/4 in) segments

Mongolian Sauce

4 cloves garlic, minced
Thumb-sized piece of ginger, thinly sliced
1 cup beef stock (can be from Better than Bouillon beef base)
1 tsp sugar
1 tbsp abalone sauce
1 tbsp light soy sauce
1/2 tbsp dark soy sauce
Potato starch (or cornstarch)
Water

METHOD 

Steak

1. Preheat sous vide system to 54C / 130F.
2. Rub steak on all sides with garlic powder, onion powder, and salt. Place steak in bag and vacuum seal. Cook steak, maintaining 54C / 130F for 1 hour.
3. Remove from the water bath, chill in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Alliums

1. Place a cast iron pan over high heat, cook chives and onions (scallions) until charred. Set aside.
2. With a little oil, stir-fry onion segments until the sides are charred but not wilted. Set aside.

Mongolian Sauce

1. Heat oil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir-fry garlic and ginger until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Let boil for 10 minutes, reducing.
2. Check consistency of sauce. If necessary, further thicken by making a slurry by combining potato starch and water. Drizzle in slurry 1/2 tbsp at a time until the sauce is at desired thickness. Strain, keep warm and set aside.

Steak

1. Remove steak from the fridge to temper to room temperature.
2. In a cast iron pan over high heat, sear steak in oil until each side forms a crust, about 1-2 minutes. Let rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing.
3. Serve with seared alliums, warm sauce and rice.

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