Mongolian beef recipes originate, in fact, in Taiwan. Despite misleading origins, Mongolian beef is an internationally well-known dish typically made of flank steak, onions, green onions (scallions), and other mixed vegetables. It's usually not very spicy. Mongolian beef is commonly served over steamed rice. Many American restaurants serve it over cellophane noodles.

In Kevin's quest to make the best Mongolian beef recipe that won't disturb your gut with heaps of salt and sugar, we've kept the essential ingredients that make Mongolian beef so delicious (great quality meat, delicious spices, hearty veggies), and left behind the ingredients, like brown sugar and soy sauce, that can make this dish unhealthy.

Despite the fact that Mongolian beef is not, indeed, Mongolian, many retailers sell packs of "Mongolian seasoning," which is usually intended for this dish. Mongolian seasoning in this context usually includes soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, brown sugar, and red pepper flakes.

Traditional Mongolian spices center around a variety of herbs including Mongolian Gonid, a flavorful herb native to the region.

Mongolian beef sauce is usually comprised of soy sauce (or low-sodium soy sauce), dark brown sugar, fresh ginger, rice wine, pepper, garlic, and sometimes a few other ingredients like hoisin. This combination produces the sweet, savory, mild-spice sauce which is the dish's trademark.

Kevin's Mongolian beef sauce is a bit different, cutting the sugar and excess sodium in favor of fresh and flavorful ingredients that don't weigh your body down. Coconut aminos, smoked onions, and garlic define the flavor profile of Kevin's absolutely delicious sauce.

The standard technique is two-fold. First, the meat marinates (in oil and soy sauce), which pre-tenderizes the flank steak. From this point, the meat can go straight into the wok. But if one is determined to make the meat as tender as possible, an easy Mongolian beef recipe can be prepared in a slow cooker. This "instant pot" Mongolian beef achieves a high level of tenderness.

Kevin's cooks the beef sous-vide, like the rest of our entrees. This process cooks the meat in its own juices, creating an impossibly tender bite that only takes five minutes to heat and be ready to eat!

Common iterations of Mongolian beef are very sweet, using gobs of sugar as a primary ingredient. Spice takes a back seat. Instead of using sugar as a crutch, Kevin's highlights the natural sweetness of the meat and the coconut aminos in the sauce, resulting in a guilt-free dish that tastes just as good (actually... even better).

While not very spicy as is, crushed red pepper flakes or another spice like sriracha can easily be added to bring the dish to one's desired spiciness.

Szechuan beef is named after the Chinese region of the same name, famous for its peppers which are very spicy and produce a numbing sensation in the mouth. The two beef dishes are very similar in ingredients and preparation, with the biggest difference being the presence of Szechuan peppers.

Just like a good salt or brine, soy sauce tenderizes beef by breaking down myosin, a tough protein found in meats. Through this process, a marinade will make the meat tender and enhance the umami flavor already present - in essence, making your meat "meatier."

Kevin's sous-vide method tenderizes the beef in its own juices, while the coconut amino sauce accomplishes the same savory magic usually left to salt-heavy soy sauce.