A delicious failure

Village Idiot

I attempted to make Mongolian Beef last night from a recipe I found on the internet (see link below).

However, I did something wrong so that the sauce didn't cling to the meat. The recipe called for coating the flank steak with corn starch, which I did, but I'm thinking I didn't have the oil hot enough in the wok when I fried it. I was in a hurry because everything else was ready and it was getting late.

I'm posting a couple of pictures to show what I ended up with. The taste was absolutely fantastic from the sauce, but I would have liked for it to look more like the pictures in the website. Any hints for me?


http://blogchef.net/mongolian-beef-recipe/

Hungry Celeste

Was the beef fairly dry before you tossed it in cornstarch? If it is wet (bloody), it's easy to end up with too much liquid, a condition that thwarts a good stir-fry. Dry the beef slices with paper towels, esp if it has been frozen. Still, if it was delicious, it can hardly be called a failure!

troutman

Defective wok? Send it to me and I'll repair it free of charge.

Village Idiot

Thanks Celeste. I hadn't thought of that. No, I didn't pat it dry beforehand, and while the beef was cooking (before I added the sauce) I thought there was more liquid in there than the oil.

I'll certainly try that next time.

Village Idiot

:laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Carolina Q

Could it be that the wok wasn't hot enough? I don't do much wok cooking, and don't profess to know what I'm talking about, but I do know that when I set my wok directly on the coals (I don't have a spider), the moisture simply vaporizes. Just a thought.

Richard Fl

Nice tasting meal? You might also slice your steak and sear the slices in the wok without the cornstarch, just a little oil. I like peanut oil as it takes a higher heat without burning.
The cornstarch does nothing to the flavor but does thicken the sauce. Instead in a separate bowl mix the cornstarch with a little water or wine and after you have cooked the meat and removed from wok make your sauce in the wok and add some of the cornstarch mixture and stir the meat in last. The sauce will thicken as it rests in the hot wok.

Village Idiot

Thanks Michael. That's what I meant when I said I didn't think the oil was hot enough. Next time, I won't rush myself and give it time to heat up properly.

Village Idiot

Interesting thought, Richard. I added the sauce to the meat and onions that were already in the wok. You're saying to add the meat to the thickened sauce. Makes sense. I'll try that too. Thanks !

fishlessman

did you fry in batches or try and fry it all at once, all at once cools the oil quickly. you can also get more to stick if you flour, milk dip, flour again.

Village Idiot

Boy. I'm learning a lot here. I did it all in one batch. When I dipped one slice of meat in the oil to test it, it sizzled, but quit when I added the whole batch in. You're probably right. Thanks !

Richard Fl

you have mail.

Big George's BBQ

That looks Great to Me

fishlessman

theere is so little oil in the wok and no real heat mass its best to cook in small batches, even when searing meat in the wok you dont want to crowd or use too much because the meat starts to leach out too much liquid and starts to almost steam itself instead of searing it.

Village Idiot

Thanks, Richard. I tried to reply to your email but it came back "undeliverable". I'm going to try what you said. Thanks a lot !!!

Doug in Eggmonton

I once had the fortune of taking a cooking course from the guy that popularized Mongolian beef in this part of the world and his trick was to dip the beef in 1/2 and 1/2 corn starch and flour then deep fry once till medium brown in batches, then drain and let cool while the other batches are cooking. The key to crispy beef was a second deep frying of each batch until dark brown.

Doug