Mongolia is Next to China Thus This is Olympic Food

Just in time for the end of the Olympics, I am FINALLY posting this recipe for Mongolian Beef. I have modified it to fit my personal preference and experiences below, but should you not trust me and my thighs that prove that, yeah, I know some good food when I see it, check out the original.

This is absolutely one of my top five favorite recipes and I would surely eat it nonstop if my family would agree that yes, it's a good idea to eat spicy beef and vegetables every single day. Quite frankly I don't see what the problem is, but I like to keep some sort of peace in my house so we'll only have this once a week month.

(Don't let the ingredients list scare you off as you contemplate making this wonderful dish of deliciousness! Since I don't regularly use sesame seeds and red pepper flakes, I had to buy them, but they are totally worth it. You cannot glance over these items, I tell you! You will be rewarded for your minimal effort at the grocery store. Trust me. Otherwise, everything else is pretty standard.)

Really obscure ingredient (that only costs a few bucks in the spice department of your grocery store)

• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds

Marinade:

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 pound beef round steak, cut into thin strips

Sauce:

• 3/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 1/2 teaspoon white sugar
• 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Other stuff:

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided
• 2-3 carrots, cut into 2 inch sticks
• 1 bunch green onions, cut into 2 inch pieces
• pea pods, optional, cooked

Getting Down To Bidness:

1. In a dry skillet over medium heat, toast sesame seeds for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the seeds begin to turn golden brown; set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, mix together marinade. Stir in beef strips. Let stand for at least 10 minutes.
3. In a separate small bowl, mix together sauce with sesame seeds; set aside.
4. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok or skillet over high heat. Cook and stir beef, with marinade, in hot oil for 1 minute; remove, and set aside.
   
5. Heat remaining tablespoon of oil in the same pan. Saute carrots and white part of green onions for 2 minutes. Stir in green parts of the green onion, and saute for 1 minute. Stir in sesame seed mixture, peas (optional) and beef. Cook and stir until sauce boils and thickens.

(The peas that I used (Bird's Eye) come frozen in a bag that you can just pop in the microwave and cook for a few minutes, right in the bag, easy as pie.)

Serve over rice and you're done! If you are a Veggie-tarian, I suppose you could just marinate the veggies and cook in the sauce, sans meat, but possibly cut down on the amount?

Whip this up this weekend and I guarantee that you will not only feel the perfect tingling of spicy yet not so bad you think you will die, but you will feel ever closer to the Olympians and their time in China (which is next door to Mongolia).