Szechuan beef hails from the Sichuan Province in southwestern China. Its main ingredients are chili peppers, garlic, and Szechuan peppercorn. It has a sweet/spicy and complicated taste. It is famous for the distinctive tingly numbing sensation it produces when eaten.
Mongolian beef hails from Taiwan and has no actual Mongolian origins. Its main ingredients are flank steak, brown sauce, and green onions. It has a mild and simple taste.
With its savory, slightly sweet, and aromatic sauce coating tender slices of beef, Mongolian beef has become one of the most beloved Chinese dishes in America. But for those who have never tried it before, the flavor profile can be a bit mysterious. So what exactly does Mongolian beef taste like?
In this article, we’ll break down the complex medley of tastes in Mongolian beef and what makes it so craveable. Read on to learn about its characteristic blend of sweet, savory, spicy, and aromatic flavors
An Overview of Mongolian Beef’s Dynamic Flavor
Mongolian beef is most frequently described as having a sweet, savory, and slightly spicy taste. When you take a bite, your tastebuds are met with:
- Sweetness from brown sugar, honey, or hoisin sauce
- Savory umami from soy sauce and seared beef
- Subtle heat from dried red chili peppers and black pepper
- Aromatics like garlic, ginger, scallions, and sometimes onions
- A velvety sauce that clings to each slice of caramelized beef
So in a nutshell the hallmark flavor of Mongolian beef is a harmonious intermingling of sweet and savory tastes with a mellow spiciness, all brought together in a richly-flavored sauce coating tender morsels of beef.
Key Ingredients That Create Mongolian Beef’s Signature Taste
To understand the flavor better, let’s look closer at some of the integral ingredients used to make authentic Mongolian beef:
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Soy sauce – Provides a savory, umami-rich base
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Hoisin sauce – Adds sweetness, thickness, and barbecue-like flavor
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Rice wine vinegar – Lends a bright splash of acidity
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Brown sugar or honey – Contributes gentle sweetness to balance the savory
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Garlic and ginger – Deliver a fragrant punch and slight bite
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Scallions – Offer fresh, grassy notes
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Dried red chili peppers – Bring mild, lingering heat and fruitiness
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Cornstarch – Thickens the sauce so it clings luxuriously to the beef
As you can see, each ingredient builds on the others to create a dynamic medley of flavors in the finished Mongolian beef.
How Mongolian Beef is Prepared for Maximum Flavor
In addition to using the right combination of ingredients, proper cooking techniques are vital for yielding the tastiest Mongolian beef:
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Velveting the beef – Tenderizes and seals in moisture
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Stir-frying over high heat – Sears the beef for caramelized flavor
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Blooming aromatics briefly – Unleashes their essential oils and aromas
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Tossing everything thoroughly – Ensures sauce evenly coats each piece
When prepared with care, the beef is juicy and tender inside with little browned bits on the outside. The aromatic scallions and spices infuse the glossy sauce clinging to each morsel.
What Sets it Apart from Szechuan Beef
While both dishes involve stir-fried beef in soy-based sauces, Mongolian and Szechuan beef have distinct differences:
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Mongolian beef focuses on sweet, savory, and subtle heat.
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Szechuan beef is much bolder with chili-induced spice, numbing sensation, and saltiness.
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Mongolian beef highlights hoisin, rice wine, and cornstarch.
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Szechuan beef is flavored primarily by chili oil and Sichuan peppercorns.
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Aromatics in Mongolian beef include garlic, ginger, and scallions.
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Popular aromatics for Szechuan beef include Sichuan pepper, sesame, and peanuts.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Taste
What does the sauce taste like on its own?
Savory and sweet with soy sauce as the backbone, balanced by rice wine vinegar and hoisin’s barbecue-esqe flavor. The chili peppers add mild heat.
Is it similar to teriyaki flavor?
Not especially – teriyaki has more of a focus on sweetness. Mongolian beef balances sweet, savory, spicy, and aromatics.
What if I don’t like spice, can I order it mild?
Definitely, just ask for it to be prepared with minimal or no chili peppers. Most of the flavor comes from non-spicy ingredients.
Does it taste like other Chinese stir-fry dishes?
The sauce gives it a unique flavor compared to many stir-fries. Closest would be General Tso’s chicken but Mongolian beef is less sweet.
Is there actual beef flavor or is it just the sauce?
When properly prepared, the beef itself contributes a savory, slightly charred flavor before being coated in the complex sauce.
Satisfy Your Cravings with Mongolian Beef
With its addicting blend of sweet, salty, spicy, and aromatic flavors combined with tender beef, it’s easy to see why Mongolian beef has become so beloved in the U.S.
The next time you’re craving Chinese food, order or whip up a batch of Mongolian beef. Take your first juicy, saucy bite and you’ll immediately understand its craveable appeal. Just have plenty of rice on hand to soak up every last drop!
Szechuan Beef vs Mongolian Beef Ingredients
Please keep in mind that from now on, when this article talks about “Mongolian,” it will mean Chinese or American food, not real Mongolian food unless stated otherwise!
Szechuan-the most common ingredients in Szechuan are sesame paste, ginger, and peanuts. To make Szechuan, you need chili paste, egg whites, cornstarch, rice, cooking wine, sesame oil, soy sauce, brown sugar, cayenne pepper, crushed chili peppers, onions, peanuts, vegetable oil, ginger that has been minced, carrots, and red bell peppers. Whew! That is a lot of ingredients for one dish. Szechuan definitely has a more complicated taste!.
Mongolian– the most common ingredients are sliced flank steak, brown sauce, and green onions. Typically, Mongolian consists of hoisin sauce, chili peppers, soy sauce, scallions, cabbage, green onions, ginger, broccoli, and mushrooms. Mongolian has a much simpler taste than Szechuan.
Szechuan relies on dried, pickled, and salted ingredients.
Mongolian relies on fresh ingredients especially green onions or scallions.
Szechuan focuses primarily on spiciness and heat. The signature of the dish is the sauce.
Mongolian focuses primarily on the meat and vegetables. The signature of the dish is the stir-fry method used to cook it.
Szechuan contains fewer vegetables and is less crunchy. Its crunch tends to come more from nuts like sesame seeds, cashew nuts, and salted peanuts.
Mongolian contains a lot more vegetables since it has fewer components and has a much crunchier texture.
Szechuan normally has a sauce that is much redder in appearance.
Mongolian normally has a sauce that is dark brown in appearance.
Szechuan tends to be differing types of hot such as “hot and sweet” or “hot and sour. ” The hotness also has a different tingly sensation due to the Szechuan peppercorn used.
Mongolian tends to be mild and rarely uses spices. It is also has a lot more actual sauce typically than Szechuan.
Szechuan Beef vs Mongolian Beef Preparation
Szechuan beef relies on stir-frying, braising, steaming, and marinating. After a short time in the marinade, the beef is cooked with the other ingredients, along with the marinade. Usually, all the ingredients, sauce, marinade, and beef are combined when first cooked. Szechuan beef is typically served on steamed white rice.
Mongolian beef relies entirely on stir-frying. The beef and vegetables are always thinly sliced for quick cooking. The beef, vegetables, and sauce are usually stir-fried in a big iron griddle or wok over high heat in oil or water. Mongolian beef is often served with fried cellophane noodles, but it can also be served with steamed rice. If you cook it at over 500 degrees Fahrenheit, the beef should caramelize, which is a key part of the cooking process.