The Scoop
Easy Mongolian Ground Beef: quick comfort food for moving-day chaos.
The first time I made Easy Mongolian Ground Beef was during a moving-day lunch in a bustling new neighborhood. Surrounded by boxes and bubble wrap, my best friend and I were craving something comforting yet quick. I fished out the essentials: a pound of ground beef, some soy sauce, and a bottle of hoisin I’d snagged for moments like this. With just a single pan on hand, the sizzling heat brought a welcome energy to the empty kitchen.
Cooking the ground beef until it was just right brought back memories of late-night college cravings. Back then, patience taught me that crumbling the beef and cooking it thoroughly made all the difference. As the beef cooked, I combined soy sauce, brown sugar, and grated garlic—flavors that instantly felt like a warm hug. A chef friend once mentioned the magic of cornstarch for quick thickening, and a tablespoon blended perfectly into the sauce.
Finally, adding fresh green onions and finishing with a splash of sesame oil gave it a punch of freshness. I remembered my grandma’s advice to toast sesame seeds before adding them; that nutty depth was the cherry on top. Moving into a new place can be chaotic but sharing this simple dish with a friend amid the mess turned it into an unforgettable, delicious milestone.
Ingredients
- 1 pound ground beef
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon chili sauce
- 1 tablespoon garlic, grated
- 1 tablespoon ginger, grated
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/4 cup water, can substitute beef broth
- 4 green onions, sliced
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted
Directions
- In a skillet over medium-high heat, add the ground beef and cook, while crumbling, until it is no longer pink, about 5-7 minutes.
- Drain the excess grease from the skillet.
- In a small bowl, add the soy sauce, the hoisin sauce, the brown sugar, the chili sauce, the garlic, the ginger, the cornstarch, and the water and stir or whisk to combine.
- Add the sauce mixture and the green onions to the ground beef and cook, while stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens slightly, about 1 minute.
- Transfer the beef mixture from the heat.
- Add the sesame oil and the sesame seeds to the beef mixture and toss lightly to combine.
- Serve.
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