NFLBy: Mariah Hong
I developed this crockpot recipe for my boyfriend while we were on vacation in Colorado. We had decided that we didn’t want to eat out every meal the entire week we were there, so he went looking for things I could cook and develop to our tastes. This recipe has become a crockpot meal that my family thoroughly enjoys twice to three times a month! This recipe is super easy to make and great for someone new to using a crockpot. So here we go!
Here are the ingredients I use in mine:
2lbs stirfry beef (I get mine at Walmart)
1/4 cup toasted sesame oil (to add a slight nuttiness)
2/3 cup cornstarch
1 tbsp ground ginger
1/2 tbsp minced garlic
2 tbsp dried minced onion
1 1/2 cups low-salt soy sauce
1 1/2 cups beef broth
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
1 cup carrot matchsticks
3 cups jasmine rice
2-3 green onions (garnish)
1 1/2 tbsp cilantro
2 tsp lime juice
1 tbsp hoisin sauce
Let’s start with heating your crockpot. You want to do this so that when you add the beef, it won’t take as long to heat everything. Now we are going to add to the crockpot while it is warming. Let’s take 1/2 a cup of beef broth and add the cornstarch till smooth, then add that and the remaining beef broth to the crockpot. Next, add the soy sauce, light brown sugar, minced onion, garlic, ground ginger, lime juice, and hoisin sauce to the crockpot and mix well with a whisk or a fork.
Now, prepare the beef.
Take a large deep skillet, add the toasted sesame oil, and heat on medium-high until the oil looks thin and covers the bottom of the pan when you tilt it. Next, add the beef; you will want to separate each piece so they don’t stick together while cooking. We are not trying to sear the beef only brown it slightly and get the flavor of the oil into the beef.
You may need to do this in batches; if so, get a bowl and dump everything from the pan into the bowl; you want all the flavors from the pan to go into the crockpot. When done cooking the beef, take everything you have in the bowl and put it into the crockpot. Stir the mixture to coat the beef.
Finishing touches,
Take your cilantro, cut it into small pieces, and add to the crockpot with the carrots. Stir into mixture.
Set the crockpot on high for 3.5 hours; at the 3.5 hours mark, make the rice and let it sit while the beef is finishing in the crockpot.
Take the green onions and, slice the green ends, set aside. Mound the rice in the middle of the plate. Take a ladle, scoop the Mongolian beef, pour it over the rice, and sprinkle green onions on top for some color. This sweet, tender beef will be a huge crowd-pleaser for any weeknight meal. I know I have filled bellies and a happy family in my house tonight. I hope this makes your family’s mouths happy as much as it makes mine.
