recipe: mongolian beef

this has been on my must-cook list for some time. all day long yesterday i was in the mood to grill since it was an amazing day out (enough to actually get me out of the house), but somehow ended up saying NOOO! MONGOLIAN BEEF! when it was time to hit the store for dinner foodages. case closed. can't deny a screaming asian urge (haha - 55) when you get it. 

i went with the recipe from Just A Taste, which used 30 minute PF-changs inspired version of it. i haven't been cooking a lot lately -or at least not cooking anything *new*- so this wasn't delish because it was a finally fresh home-cooked meal, it was delish because this dish is GD amazing. no lie that it tastes like restaurant chinese food (if not better). i added the chili oil, cayenne, and red chilis in because i love heat, but this can be scaled no-spice or spicier to taste. 

ingredients list: 
- 1/4 cup + 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1/2 tsp minced fresh ginger
- 1 tbsp minced garlic (about 4 giant cloves)
- 1/2 cup low sodium soy sauce 
- 1/2 cup water 
- 2/3 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 lb flank steak
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
- 3 scallions (green parts only), diced
- 1/2 tsp chili oil
- dashes cayenne pepper
- dried red chilis (optional)

to make: 
heat 2 tbsp vegetable oil in small sauce pan over medium-low heat. add ginger and garlic, and saute until golden, about 1 minute. stir in the soy sauce, water, and brown sugar, chili oil, and increase the heat to medium. bring the sauce to a boil for 3 minutes, then remove from heat and set aside. 

slice the flank steak against the grain into 1/4 inch pieces, then toss it with the cornstarch. place the coated steak pieces into a sieve or sifter, and shake off excess coating. allow the steak to sit for 10 minutes. 

place a large saute pan or wok over medium-high heat and add 1/4 cup vegetable oil. once oil is hot (but not smoking), add the meat to the pan and saute for about 2 minutes - it should be seared on all sides, but barely cooked in the center. remove steak from the pan with a slotted spoon and transfer to a paper towel-lined plat. pour excess oil out of wok.

return wok to stove over medium heat, adding the prepared sauce and letting it come to a boil, cayenne, and dried peppers. add the steak back to the pan into the boiling sauce, and cook for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly. add the scallions and stir to combine. 

transfer with a slotted spoon and serve, preferably over rice.