Quick Mongolian Noodles with tender strips of beef or lamb, soft noodles and sliced onions, all tossed in a glossy, sweet and savoury Mongolian-style sauce. An easy, family-friendly dinner ready in 30 minutes.
It will probably surprise absolutely no one that I love anything Mongolian-style. If there’s a sizzling plate of Mongolian beef or lamb on the menu at our local Chinese restaurant, there’s a very good chance it’s making its way to our table. 😂 That slightly sweet, glossy sauce, the sliced onion, the spring onion (scallion) … I love all of it. Heath (hubby) loves it. The kids love it. So naturally, I wanted a version I could make at home on any given weeknight. This version takes everything I love about the classic and adds noodles.
The meat gets browned quickly over high heat, then everything is tossed through a glossy sauce with onion, garlic and spring onion. It’s saucy, a little sweet, deeply savoury and I know I go on about creating restaurant experiences at home, but this really does taste like something you would order out … and I find that slightly amazing because there’s no restaurant stovetop, no chef and no secret ingredients required. It’s just a handful of very normal supermarket ingredients, one hot pan and about 30 minutes. The kids now tell me their Croatian mum makes Mongolian better than the takeaway, which is a sentence I did not see coming!
This is firmly in my weeknight toolkit because I know everyone will eat it. I’ll usually put a big pile of steamed broccolini (tenderstem broccoli) alongside and call dinner done. You can make it with either beef or lamb – I use beef more often because the kids love it and it’s usually a little easier on the grocery bill.
One important thing before you start: have everything ready. This comes together FAST. And with the noodles, I nearly always cook them for a little less time than the packet says, rinse them under cold water to stop the cooking, then let them finish in the pan with the sauce. It’s the easiest way I’ve found to keep them from going soft or breaking apart.
What noodles are best for Quick Mongolian Noodles?
Fresh egg noodles are ideal, but dried egg noodles work too. I usually cook them for slightly less time than the packet says, then drain and rinse under cold water to stop the cooking. They finish cooking in the pan with the sauce, which helps prevent them from going soft or breaking apart. Hokkien, ramen-style or other wheat noodles would all work too. Just keep an eye on the cooking time and avoid overcooking them before they go into the pan.
What else can I add to Quick Mongolian Noodles?
You can absolutely add other vegetables directly to the pan. Just keep them fairly small so they cook quickly. Add the vegetables after the onion and before returning the beef to the pan. Cook them to your liking (depending on their size, this will take 2–3 minutes). Good options include:
- Broccolini (tenderstem broccoli) – Cut into small pieces; add with the onion so the stems have time to soften.
- Capsicum (bell pepper) – Finely sliced.
- Snow peas (mangetout) – Add towards the end so they stay crisp.
- Mushrooms – Finely sliced and cooked with the onion.
- Green beans – Finely sliced or cut into short lengths.
- Bok choy or choy sum – Add the stems first, then the leafy tops with the noodles.
- Carrot – Julienne or very finely sliced so it cooks quickly.
- Baby corn – Sliced lengthways or into bite-sized pieces.
I’d stick to around 2 cups of added vegetables in total so there’s still plenty of sauce to coat the noodles, meat and vegetables.
What can I serve with Quick Mongolian Noodles?
They’re filling enough on their own, but I love adding something green on the side:
- Steamed broccolini (tenderstem broccoli)
- Steamed green beans
- Steamed bok choy or choy sum
- Asian cucumber salad
- Steamed edamame
- Stir-fried vegetables
If you enjoyed Quick Mongolian Noodles, I think you’ll love:
One-pan Beef Ramen Noodles Recipe – Taking just 25 minutes to make, this easy, flavoursome stir-fry features juicy beef, ramen noodles and fresh veggies cooked in a hoisin-based sauce.
Caramelised Sticky Beef Noodles Recipe – Minced (ground) beef stir-fried in a flavoursome sauce until caramelised, with noodles and veggies. Only one pan and 15 minutes needed.
Sticky Rainbow Beef Recipe – Tender beef with a sticky-sweet sauce and saucy noodles – all done in under 30 minutes. A weeknight-friendly fakeaway with no deep-frying required!
Street-style Soy Noodles Recipe – A fast, fakeaway-style noodle dinner made with pantry sauces, tender chicken and crunchy veggies. Everything comes together in one pan in under 15 minutes.
Easy Sweet and Sour Pork Recipe – The perfect homemade version of your favourite takeout! Tender pork pieces are fried to golden perfection, then tossed in a tangy, sweet and slightly sour sauce with capsicum (bell pepper) and pineapple. Serve over jasmine rice.
Quick Mongolian Noodles
Share Pin Recipe PrintIngredients
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1½ tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tsp rice wine vinegar
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- 60 ml (¼ cup) water
- 1½ tbsp cornflour (cornstarch)
- 60 ml (¼ cup) water
- 600 g (1¼ lb) beef rump (sirloin), trimmed and very finely sliced across the grain (can be substituted with lamb rump/chump/sirloin)
- 400 g (14 oz) fresh egg noodles (or 300 g/10½ oz dried egg noodles, see note 1)
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 2 tbsp light olive oil, or neutral oil of choice
- 1 large brown onion, finely sliced
- 2 tsp freshly grated garlic
- 4 spring onions (scallions), cut into 4 cm (1½ inch) lengths
- Chilli oil (optional)
Instructions
- Make the sauce – Whisk together all the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
- Make the slurry – Mix the cornflour with the water in a separate small bowl until smooth. Set aside.
- Marinate the meat – Place the beef or lamb in a medium bowl. Add 2 tablespoons of the prepared sauce and toss to coat.
- Cook the noodles – Cook the noodles for 1–2 minutes less than the packet instructions suggest, until just underdone. Drain, rinse under cold running water to stop the cooking process, then toss with the sesame oil to prevent sticking. Set aside.
- Cook the meat – Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large wok or heavy-based frying pan over high heat. Add half the meat in a single layer and cook for 1–2 minutes per side until browned but still tender. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining meat. Set aside.
- Cook the onion and garlic – Add the remaining tablespoon of olive oil to the same pan. Add the onion and cook for 1–2 minutes until lightly caramelised. Add the garlic and cook for a further 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Make the sauce – Return the meat and any resting juices to the pan. Pour in the remaining sauce and bring to a simmer. Give the cornflour slurry a quick stir, then pour it into the pan, stirring continuously. Cook for 60–90 seconds until the sauce thickens and becomes dark and glossy.
- Add the noodles – Add the noodles and spring onion to the pan. Toss gently until everything is evenly coated in the sauce and heated through.
- Serve – Divide among four bowls and serve immediately with chilli oil, if desired.
Watch how to make it
Nutrition information
Nutritional information on this site is calculated using Foodworks Professional, the nutrition analysis software trusted by dietitians, researchers and food manufacturers across Australia and New Zealand. Disclaimer re gluten-free and dairy-free recipes.
