I have always loved rich, Asian-inspired stews, and this is exactly the sort of dish that makes a slow cooker earn its place in the kitchen. The beef becomes tender in a glossy, sweet-savoury sauce of soy, ginger, garlic and chilli, while coconut rice makes the perfect soft, fragrant partner.
It is also ideal when you have people coming over: prepare the beef in advance, let the slow cooker do the work and make the rice shortly before serving. You get all the praise without spending the evening tied to the hob.
Serves
4 generously
Preparation
25 minutes
Slow cooking
2½ hours on high
Ingredients
For the Mongolian-style beef
- 750g flank steak or lean stewing steak
- 30g cornflour
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 20g fresh ginger, finely grated
- 1 tsp chilli flakes, plus more if you like extra heat
- 40g light brown muscovado sugar, plus a little more only if needed
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 200ml water or lightly made-up pho stock, plus extra if needed
- 75ml reduced-salt soy sauce
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 150g carrots, coarsely grated, or partly shaved into ribbons for serving
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil, to finish
For the coconut rice and garnish
- 300g basmati rice
- 1 × 400ml tin coconut milk
- 150ml water
- ½ tsp olive oil
- 3 spring onions, finely sliced diagonally
- 2 tbsp sesame seeds, lightly toasted
- 1 fresh red chilli, finely sliced (optional)
Method
- Preheat the slow cooker. Set it to high about 15 minutes before adding the ingredients.
- Prepare the beef. Trim away any large pieces of fat, then cut the meat across the grain into thin strips about 1cm wide. Put the strips into a large food bag or bowl, add the cornflour and toss until every piece is lightly coated.
- Build the sauce. Add the garlic, ginger, chilli flakes, sugar, olive oil, water or lightly made-up pho stock, reduced-salt soy sauce and dark soy sauce to the warm slow cooker. Stir until the sugar begins to dissolve.
- Cook the beef. Add the coated beef and stir well. Cover and cook on high for 2 hours, stirring after the first hour. The cornflour and sugar will gradually thicken the sauce; add a small splash of water or stock if it becomes too thick.
- Add the carrots. If you would like crisp carrot ribbons for serving, shave and reserve part of the carrot now. Stir the remaining grated carrot into the slow cooker, cover again and cook for another 30 minutes, until the beef is tender and the sauce is glossy.
- Make the coconut rice. Rinse the basmati rice until the water runs mostly clear. Warm the oil in a medium saucepan, add the rice and stir briefly. Pour in the full 400ml tin of coconut milk, then use the empty tin to measure just over one-third of a tin of water—about 150ml. This keeps the total liquid close to my preferred ratio of one measure of rice to one and a half measures of liquid; I find the more common 1:2 ratio makes the rice too soft. Bring gently to the boil, cover, reduce the heat to its lowest setting and cook for 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and leave covered for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork.
- Finish and serve. Stir the toasted sesame oil through the finished beef, then taste the sauce. Add another teaspoon of sugar only if the soy still feels too sharp. Spoon the coconut rice into warm bowls and top with the beef. Scatter over the spring onions, toasted sesame seeds, reserved carrot ribbons and fresh chilli, if using.
Alternative serving idea
Add freshness and crunch.
The same beef also works beautifully with plain rice and raw carrot shaved into long ribbons. The carrot lightens the rich sauce and adds crisp texture, while a mixture of toasted black and white sesame seeds makes the simple plate feel finished.
CATHERINE’S TIP
For neat, tender strips, place the beef in the freezer for 20–30 minutes before slicing—it will firm up just enough to make cutting across the grain much easier. Keep an eye on the sauce during the final half-hour too: slow cookers vary, so loosen it with a tablespoon or two of water or stock if it becomes stickier than you like.
When I want a more aromatic sauce without buying and toasting several whole spices, I replace the water with lightly made-up pho stock. Pho stock cubes often contain flavours such as star anise and toasted spices, which give the stew instant background complexity. Make it weaker than the packet suggests because the soy sauces already bring plenty of salt.
If you enjoy a low-effort slow-cooker dinner, try my slow-cooker Mexican chicken stew next.
