I could not be more pleased with how this Mongolian Meatloaf experiment turned out. Since I couldn’t decide whether to make meatloaf or Mongolian beef, I decided to try both things at once. The result is a tender meatloaf, sliced and crisped in a skillet and served with a sweet, salty, savory sauce, which, like the American Chinese restaurant favorite, Mongolian Beef, is not remotely Mongolian. But it sure is delicious, especially served over steamed rice with bok choy.
Ingredients
- vegetable oil: 1 Tbsp
- yellow onion: 1 cup (diced)
- garlic: 3 clove (crushed)
- finely grated fresh ginger: 2 tsp
- ground beef: 2 pound
- rice, cold or at room temperature: 1 cup (cooked)
- egg: 1 piece (beaten)
- green onions: 0.5 cup (sliced)
- soy sauce: 1 Tbsp
- kosher salt: 1 tsp
- black pepper: 0.5 tsp (freshly ground)
- vegetable oil: 2 tsp
- fresh ginger: 1 Tbsp (grated)
- garlic: 4 clove (minced)
- packed brown sugar: 0.5 cup
- low-sodium soy sauce: 0.5 cup
- water: 0.25 cup
- ketchup: 2 Tbsp
- red pepper flakes: 1 tsp
- rounded teaspoon cornstarch: 1 piece
- water: 2 tsp
- cornstarch, as needed for dusting: (optional)
- vegetable oil, as needed for frying:
- sesame seeds: (toasted, optional)
- green onions and chopped fresh cilantro: (sliced, optional)
Metric Conversion
Stages of cooking
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C). Lightly oil a loaf pan.
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Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat and sauté yellow onions with a pinch of salt until they start to turn golden, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in 3 cloves crushed garlic and 2 teaspoons ginger, and cook for 1 minute more. Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes.
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Add cooled onion mixture to ground beef along with rice, egg, green onions, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, salt, and black pepper. Use a fork, spatula, or your hands to mix together until evenly combined. Transfer to the prepared loaf pan, press in firmly, and smooth the top.
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Bake in the preheated oven until an instant read thermometer inserted in the center reads 145 to 150 degrees F (63 to 65 degrees C), about 1 hour. Meatloaf can be served hot, or let cool, wrap and refrigerate until chilled, about 45 minutes.
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For the sauce, combine 2 teaspoons oil, 1 tablespoon ginger, and 4 minced garlic cloves in a cold nonstick skillet.
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Turn heat on to medium-high. Once ginger and garlic start to sizzle, cook, stirring, for about 30 seconds, then whisk in brown sugar, 1/2 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup water, ketchup, and red pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low.
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Whisk 1 teaspoon cornstarch with 2 teaspoons water together in a small bowl to make a slurry; stir into the sauce. Raise heat to medium-high and return to a simmer. Cook, whisking occasionally, until sauce thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low and keep warm until needed (Sauce may be made ahead and reheated on medium-low heat).
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Remove cold meatloaf from the refrigerator and slice into 8 portions. Dust each side with cornstarch, and reheat over medium high heat in a nonstick skillet in a little bit of vegetable oil until browned and heated through. If surface browns before meatloaf is heated through, reduce heat to medium, and cover until done.
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Serve topped with the sauce; garnish with toasted sesame seeds, sliced green onions, and chopped cilantro if desired. Chef John
