Mongolian Beef... or Chicken; or, Our Favourite Sauce

Like spicy? This is the sauce for you.

Pictured: Spicy chicken atop brown rice, accompanied by some sassy veggies.

I know I've done something right whenever I hear 'Chefski request "that pepper flake sauce you make." Here's one of the first "fast food" recipes I tried straight from a food blog; the resulting spicy-sweet sauce has become a go-to around here. Use it on beef, chicken, tofu, or a mountain of veggies.

Follow the full recipe and you'll have made your own, home-made "Chinese" food at a fraction of the cost  (with some oil and fat savings as well!). After you've made it once, though, you'll have the basic idea:

soy sauce+sugar+cold water+corn starch+ red pepper flakes = the quick, spicy sauce you'll love.

And to think, I used to not like spicy food! What a difference a 'Chefski makes :)

Mongolian Chicken/Beef
Adapted from Elly Says Opa!

2/3 lb. flank steak, sliced across the grain, or 2 skinless chicken breasts, cubed
3 Tablespoons corn starch
3 teaspoons canola oil, divided
1/2 tablespoon ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/3 cup cold water
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (or more!)
veggies

1. Dry your protein with a paper towel to make sure it is completely dry. In a bowl, toss together your protein and cornstarch. You want the pieces to be coated, but dust off any excess.
2. In a small bowl or a mug, combine soy sauce, water, brown sugar, and red pepper flakes. Set aside until it's time to add to the protein.
3. In a medium saute pan, heat about 1.5 Tablespoons over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for about 1 minute, until fragrant.
4. Add beef or chicken and cook, stirring until brown. If your chicken is thick, make sure to keep going until fully cooked. 
5. Add the soy sauce mix and allow the sauce to thicken. If your sauce isn't thickening (it's happened to me!), just mix together some cold water and cornstarch in a mug, then slowly add a bit to the pan. That should do the trick.
6. Add veggies (thawed and drained, if using frozen), toss around to coat, and you've got yourself a meal.