copycat, Author at Top Copycat Recipes

P.F. Chang’s Mongolian Beef (Authentic Recipe)

If you are a fan of P.F. Chang’s Mongolian Beef, this recipe is for you. This dish has a cult following and many are trying to replicate it at home. This authentic recipe will take away any guesswork from that.

The vast majority of P.F. Chang’s Mongolian Beef copycat recipes are heavy on the sauce, sugar and include corn starch. While that’s not necessarily a bad thing and many people like it that way, that’s not how authentic Mongolian Beef at the restaurant will look and taste like. It’s a lot less sweet and with a minimal amount of sauce that’s wonderfully caramelized onto the meat.

The original recipe that was revealed by P.F. Chang’s on their website was their gluten-free version that uses gluten-free soy sauce. One would assume that the regular version of their Mongolian Beef would use regular soy while everything else remains the same. Having tried this recipe and the original dish from the restaurant a number of times I can confirm that this recipe is quite close to the original.

There are a few things that you can try to make this dish even better. I once asked the waitress at the P.F. Chang’s how they make the beef so tender and she told me that they marinate the meat before cooking. Not having any more details on that I came up with this very simple marinade: 3 tablespoons of low sodium soy sauce, 1 tablespoon rice wine and 1 teaspoon of sesame oil. This worked wonderfully. Even 15 minutes of marination time makes a difference, but I like t shoot for 30 minutes to 2 hours as that yields better results. After marinating, pat the beef dry with paper towels before cooking to ensure good browning.

Finally, you may notice that I suggest using a low sodium soy sauce. The original recipes does not specify which soy sauce they use at P.F. Chang’s but I like the results far better when using the low sodium one. It just tastes better and come out close to the original in terms of saltiness.

Recipe adapted with changes from P.F. Chang’s Hawaii.

Other Mongolian Beef Recipes – Homemade Mongolian Beef.

P.F. Chang's Authentic Mongolian Beef Recipe

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Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 10 mins

Total Time 20 mins

Servings 4

Ingredients

12 oz sliced beef tenderloin
1 Tbsp soybean oil (or peanut, canola, safflower oil)
1/2 tsp fresh garlic finely chopped
2 fl oz low sodium soy sauce (see note 1)
2 Tbsp white sugar
1 tsp rice wine
2 oz green onions green part only, cut 3" long
1/2 tsp sesame oil

Instructions

Heat the oil in a saute pan over high heat. Add the sliced beef and cook for 30-60 seconds, or until the beef if lightly browned around the edges and no longer pink throughout the rest of the surface.
Add the garlic and toss with the beef.
Add the rice wine, soy sauce, and sugar, and bring to a boil. Cook the beef until the sauce has thickened enough stick to the meat and no longer pools at the bottom of the pan.
Add the green onion sticks and toss to mix with the beef. A few tosses are all that's needed - the onions do not need to be wilted.
Add the sesame oil and toss the beef.
Transfer the beef to a serving platter and enjoy with your favorite side dish (e.g. steamed rice or noodles)

Notes

Note 1 - the original recipes does not specify which soy sauce they use but I find that the low sodium one produces the best results.

Dinosaur BBQ Roasted Garlic and Tomato Soup

This soup was created by Dinosaur BBQ spontaneously but became super popular and made its way into Dinosaur BBQ’s book of popular recipes. This soup is delicious and has a good Sunday vibe. A must try!

Roasting garlic takes a bit of time, while the soup can be made very quickly. You can prepare the garlic in advance and store in a fridge.

Enjoy!

Recipe adapted from Dinosaur Bar-B-Que: An American Roadhouse by John Stage and Nancy Radke.

Dinosaur BBQ Roasted Garlic and Tomato Soup

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Prep Time 15 mins

Cook Time 20 mins

Total Time 35 mins

Servings 6 -8 servings

Ingredients

1/4 cup butter
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion chopped
1 small green bell pepper chopped
A couple of pinches each kosher salt and black pepper
3 garlic cloves minced
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
4 cups chicken broth
2 heads or garlic roasted
4 medium ripe tomatoes peeled and diced (or pureed)
1 bay leaf
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Tabasco sauce to taste
2 Tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
20 fresh basil leaves

Instructions

To to prepare the roasted garlic, cut the garlic tops off, sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of butter and 1/2 tsp each kosher salt and black pepper. Wrap in foil and bake at 375F for one our. Let cool, then squeeze the roasted garlic out of the skins into a small bowl. Mash with a fork and set aside.
In a large pot, melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add the olive oil as the butter is melting. Add the onions and the bell pepper, and season with salt and pepper. Cook until soft, constantly stirring. Add the minced garlic and cook for another minute. Add the flour, stir really well, then add the broth and mix. Stir in the tomatoes and the roasted garlic. Bring to a boil. Add the bay leaf. Drop the temperature to low, cover and let the soup simmer for 15 minutes.
Remove the bay leaf, stir in the cream, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and Tobasco sauce. Add the lemon juice, the remaining 2 Tbsp of butter and half of the chopped basil leaves.
Ladle the soup into bowls, sprinkle with the remaining chopped basil and serve.

Chipotle Guacamole Recipe

Chipotle guacamole is well-known, even famous if you will. Their secret is not some fancy or hard-to-get ingredients. Quite the opposite – their guacamole is very simple and easy to make. The secret is to use the right avocados and mash them to a very smooth consistency.

To replicate chipotle guacamole you must use Hass avocados. That’s what they use. Hass avocados have a creamier texture compared to Florida avocados which don’t have the same smooth mouth feel. You will get less fat using Florida avocados but you won’t get the same texture.

When buying avocados, pick the ones that have a nice dark green color and are firm but squishy if you press a little harder. Still not sure? Do the finger test. Bring the tip of your thumb to the tip of your middle finger. Now, touch the fleshy area beneath the thumb. That’s about how a perfectly ripe avocado should feel. If you fail to pick perfectly ripe avocados – no problem. It takes a little bit of practice but once you know what a ripe avocado feels like you will know for the rest of your life. Remember though, it’s better to pick an under-ripened avocado than to get an over-ripened one. A slightly too firm avocado will soften in a day or two. Over-ripened avocado’s texture is a mush that doesn’t taste good.

Recipe source: Chipotle.com.

A scaled down version of the authentic Chipotle restaurant's guacamole recipe that comes straight from its creators.

Chipotle Guacamole Recipe

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Prep Time 10 mins

Total Time 10 mins

Ingredients

2 ripe avocados Hass is recommended
2 tsp lime juice
1/4 cup finely chopped red onion
2 Tbsp cilantro chopped
1/2 finely chopped jalapeño peppers including seeds
1/4 tsp kosher salt

Instructions

Cut the avocados in half, running a knife around the pit. Twist and pull the two halves apart. Gently remove the pit and discard. Scoop the avocados out form the shells and place in a medium bowl. Pour the lime juice over avocados and toss to coat.
Add the salt and, using a fork or a potato masher, mash until a creamy consistency is attained.
Add the the remaining ingredients and mix well.
Taste the guacamole and adjust seasonings if necessary.

Copycat Wendy’s Chili Recipe

Wendy’s calls it a “signature rich and meaty Chili that’s low in fat and high in fiber. Good taste and good feeling, too”. Here is a copycat Wendy’s chili recipe, originally proposed by Todd Wilbur, that will give you a taste that is pretty darn close to the original.

There is a lot of talk out there that Wendy’s uses unused, old cooked beef patties to make its signature chili. According to those who work/worked there, yes, it is true. They say that those old and dry unused cooked beef patties are refrigerated and used to make chili the next morning. They are boiled before being added to the chili. This explains the ‘low in fat’ claim by Wendy’s. If you really want to be true to the authentic recipe, make beef patties, grill them really well, then boil for 2o minutes or so before adding to the rest of the ingredients. This sure will kill a lot of flavor, so is not recommended.

This is the real deal Wendy's chili recipe. It tastes just like the original chili, and is very easy to make.

Copycat Wendy's Chili Recipe

Todd Wilbur

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 10 mins

Cook Time 3 hrs

Total Time 3 hrs 10 mins

Servings 12 servings

Ingredients

2 pounds ground beef
one 29-ounce can tomato sauce
one 29-ounce can kidney beans with liquid
one 29-ounce can pinto beans with liquid
1 cup diced onion 1 medium onion
1/2 cup diced green chili 2 chilies
1/4 cup diced celery 1 stalk
3 medium tomatoes chopped
2 teaspoons cumin powder
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
2 teaspoons salt
2 cups water

Instructions

Make beef patties from ground beef and brown in a large skillet over medium-high heat, flipping once. The meat will brown much better if you brown it as patties as much less water will be released during browning.
Drain the fat from the meat and crumble it with a work into pea-size pieces.
In a large pot, combine the browned beef with the rest of the ingredients. Bring the pot to boil, lower the heat to low and simmer the chili for 2 to 3 hours, stirring every 15 minutes or so.

Notes

For spicier chili, add 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper.

For much spicier chili, add 2-3 teaspoons of cayenne pepper.

For extreme real heat add 5-6 jalapeno or 1-2 red serrano peppers.

The chili can be frozen for up to 3 months if necessary.

Links:
Top Secret Recipes Version of Wendy’s Chili by Todd Wilbur