Mongolian BBQ at Home

Before there were chain restaurants like Genghis Grill mass producing "all you can eat" bowls of oversauced and weirdly seasoned Mongolian Barbeque I was making my own at home.  I first had Mongolian Barbeque in the 70's when I lived in Japan.  The Yokota Air Base Officers' Club had it on the menu once or twice a month.  There was a buffet set up with all the raw ingredients, the assorted meats and sauces. You gave your piled up bowl to the chef outside who cooked it on a very hot, huge, flat top griddle.  I always tried to pack as much into my bowl as possible without it spilling out.  It was so delicious!
A few years ago I tried making it for a special family dinner on my outdoor grill with a large griddle.  That worked fine, but so does cooking it indoors in a wok or large skillet.
If you're making it for a large group you will be doing the cooking, so it's not something you can serve for a "sit-down" dinner.  It's also best eaten right after it's done.  This time I tried adding an egg at the end.  I just dropped in a whole egg, not mixed up in a bowl, just cracked into the pan, them mixed it up.
The egg added a nice creaminess to the dish that I really liked.  What a great dinner and excellent way to use up bits and pieces of vegetables and leftovers.  Earlier in the week I had made Asian noodle salad, roast beef with carrots and green beans, and shrimp and grits.  I just took out all my leftovers and the vegetables, cut everything up and put it on a sheet pan or in a bowl.  I wish I had some leftover noodles from my salad because noodles are great in this recipe.  I also had a stockpile of rice, both brown and white, frozen in individual servings.  For the sauce, I put out bottles of several Asian sauces and little bowls.  Each diner makes a little bowl of sauce with the heat/salt level they prefer.  It's also a great way to use your assorted spices and herbs that sit on the shelf neglected.
My daughter really liked this meal because she was able to pick vegetables she likes and customize her portion.  She complains when I make stir-fried vegetables and meat I put too many mushrooms and peppers in it and things she doesn't care for.
There is no standard recipe for this dish, so feel free to use anything you prefer.  If you have a group of picky eaters or a mixed group of meat eaters and vegetarians, it's an excellent crowd pleaser.
Let me know how yours turns out.

Mongolian Barbeque

An assortment of raw vegetables, thinly sliced so quick cooking
Celery
Cabbage (Napa is best)
Bok Choy
Bell peppers (yellow, red, orange--skip the green)
Jalapeno peppers, sliced
Onions
Scallions
Mushrooms
Bean sprouts
Snap peas
Bamboo shoots (canned, sliced)
Water chestnuts (canned, sliced)
Some vegetables may require blanching (cooking briefly in boiling water, then cooling in ice water) or cook with a little water in the microwave for a minute.
Green beans
Carrots
Broccoli
Cauliflower
Other ingredients:
cooked pasta, rice noodles or wheat
pineapple tidbits

Proteins:
Beef, chicken, or pork sliced paper thin while partially frozen.  Place each in a separate bowl.
Shrimp, crab, or fish, cut into bite size pieces
Tofu, cut into cubes
Egg (set out a bowl of eggs, still in the shell)

Sauce:  Choose any of the ingredients listed below.
Sesame oil
Hot chile oil
Sriracha
minced ginger
minced garlic
wine (red or white)
sake
soy sauce or tamari
oyster sauce
mirin
pineapple juice
1 T organic cane sugar mixed with 3 T water
vinegar (rice or white)

Spices:
cayenne
curry powder
lemon pepper
cumin
sesame seeds
black pepper

Herbs:
cilantro
basil
lemon grass

For my dinner I had Napa cabbage, yellow, orange, and red bell peppers, scallions, mushrooms (Crimini and portabello), jalapeno peppers, carrots cooked for 1 minute in the microwave, blanched green beans, tofu, chicken breast, and leftover cooked shrimp.  For my sauce I used 1 T low sodium soy sauce, a drop of sesame oil, a few drops hot chili oil, a tsp of oyster sauce, a teaspoon of ginger and garlic, a T of mirin, cilantro and a dash of cayenne. 
Heat a wok or large skillet and add canola or peanut oil.  For mine I used 2 tsp of oil but a little more for my husband and daughter.  The skillet should be VERY hot, don't be afraid!  If you're using your outside grill, heat the grill to high and place a large cast iron flat griddle on top of the grill.  Add oil to the griddle.  Put the meat or tofu and vegetables in the hot oil and stir fry for a couple minutes, until the chicken or meat is done (which is why you want it to be paper thin).  Add the sauce mixture and cook for another minute.  If you're using an egg, crack the egg into the mixture and quickly mix the egg, then spread it throughout.  It will cook instantly, so get ready to pull it out of the pan and serve.  Have a clean bowl (not the one you had the raw meat in) ready with a serving of rice or noodles waiting.  Place the meat/vegetable mixture on top of the rice or noodles and serve with additional garnishes such as chopped peanuts, scallions, cilantro and sriracha.

Enjoy!