Mongolian — you've done that, right? You've stood in line and picked your veggies, proteins and sauces, then handed your plate over to cooks who dance around a giant circular griddle, rhythmically keeping the beat with their spatulas as they stir-fry everything into a mound of steaming food. Places like HuHot and BD's Mongolian Grill have spread into every corner of the country, and more Americans have probably eaten at these and similar chains than the entire population of Mongolia itself.
But Mongolian barbecue isn't really Mongolian, and neither is the Mongolian beef seen on so many Chinese restaurant menus. They're both recent inventions in the culinary world — so recent, in fact, that they can be traced to one man. According to Eddy Chang of the