Ginger Beef Recipe
Tender beef strips stir-fried with a sweet and savoury ginger sauce. This Ginger Beef recipe is simple and easy that also tastes delicious.
History of the Ginger Beef Recipe
Derived from the northern Chinese dish, Jiāng Niúròu (薑牛肉), the ginger beef recipe is actually a North American fusion dish thought to have originated in Canada. The traditional dish in China is less saucy and sweet compared to the restaurant version we know.
Although it’s served across the country, it’s widely agreed upon that this dish’s origin is Calgary, Alberta. During the mid-1970s, Chef George Wong at the Silver Inn in Calgary, Alberta, put a spin on the traditional dish to accommodate the tastes of Westerners.
When you order ginger beef at a restaurant, it’s very crispy because they deep-fry the beef before adding it to the stir fry. You can achieve the same thing by shallow frying the beef strips. For extra crispiness, shallow-fry it twice! For those who are more health-conscious, the recipe tastes just amazing without the deep-frying.
Ginger as an Ingredient
There’s nothing new about combining ginger and beef though! Ginger is a common ingredient in many Chinese dishes, such as ginger chicken, noodles, and steamed fish.
As a superfood, there are tons of reasons to include ginger in your cooking, especially for its health benefits. Fighting colds and the flu is one of the benefits, so why not make it tasty too?
Just remember when cooking with fresh ginger, the flavour mellows out. So if you really want that pungent peppery taste, add it in the beginning and then more at the end. If you are using ground ginger, you can use less of it since it is more concentrated. 1 tablespoon of fresh ginger equals ¼ teaspoon of ground ginger.
Enjoy this easy Ginger Beef recipe! Try it and let us know what you think.
Ginger Beef Recipe
Ingredients
Marinade
- 2 tsp rice vinegar
- 5 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp honey, (or 2 tbsp of sugar)
- 1 tbsp freshly grated ginger
- 1 tsp chilli pepper flakes
Stir-Fry
- 1 ¼ - 1 ½ lb sirloin or flank steak
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 3 - 4 stalks green onion, cut on a diagonal ½-inch apart
- 2 cloves garlic, sliced thinly
- 1-inch knob ginger, peeled and cut lengthwise into matchsticks
- 2 medium bell peppers, sliced lengthwise
- 1 tsp chilli pepper flakes
- ½ cup chopped cilantro (loosely packed), optional
Instructions
- Slice the steak into two halves horizontally. Then slice each half into ½-inch thick strips.
- To make the marinade, add the soy sauce, vinegar, grated ginger, honey and red chilli flakes into a medium-sized bowl. Stir and combine the ingredients.
- Put the strips of beef into the marinade and let it sit for at least 30 minutes in the fridge.
- Next, take a small bowl and mix the cornstarch and 2 tbsp of cold water together. Keep aside.
- Heat a wok with the vegetable and sesame oils over high heat. When the oil is hot enough, add in the beef with the marinade sauce and cook until brown or slightly cooked. Remove the beef and sauce and set aside in a bowl.
- Add the garlic, chopped ginger, and some chilli flakes into the wok. Stir-fry for 30-45 seconds to bring the flavour out.
- After adding the beef back in, add the bell peppers, green onion and cornstarch mixture. Make sure to stir the cornstarch again before pouring it in.
- Stir-fry everything together for another minute or two. If the sauce is not thick enough to your liking, mix more cornstarch with some cold water and add it in.
- When everything is fully cooked, remove the wok from the heat and stir in the cilantro.
- Plate the dish and it is ready to serve! It is recommended to serve with rice. Enjoy!
