"Food is our common ground, a universal experience."
Ginger beef - the ultimate comfort food. The famous dish consisting of marinated beef seasoned with ginger and deep-fried in batter is a staple of many Chinese take-out restaurants. However, it is very difficult to trace the origins of this popular dish. Does ginger beef represent authentic Chinese cuisine? It's true that you won't find a recipe for ginger beef in many Chinese cookbooks. Also, the way the dish is prepared isn't typical of Chinese cooking. For one thing, certain versions (including the recipe below) ask you to cut the beef along, and not across, the grain. Furthermore, although there are exceptions, as a rule the Chinese tend not to deep-fry beef.
Searching through cookbooks for the few ginger beef recipes that do exist provides some insight. For example, in Ginger East to West, Bruce Cost provides a recipe for "Real Ginger Beef" that is quite different from the restaurant version, using a full cup of ginger and two cups of fresh coriander leaves. In Joy of Wokking, Martin Yan has a recipe for "Spicy Ginger Beef" seasoned with five spice powder. Finally, Madame Wong's Long-Life Chinese Cookbook contains a Szechuan ginger beef recipe that uses preserved red ginger and red pepper, with a sauce made from chicken stock, cornstarch, hoisin sauce, and dark soy sauce.
Based on the above, it would seem that the idea of combining deep-fried marinated beef with ginger is not a western invention. However, it is impossible to say who invented the crunchy "Americanized" ginger beef that you'll find at the local Chinese take-out. (One common feature of the above recipes is that they use less flour and cornstarch than western versions). As to where it was first introduced in the west, one possible clue is that ginger beef is not universally available: for example, in Canada it is a staple of Alberta take-out restaurants, but harder to find in British Columbia and the Maritimes. But whatever its origins, ginger beef is a great way to introduce people to Chinese food. And, while definitely not a dish for calorie-counters, it also has the advantage of containing ginger - thought to help cure colds.
Tips for preparing Ginger Beef:
- To make it extra crispy, deep-fry the beef twice. This technique is often used in restaurants: staff prepare a batch of ginger beef and set it aside. When a customer places an order, a portion is deep-fried again.
- To make the ginger beef extra tender, use only cornstarch for the batter (instead of half cornstarch and half flour).
- Don't put all of the meat in the wok at once - that will lower the wok temperature. Start with adding about 1/4 of the meat mixture.
- Mix the batter thoroughly. Test with chopsticks or wooden spoon - it should just drop without sticking.
Ginger Beef Ingredients:
1 pound beef (rouladen)
1 celery stalk
1 carrot
3 hot chili peppers
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Marinade:
2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon cooking wine
1 teaspoon sugar
2 tablespoons ginger juice
1 eggwhite, lightly
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup flour
1/4 cup cornstarch
1 tablespoon hot chili oil (optional)
Sauce:
1 tablespoon wine
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
1 tablespoon vinegar
4 tablespoons sugar (can substitute brown sugar or honey, if desired)
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoons water
chili oil or chili powder to taste
4 to 5 cups oil for deep-frying
Directions:
Cut beef into matchstick strips, cutting along the grain. (The meat is easier to cut if it is partially frozen).
To make ginger juice for marinade, peel and grate ginger. Squeeze out juice.
Mix four marinade ingredients. Add to beef and marinate for 30 minutes.
Begin preparing vegetables. Cut carrots, celery, and pepper into thin strips. Mince garlic. For ginger, use the leftover minced ginger from the preparation of ginger juice.
Mix the sauce ingredients. Set aside.
Beat the eggwhite and add water. Add flour and cornstarch. Mix the batter thoroughly. Drop the batter into the marinated meat.
Heat wok. When heated, add 3 - 5 cups of oil. When the oil is ready, add about 1/4 of the meat/batter mixture. Deep-fry the beef until golden brown. Remove and set aside. Let oil come back to original temperature and add more meat.
When meat is cooked, clean the wok. Heat and add 1 tablespoon oil. When oil is ready, add the vegetables and begin stir-frying. Pour in the sauce and let come to a boil. Add the deep-fried beef. Toss quickly, and remove.
Sprinkle with sesame oil and serve hot.
