Sizzle & Sear recipes
The Ultimate Cowtown Ginger Beef
Calgary ginger beef is a regional dish that has expanded outwards. The dish is a combination of sweet and spicy flavours; each restaurant develops its own balance. This recipe tilts towards spicy, thanks to generous amounts of ginger used.
Servings
5
Disclosure: Product links, including Amazon links, will take you to our affiliate partner websites. We may earn a commission on purchases.
Calgary ginger beef is a regional dish that has expanded outwards. The dish is a combination of sweet and spicy flavours; each restaurant develops its own balance. This recipe tilts towards spicy, thanks to generous amounts of ginger used. Feel free to play around the proportion of ingredients to come to your own balance.
This recipe uses a small amount of monosodium glutamate (MSG) in order to subtly enhance the savoriness of the beef. If you are concerned about this ingredient, I encourage you to read my blog post on this ingredient. If you are still uncomfortable using the ingredient, it is optional.
The Szcheuan peppercorn adds a tingly mouthfeel to the dish. This ingredient can be difficult to locate in mainstream grocerry stores. I source my Szcheuan peppercorns from The Silk Road Spice Merchant here in Calgary. They have a wide selection of high quality spices and they ship across Canada and the United States.
Potato starch can also be a difficult ingredient to find. I use Bob's Red Mill Potato Starch.
Enjoy this Calgary ginger beef recipe!
Recommended Accessory
Dreamfarm Supoon Non-Stick Sit-Up Silicone Scraping, Serving, Cooking Spoon Measures 5ml Tsp & 15ml Tbsp - 11" Red
- Featuring Dreamfarm's unique & iconic sit-up handle to keep the head up for mess-free benches
- Flat & flexible silicone scraping tip acts like a food squeegee
Pricing last updated on October 15, 2026 - 13:32 MDT. Pricing and images from Amazon Product Advertising API. Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
The recipe
The Ultimate Cowtown Ginger Beef
Ingredients
Sauce
- 2 tbsp toasted sesame seed oil
- 2 red Thai chile peppers minced
- ¼ cup ginger minced
- ½ cup soy sauce
- ½ cup chicken stock
- 2 tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tbsp dry sherry
- ¼ cup sugar
Marinade and Beef Strips
- ¼ cup unrefined peanut oil
- 2 tbsp water
- 2 tsp vodka
- 2 tsp soy sauce
- ½ tsp toasted sesame seed oil
- ¼ tsp sugar
- 1 tsp salt
- ⅜ tsp monosodium glutamate (MSG) optional—see note above
- 1 lb flank steak
Batter
- 2 tbsp potato starch
- 2 tsp Robin Hood easy blend flour Wondra in the United States
- 1 ½ tsp ginger powder
Stir-Fried Vegetables
- 1 large carrot julienned
- 1 red bell pepper julienned
- 1 green bell pepper julienned
- 1 inch thumb of ginger julienned
- 6 cloves of garlic minced
- 1 ½ tsp Szcheuan peppercorn crushed (optional—see note above)
Recommended Gear & Extras
Instructions
Sauce
- In a saucier or large sauce pan, heat the 2 tablespoons of toasted sesame seed oil over medium low heat. Add the Red Thai chile pepper and ginger; stir to combine. Sweat the ginger and chile pepper for 3 minutes; they should sizzle, but not brown.
- Add 1/2 cup of soy sauce, chicken stock, rice vinegar, dry sherry, toasted sesame seed oil, minced ginger, and sugar to the ginger and chile pepper, and whisk until the sugar is dissolved. Bring mixture to a boil over medium-high heat and let boil for 2 minutes. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer and reduce until there's 1/2 cup of a syrupy sauce left, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat.
Marinade and Beef Strips
- In a large bowl, whisk together the unrefined peanut oil, water, vodka, 2 tsp soy sauce, 1/2 tsp toasted sesame seed oil. sugar, salt, and MSG (optional) until well combined. Set aside.
- Cut flank steak on the bias and against the grain into 1/2 inch slices. Then cut each slice into 1/2 inch strips. Add beef strips to the marinade and combine well with your hands. Cover and refrigerate for 1/2 hour.
Batter
- In a medium bowl, whisk together potato starch, easy blend flour, and ginger powder until well combine. After beef is done marinating, sprinkle the dry ingredients above the marinated beef using a fine mesh strainer. Mix together with your hands to cover the beef strips in a batter.
Deep Frying
- Line a large bowl with paper towels. Heat vegetable oil over medium heat to 375°F in a large sauté pan or dutch oven. Add 1/3 of the beef slices and fry until the batter starts to darken, about 3 minutes. Use a spider or slotted spoon to remove the beef from the pan and place it in the paper towel-lined bowl. Let oil climb back up to 375°F, and repeat the above process twice more.
Stir Fry
- Transfer 2 tablespoons of the shallow frying oil to a 12 inch skillet, and heat it over high heat. Once the oil is shimmering and just beginning to smoke, add the carrots, red bell pepper, and green bell pepper. Stir frequently for about 2-3 minutes; the bell peppers should start to blister and the carrots should start to caramelize.
- Create a well in the center of the pan, and add the julienned ginger, minced garlic, and crushed Szcheuan peppercorn. Stir constantly until the mixture becomes fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add the sauce to the skillet, and immediately turn off the heat. Add the beef to the sauce and vegetables. Stir to fully coat the beef strips.
- Serve over rice.
Share this recipe
A note about our kitchen equipment. reviews:
All recommended kitchen equipment is based on a thorough review of the product and get constant use in the test kitchen. You can be confident you are getting the best stainless steel frying pan and the best plastic cooking spoon when you follow the above recommendations.
Wow, just ’cause someone can rationalize the process of making MSG – they think the end result is good for them 😛
MSG is the salt of the protein “glutamine”. It occurs naturally and it is always in your bloodstream when you digest proteins.
The MSG scare smear campaign was against the Asian community, who were bullied and marginalized in NY City by racist restaurant owners. Google it. It is well documented.
Good recipe. But what this guy doesn’t know about MSG could fill a warehouse!!
Original DOES NOT use MSG. I’m from Calgary and anyone who thinks MSG is good is VERY Un-educated!
living in Florida now… so hard to get my hands on some good ginger beef. Thanks!
Looks so savoury! I always order this.