Canadian National Dishes

Calgary Ginger Beef

Calgary ginger beef pairs crisp strips of battered beef with a sticky, sweet-hot sauce led by fresh ginger and garlic. This home version adds julienned carrot, red and green pepper, and onion for colour and crunch. The dish is widely credited to Calgary’s Silver Inn and chef George Wong, though published accounts differ on the exact timeline and details. This is a practical Calgary-style adaptation, not the restaurant’s secret formula. Allow about 80 minutes, including a short chill that makes the beef easier to slice.

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Wide table scene with a plate of ginger beef on the right and open space on the left; a small bowl of rice is set behind the plate.
A wide serving view of Calgary ginger beef, composed with clear space beside the plate.
Prep 30 minutes
Cook 35 minutes
Total 80 minutes
Calories About 710 kcal per serving
Ingredients ↓
Overview

Calgary Ginger Beef

Travel Alberta describes ginger beef as a Calgary menu staple, with crisp battered beef and a balanced sweet-savoury sauce. The Silver Inn is widely credited with developing the dish in the 1970s. Reporting on the restaurant’s family history describes its opening in 1975 and the way its menu adapted Beijing-style cooking for local diners. Food writing differs on the exact year and formula, so this recipe keeps the attribution qualified. Calgary ginger beef is part of Chinese Canadian restaurant history and has many restaurant variations.

Practical

Practical

  • Slice the steak across the grain; chilling it briefly first makes thin, even strips easier to cut.
  • Keep the oil close to 175°C and fry in small batches. Crowding cools the oil and makes the coating greasy.
  • Let excess batter drip from each strip before frying. Separate the strips in the oil so they do not clump.
  • Stir the cornstarch slurry again before adding it to the sauce; starch settles quickly.
  • Toss the beef in the sauce just before serving to preserve the crisp coating.
Ingredients

Ingredients

Beef and frying

  • 600 g flank steak, trimmed and cut across the grain into strips about 6 mm thick
  • 1.5 L canola oil, for deep-frying in a heavy pot of at least 5 L capacity; do not fill the pot more than halfway

Batter

  • 1 large egg
  • 240 mL cold water
  • 160 g cornstarch
  • 40 g all-purpose flour
  • 2 g fine salt
  • 1 g ground white pepper

Ginger sauce

  • 60 mL low-sodium soy sauce
  • 15 mL dark soy sauce
  • 45 mL unseasoned rice vinegar
  • 60 mL water
  • 55 g granulated sugar
  • 1 g crushed red chili flakes
  • 8 g cornstarch
  • 20 mL cold water, for the cornstarch slurry

Vegetables and finish

  • 15 mL canola oil
  • 100 g carrot, peeled and julienned
  • 150 g red bell pepper, seeded and julienned
  • 150 g green bell pepper, seeded and julienned
  • 100 g yellow onion, thinly sliced
  • 18 g garlic, finely chopped
  • 35 g fresh ginger, peeled and cut into fine matchsticks
Directions

Directions

Method

  1. Firm and slice the beefPlace the steak in the freezer for 15 minutes, just until firm enough to slice easily. Cut it across the grain into strips about 6 mm thick. Keep the raw beef and its tools separate from ready-to-eat vegetables.

  2. Make the batter and sauce mixtureIn a large bowl, whisk the egg with 240 mL cold water. Whisk in 160 g cornstarch, 40 g flour, 2 g salt and 1 g white pepper until smooth. Add the beef and turn to coat. In a separate bowl, combine both soy sauces, rice vinegar, 60 mL water, sugar and chili flakes. Stir 8 g cornstarch with 20 mL cold water for the slurry.

  3. Heat the frying oil safelySet a wire rack over a rimmed tray. Pour 1.5 L canola oil into a heavy pot of at least 5 L capacity; the oil must not come more than halfway up the pot. Heat to 175°C, monitoring with a clip-on thermometer. Keep the area dry and lower battered strips carefully, away from you.

  4. Fry the beef in batchesFry a small batch for about 3–4 minutes, separating the strips, until crisp and golden. Do not crowd the pot. Let the oil return to 175°C between batches. With a clean instant-read thermometer, check the thickest strip in each batch; it must reach 71°C. Transfer each batch to the rack.

  5. Stir-fry the vegetablesWhile the last batch drains, heat 15 mL canola oil in a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add carrot, both peppers and onion. Stir-fry for about 2 minutes until bright and still crisp. Add garlic and ginger and cook for 30 seconds.

  6. Thicken the saucePour in the soy-vinegar mixture and bring it to a boil. Stir the cornstarch slurry again, add it gradually and cook for about 1 minute until glossy and lightly thickened. The flavour should be sweet, tangy, gingery and mildly hot.

  7. Coat and serveAdd the crisp beef and toss just until coated. Serve immediately so the coating stays crisp, with steamed rice if you like.

Practical

Practical

Serving

Make ahead: Slice the beef and cut the vegetables a few hours ahead; cover and refrigerate them separately. Mix the sauce ingredients ahead, but keep the cornstarch slurry separate and stir it again just before use. Fry and sauce the beef close to serving time for the best texture.

Make-ahead

Storage: Refrigerate leftover beef and sauce within 2 hours in a covered container and use within 2–3 days. Reheat leftovers to 74°C; the coating will soften after storage. Do not leave cooked food at room temperature for more than 2 hours.

Storage and reheating

Serving: Serve as a main dish with steamed rice if desired. Rice is not included in the measured recipe yield or nutrition estimate.

Control points

Control points

  • The coating is softToss the beef with sauce only at the last moment and serve straight away.
  • The strips stick togetherFry fewer at a time and separate them with tongs as they enter the oil.
  • The batter slides offPat the beef surface dry before coating and let excess batter drip away.
  • The sauce is too thickStir in a little water while it simmers; add it gradually so the sauce still clings.
  • The sauce tastes too saltyUse the listed low-sodium soy sauce and add no extra salt to the sauce.
Nutrition

Nutrition

  • Serving sizeOne-quarter of the finished ginger beef
  • CaloriesAbout 710 kcal
  • CarbohydrateAbout 67 g
  • ProteinAbout 39 g
  • FatAbout 30 g
  • FibreAbout 3 g
  • SodiumAbout 1,350 mg

Rounded generic-ingredient estimates assume about 75 mL of the deep-frying oil is absorbed across the recipe; actual absorption, steak trim and soy sauce brands can change the values substantially. Optional rice is excluded. This is not a laboratory analysis or product-label information.

The batter contains egg and wheat; soy sauce contains soy and commonly wheat. Check the labels of both soy sauces, flour and other packaged ingredients for allergens and cross-contact statements. Use a heavy pot that is no more than half full of oil, keep water away from hot oil, and lower beef strips carefully. Keep the oil near 175°C and fry in small batches. Use a clean thermometer to check that the thickest beef strip in each batch reaches 71°C. Wash hands and utensils after handling raw beef, and keep vegetables separate from raw-meat tools.

FAQ

FAQ

Is Calgary ginger beef a traditional dish from China?

It is a Chinese Canadian restaurant dish associated with Calgary. The Silver Inn is widely credited with its development, and the dish reflects the adaptation and creativity of Chinese Canadian restaurant cooking.

Can I use another cut of beef?

Flank steak is a good choice because it can be sliced thinly across the grain. Skirt steak is another option; trim it and slice across the fibres.

Can I make the beef less spicy?

Yes. Reduce or omit the crushed chili flakes. The ginger, garlic, soy and vinegar still give the sauce its character.

Finish

Finish

  • Serve rice separately so it does not soften the coating.
  • Offer extra chili flakes at the table for anyone who wants more heat.