Sour Cherry Ginger Beef
Sour Cherry Ginger Beef created for Pucker Up 2014 was inspired by Calgary, Alberta's Crispy Ginger Beef recipe, but with a sour cherry sauce which creates a dynamic dish! Finger lickin' and lip smackin'!
Servings: 4 -6
Ingredients
Ingredients for Crispy Fried Beef:
- 1 pound "know-your-farmer" flank steak , sliced thinly against the grain
- oil for deep frying
Ingredients for the batter:
- 1 egg
- 1 cup water
- 1 cup corn starch
- 1/4 cup rice flour
- 3 tablespoons wheat flour
- ½ tablespoon white pepper
- 2-3 cups oil for frying beef
Ingredients for Sour Cherry Sauce:
- 1 1/2 cups frozen or fresh sour cherries , pitted
- 6-8 large cloves garlic , finely julienned
- hefty chunk of ginger , size of two thumbs, (same amount as garlic), finely julienned
- ¼ cup light soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- 3 tablespoons mushroom soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine
- ½ cup water
- ¼ cup sugar (or ½ cup if you like it sweet)
- ½ tablespoon or more crushed chilies , if you like heat
Instructions
Instructions for Crispy Beef Batter:
- Combine all ingredients, toss beef in batter, a strip at a time
- Deep-fry strips of beef, a few at a time, until crispy; set aside
Instructions for Sour Cherry Ginger Sauce:
- Stir fry ginger and garlic in a little oil for 30 seconds, until aromatic; add liquids, then sugar, then sour cherries
- Bring to boil for 2 minutes; remove from heat
- Add beef; stir to coat completely with sauce
- Serve immediately over fragrant rice with extra sauce
Notes
For the a darker complexity to the sauce and presentation, keep warm for 1-2 hours until the dark deep flavour and colour has permeated the entire dish; the sauce will thicken during this time and the beef will no longer be crispy, but be prepared for a serious addition, here!