Course | Main dishes |
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Place of origin | Canada |
Region or state | Alberta |
Main ingredients | Beef, ginger, sweet sauce |
Ingredients generally used | Garlic, hot peppers, sugar, soy sauce, cooking oil, cornstarch |
Variations | carrot, onion |
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Ginger beef is a Canadian Chinese dish made from beef, ginger, and a distinctive sweet sauce.
The ingredients of ginger beef can depend on where it is featured, but the Albertan version generally consists of deep fried strips of beef coated in a dark sweet sauce that is reminiscent of other Asian sauces based on vinegar and sugar. It also contains flavors of ginger, garlic, and hot peppers, and is commonly served with a small amount of julienned carrots and onions in the sauce.[1] Ginger beef is derived from the original Geung Ngao Yuk (Chinese: 薑牛肉) dish.
As with many dishes, the invention of ginger beef is claimed by several restaurants and chefs. However, the most widely accepted origin attributes the dish's development during the mid-1970s by chef George Wong at the Silver Inn in Calgary, Alberta.[2][3][4][5] The dish is now a very common offering in Canadian Chinese restaurants.[4][5][6] A radio segment featuring ginger beef was aired on CBC Radio One programme The Main Ingredient.[7] In September 2022, the Silver Inn announced it would permanently close after serving the community for 45 years.[8]