Ginger beef is a popular dish that features thin strips of beef, or in this case, a vegan alternative, that is fried until crispy and then coated in a deliciously tangy, sweet and slightly spicy sauce. The beauty of ginger beef is that it can be paired with so many different veggies and served over your choice of rice or noodles! It’s so versatile and full of flavour. It’s bound to be a hit in your house.
If you’re following along on Instagram, you might be familiar with my Cooking from Cookbooks Series. I found myself with a big stack of cookbooks but am guilty of not flipping them open as often as I’d like. This series was my attempt to finally crack open some of the gorgeous cookbooks I have in my collection and dive into the recipes that made me fall in love and purchase.
Cooking from Cookbooks Series
Episode 2: Ginger Beef
For the second episode of my Cooking from Cookbooks series, I picked a recipe from Sam Turnbull’s Craving Vegan Cookbook. In this book, Sam has done a fabulous job of organizing recipes based on your particular craving. How fun is that? Such a creative way to organize your dishes because let’s face it, we all begin planning our meals based on our cravings. Whether you’re after something eggy, carby, cheesy, creamy, crunchy, spicy, meaty, chocolaty, or sugary, Sam has a recipe that will satisfy your appetite.
Sam, aka It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken, is a vegan food blogger and content creator who has numerous tasty recipes that can be found on Instagram, Pinterest, on her blog or in her cookbooks. Throughout my vegan journey, I have made many of Sam’s recipes and always look forward to her new concepts! So I knew picking her cookbook for my series was a no-brainer. Everyone loves Sam’s recipes!
The Craving: Meaty
I was craving something “meaty” so I flipped to page 205 of Sam’s Craving Vegan and there it was – Ginger Beef. I love a good saucy dish so this recipe had me hooked when I saw the beautiful picture of the vegan beef strips covered in a sticky delicious sauce.
Ginger beef, but make it vegan!
Sam’s protein of choice for the beef was seitan. Whenever I think of making seitan I sometimes associate it as a laborious process but I was very wrong! Her recipe is quick and easy to follow, and I even found immediately adding this regular rotation of meals!
Steps:
- Make seitan dough – add the recipe ingredients together to form a dough. Pull pieces apart.
- Steam the seitan – space out in a steamer basket. Leave enough room because they will grow.
- Coat – toss the seitan in corn starch to ensure crispiness.
- Fry – pan-fry the seitan until golden.
- Make sauce – add ingredients to one bowl and stir.
- Add sauce – add the ginger sauce to the seitan and let simmer.
Ginger beef – Steamed & Fried
Once you mix a few dry ingredients you’ll then add the wet ones and mix until the seitan forms a doughy ball. Then you simply rip off little pieces and put them in a steamer pot. Once steamed, these bites get a quick toss in corn starch and added to a frying pan until crispy.
Ginger sauce – tangy, sweet, and slightly spicy.
The sauce that the seitan cooks in is absolutely delish. Once it simmers at the reduced temperature, the seitan gets coasted in a sweet and savoury sauce that makes this dish come alive. Not to mention, this sauce only takes minutes to whip up! And, all of the ingredients involved are likely products you already have sitting in your pantry.
Putting the Ginger Beef Together
I decided to pair Sam’s Ginger Beef with some basmati rice and it was a wonderful combination. I also added some steamed broccoli because I’m one of those weirdos who loves steamed broccoli. There’s something about a classic rice, broccoli and “beef” combination that is so harmonious and works well together. That said, you could make this SO many different ways to suit your taste buds.
Garnish
While garnish, by its very nature, is to add an optional extra something special to a dish, I highly recommend it. The addition of sliced green onions and sesame seeds adds a little extra depth and flavour to the dish!
Ginger Beef Combinations
While I went the rice and steamed broccoli route, feel free to explore any combination!
Try these variations:
- noodles – udon, rice noodles or regular noodles
- veggies – bell peppers, carrots, celery, asparagus, bok choy, zucchini etc.
If you don’t have Sam’s Craving Vegan cookbook yet, it is worth purchasing. It is loaded with so many great recipes with fuss-free ingredients. This ginger beef recipe was so tasty that it alone made it worth the purchase. If you have the cookbook already, crack it open to page 205 and give this Ginger Beef recipe a try. You won’t regret it. I’m sure it will become a staple in your house, the same way it has in mine.
If you are not able to purchase the cookbook at this time, no problem! Sam Turnbull’s blog It Doesn’t Taste Like Chicken is loaded with so many wonderful and easy vegan recipes.
And, if you’re interested in seeing other dishes I’ve tried from the books in my stack, check out more from my Cooking from Cookbooks series.
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