In Search Of Wild Ginger’s 7-Flavor Beef

PASSIONS | by MOLLY MARTIN

YEARS AGO WE MOVED JUST ONE SHORT BLOCK from Wild Ginger Restaurant in Seattle. At the time, reviews were springing up across the country about its inspired “Asian Fusion” cuisine.

SOURCE: WILDGINGER.NET

We became so hooked on its Seven-Flavor Beef that we couldn’t go there without ordering it: dark, luscious slices of flank steak in a sauce so complex and mysterious that at once we were talking about trying to recreate it at home.

But what were those seven flavors?

For several years, I tried different combinations. Was that orange? No. Chinese five-spice powder? Perhaps. Ginger and garlic? For sure. Soy sauce? I don’t know.

It was a fun, ongoing challenge. But a couple years ago it occurred to me to try online. (The World Wide Web didn’t even exist when Wild Ginger opened!) Sure enough, several hits showed the same recipe, and I made it that very night –- voila!

Now, of course, they list the special seven ingredients on their menu.

Wild Ginger’s Seven Flavor Beef

Marinade:
8 ounces sliced flank steak
1 tablespoon minced lemongrass
1/2 teaspoon peeled and minced fresh ginger
1/2 teaspoon minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon fish sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon dried red chili flakes
1 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt

To finish:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/2 bunch thinly sliced green onion
1 cup bean sprouts
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon ground peanuts
20 Thai basil leaves

Combine all the marinade ingredients in a glass baking dish for 1 hour.

Heat the oil in a wok and heat over high heat. When the oil is hot, add red onion, green onion and bean sprouts and sear for 1 minute, stirring. Set aside on a serving platter.

Add the beef mixture to the very hot wok and sear until rare. Add the hoisin sauce and toss until coated. Add the ground peanuts and basil and cook until the meat is medium rare. Serve the meat over the onions and bean sprouts.