Chef Allen Liu · Kirin Restaurant
KIRIN IS one of the few Chinese restaurant groups known for fine dining not only in British Columbia but throughout North America. Each of the five restaurants in the group—all of them in or near Vancouver—has a different character, but all maintain the same award-winning standards of food and service.
Incorporating fresh herbs such as basil is not common in traditional Chinese cooking. This recipe, which features freshly chopped and sautéed basil, is considered a New World Chinese dish. Serve it with bowls of steamed rice.
6 oz beef tenderloin, in 1-inch dice
2 tsp light soy sauce
1 tsp cornstarch
1 egg white
½ cup all-purpose flour
1 cup vegetable oil, for deep-frying
1 small onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
½ tsp coarsely ground black pepper
4 Tbsp chopped basil
1 Tbsp fish sauce
1 Tbsp Maggi sauce
2 tsp white sugar
IN A LARGE bowl, toss beef with soy sauce, cornstarch and egg white until well coated. Set aside.
Line a plate with paper towels. Place flour in a shallow dish. In a wok, bring vegetable oil to a boil on high heat. Using a slotted spoon, roll beef cubes in flour, shaking off any excess. Carefully place beef cubes in oil and blanch for 90 seconds. Using a slotted spoon, transfer beef to the paper towel–lined plate to drain. Set aside. (Allow the oil to cool to room temperature, then pour into a glass jar and reserve for another use.)
In another wok or a frying pan, heat 1 tsp of the vegetable oil used to fry the beef on high. Add onions, garlic and black pepper and brown for 45 seconds. Stir in basil, fish sauce, Maggi sauce and sugar and mix well. Stir in beef and sauté for 2 minutes until warmed through. Serve hot.