(Part of the Chinese New Year Theme Thursday Series)
Here in New Jersey, we’re feeling the frigid cold in our bones from the coldest weather we’ve had in several years. Aside from cups of Adult Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate and endless amounts of soup, there is one more thing I like to whip up in the kitchen to keep me feeling toasty: Spicy, Crispy, Orange Beef.
“Orange Beef?” you say. Yes, Orange Beef. The spice and citrus in this dish make it perfect for awakening the senses on an otherwise dreary day, and who doesn’t love to eat Chinese food when it’s cold outside and you’ve got no place to be?
Spicy, Crispy, Orange Beef
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
This dish is great for Chinese New Year, or any day when you want to swap out your takeout for a tastier, at-home version that is sure to impress!
Author: Morgan
Recipe type: Main
Cuisine: Asian
Ingredients
- 1 lb sirloin steak, cut into thin strips
- ¼ cup cornstarch
- salt, to taste
- 1½ cups peanut oil, for frying
- ⅓ cup fresh orange juice
- ¼ cup seasoned rice wine vinegar
- 2 tablespoons orange marmalade
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons hot chili sauce (like sriracha)
- ½ tablespoon brown sugar
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ teaspoon ginger, minced
- 3 green onions, green part only, chopped
- ½ red pepper, de-seeded, chopped
- orange zest, to garnish
Directions
- Combine the orange juice, rice wine vinegar, orange marmalade, soy sauce, hot chili sauce, and brown sugar in a bowl. Mix well and set aside.
- In a medium sized bowl, toss the strips of sirloin steak with 3 tablespoons corn starch and salt.
- Heat 1½ cups of peanut oil in a wok over medium-high heat.
- In small batches, fry the steak in the oil until golden brown.
- Discard all but a tablespoon worth of peanut oil from the wok, and then add the garlic and ginger and cook for about a minute.
- Slowly pour in the orange sauce mixture. Bring the sauce to a boil. Continue cooking until the sauce thickens, about 8-10 minutes. Add cornstarch slurry* if your sauce doesn’t seem to be thickening on its own.
- Add the steak for just 2 minutes or so, coating it in the sauce Serve immediately over rice or Chinese-style vegetables. Top with a generous amount of green onions, chopped red pepper to taste, and a bit of orange zest.
Notes
*To make a slurry, mix one tablespoon cornstarch and one tablespoon cold water in a bowl. After it is well mixed, you can add it to your sauces to thicken them up!
Looks really good. Will have to try this!
heck yeah, i like it
I saw your photo on Reddit and HAD to make this! My butcher was out of sirloin so I used mock tender instead and it turned out great. I added a handful of cilantro and grated ginger at the end. I will have to make this again, thanks!
Julie,
I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed it! Adding cilantro and ginger at the end sounds great. Thanks for letting me know =)
I’m making this for dinner tonight, I can’t wait to see how it turns out!
Emily, I can’t wait to hear how everything turned out!
That was the best chinese beef I’ve ever done.
Great recipe!
I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
Crispy beef was one of our favorite dishes where we used to live. We moved and can’t find it anywhere. Thanks to this great recipe, that is no longer an issue. Thanks!
No problem! I’m glad you have a recipe now to make it at (your new) home!
I will be making this later in the week, the recipe is done really well.
Thank you…
Alethea, thank you. Let me know what you think of it after you’ve put it together!