Crispy Orange Beef is sweet, savory, spicy and addictive! I learned a few tricks to getting the beef crispy yet tender. First freeze the meat coated in cornstarch for a bit before frying. It really works. Also use a good beef like ribeye steaks or sirloin, and slice very thin. The Orange Sauce is fast to make and is outstanding.
For the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai this Sunday, I'll be serving Crispy Orange Beef, Garlic Sesame Broccoli, Sticky White Rice, and my favorite Scallion Pancakes with Ginger Dipping sauce. What a feast to watch the 3rd race in this year's Formula One championship.
We are hoping Ferrari got its technical issues straightened out after Vettel's car broke down before the Bahrain race! We don't want another bad day for Maurizo Arrivabene, head boss of Team Scuderia Ferrari.
If Ferrari can't beat Mercedes, then we need the McClaren-Honda Team to step up. Rumors are that Fernando Alonso will get cleared by doctors to return to racing in time for Shangahi. Look for my F1 update on Sunday.
Chinese Grand Prix: Crispy Orange Beef
Ingredients
- 1½ pounds boneless ribeye or sirloin steak sliced ¼ inch thick (note: keep slices thin for crispiness)
- 6 tablespoons soy sauce
- ⅓ cup cornstarch
- 1 large orange
- 1 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 3 tablespoons molasses
- 1 small red chili pepper or serrano seeds removed, minced
- 2 large cloves garlic minced
- 1 heaping tablespoons freshly grated ginger about 2 inch peeled knob of ginger
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
- ½ cup canola oil
- ½ cup peanut oil
- 1 scallion sliced, green top only for garnish
Instructions
- In a large bowl, gently toss beef strips with 2 tablespoons soy sauce. Set aside.
- Place cornstarch on a shallow plate.
- Prepare a baking sheet with a wire rack inside.
- Dredge each beef strip in cornstarch covering both sides and place on the wire rack. Once all beef strips are coated, place the baking sheet in the freezer. This method helps the surface of the beef to dry out and enhances the crispness.
- With a vegetable peeler, peel the outer zest of the orange into long strips then slicing them into thinner strips. Be sure not to leave any white pith on the strips or it will become bitter.
- Cut the zested orange in half and juice it until you get ⅓ cup of fresh orange juice.
- In a medium bowl, add the orange zest strips (save a few strips for garnish), orange juice, the remaining 4 tablespoons of soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, molasses, red chili pepper, garlic, and red pepper flakes. (Note - add the molasses after the sesame seed oil. The oiled tablespoon will help the molasses to glide right out while measuring). Grate the fresh ginger right over the bowl. whisk to combine all the ingredients.
- Pour the orange sauce into a medium-size nonstick wide skillet on the stove, and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower to a simmer and let reduce for about 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and cover until needed at the end to coat the beef.
- Right before serving, remove the baking sheet with the beef from the freezer. Lift the rack and line the baking sheet with paper towels. Return the rack on top of the paper towels. On the stove, place canola and peanut oil in a large frying skillet over a medium high heat.
- Once the oil is very hot, fry the beef strips in small batches for about 2-4 minutes until crispy on both sides, turning a couple of times. Do not crowd the pan or allow the temperature of the oil to cool down from too many frozen beef strips being put in the skillet at one time. As each piece of fried beef is done, place it back on the wire rack to drain. Continue cooking until all the beef strips have been fried.
- When the beef is just about finished, turn the heat back on the sauce and bring to a boil. Remove the pan from the heat and place the fried beef in the hot sauce. Gently turn the beef to coat evenly with the thick orange sauce.
- Place the Crispy Orange Beef on a serving platter and garnish with orange strips and scallion.
- Serve immediately with rice or noodles.
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