This crispy orange flesh is tangy, sweet and absolutely delicious. An easy Friday night fake – ready in 25 minutes!
I like to serve this with a big bowl of fluffy rice or stir-fried noodles.
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Yes, we’re using steak for this recipe, which is a bit extravagant, but it means we’re getting tender meat cooked in it extra fast timewith a nice steak flavor – rather than tough meat (which you can get with cheaper cuts of beef).
I love the astringency this recipe. The sauce soaks into the rice wonderfully – which means a lot of taste with every bite!
📋 What do we need?
📺 Check out how to do it
Full recipe with detailed steps in the recipe card at the end of this post.
👩🍳PRO TIP Place the steak in the freezer for 10-20 minutes before slicing. This will make it firmer and easier to slice into thin slices.
Do this and I guarantee every plate will be clean within 10 minutes!!
🍽️ What to serve with it
wanna make it hot 🌶
Add a tablespoon of sriracha to the sauce and sprinkle with a few chili flakes before serving.
🍲 More amazing Chinese takeaway recipes
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Crispy Orange Beef
Sticky-crunchy-sweet Crispy Beef in Orange Sauce – so delicious and filling and ready in 25 minutes!
Ingredients
Optional – to thicken the sauce:
INSTRUCTIONS
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Heat the oil in a wok or large frying pan over high heat.
3 tbsp oil
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Pat the beef dry with some paper towels, then mix the cornstarch (cornstarch) with salt and pepper and toss the beef in the cornstarch until completely coated.
500 g beef steak, 2 tbsp cornstarch, 1 pinch of salt and pepper
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When the oil is hot, add the beef and fry until crispy. Try not to agitate the meat too much as this will reduce the crispiness you get. It should take about 5-6 minutes for the beef to crisp, with about 3 or 4 stirrings during that time.
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Once the beef is crispy and cooked through, remove the beef with a slotted spoon and place in a bowl lined with paper towels to absorb excess fat.
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After the beef is removed from the pan, there should be some oil left. Reduce the heat to medium and add the sliced red pepper and onion.
1 red pepper, 1 large onion
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Fry for 2-3 minutes (so they are hot but still crispy).
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While peppers and onions are cooking, combine orange zest, juice, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, rice vinegar, and ginger and set aside.
juice of 2 large oranges, zest of half an orange, 3 tablespoons powdered sugar, 5 tbsp soy sauce, 2 cloves of garlic, 1 tsp ginger paste, 1 tsp rice vinegar
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Pour the orange sauce over it. Increase heat and bring to a boil. Simmer for 1 minute.
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Then add the beef back in. Stir and heat for 1 minute. If your sauce looks too thin, you can stir in some cornmeal to thicken it.
Mix 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 3 tablespoons of cold water to form a paste
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Once bubbly and thick, serve with cooked rice. Garnish with the spring onions (shelled onions).
Cooked rice, 4 spring onions (shell onions) chopped diagonally
✎ Notes
CAN I MAKE IT GLUTEN FREE?
Yes! Replace the soy sauce with tamari. I’ve done this many times and it works really well. However, you need to make sure you use the right amount of orange juice and sugar, otherwise the tamari may overpower the flavors.
CAN I FREEZE IT OR PREPARE IT?
This recipe works best when prepared and served immediately. Freezing/chilling and then reheating means the beef won’t get crispy.
But it still tastes really good. So if you want to freeze it, chill, cover and freeze. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat thoroughly in a wok or microwave until consistently hot. You can add a splash of water if it’s a little dry.
Nutritional information is per serving and does not include serving suggestion for cooked rice.
Nourishment
Calories: 349kcalCarbohydrates: 22GProtein: 31GFat: 14GSaturated Fatty Acids: 9GCholesterol: 73mgSodium: 1332mgPotassium: 686mgFiber: 1GSugar: 14GVitamin A: 1110ieVitamin C: 57.6mgCalcium: 53mgIron: 3mg
Originally published September 2015. Updated May 2018 and then again March 2023 with new photos and a video and additional tips.
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Equipment:
