Orange Beef (Crispy Beef Using Cheap Cut)
Create crispy, juicy, and tender restaurant-style orange beef using the cheapest cuts, and learn to make a super aromatic sauce that’s tastier and healthier than takeout.
To make this dish-gluten free, use dry sherry instead of Shaoxing wine, and use tamari instead of light soy sauce.
Ingredients
- 1. 5 lbs (680 g) beef round roast (or brisket, sliced against the grain as thinly as possible or up to 1/4-inch (5-cm) strips)
- 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 cup cornstarch
Sauce
- 1 tablespoon loosely packed orange zest (from 1 orange)
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 3 tablespoons rice vinegar
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce (or soy sauce)
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
Stir fry
- 1/4 to 1/3 cup peanut oil (or vegetable oil)
- 1 teaspoon minced ginger
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
Instructions
- Combine sliced beef, Shaoxing wine, salt, and baking soda in a big bowl. Mix thoroughly without your hand so the beef is evenly coated with the ingredients. Let marinate for 15 minutes.
- Mix all the sauce ingredients. Chop aromatics while marinating the meat.
- When you’re ready to cook, add the 1/4 cup cornstarch to the marinated beef. Mix again to coat evenly.
- Heat oil in a large nonstick pan or well-seasoned cast iron pan until hot (*Footnote 1). Cook the beef in two batches. Spread the beef with minimal overlapping. Cook until the bottom side turns golden brown, 45 seconds to 1 minute. Flip and cook the other side for 30 to 45 seconds, until lightly browned. Transfer the beef to a big plate and cook the rest of the beef using the same method.
- Once done, remove extra oil from the pan using a few layers of kitchen paper towel held in a pair of tongs. Leave just 1 tablespoon of oil in the pan.
- Add the ginger and garlic. Stir a few times to mix well.
- Whisk the sauce again to completely dissolve the cornstarch. Pour into the pan and add back the cooked beef. Stir immediately to mix. The sauce will thicken in a few seconds. Once done, transfer everything to a big plate. Garnish with sesame seeds and green onions, if using.
- Serve hot over steamed rice.
Notes
1. Always use a well-seasoned cast iron pan that you’ve been using for a while. Once the patina develops over time (after the surface of the pan turns dark brown), the pan will become a true nonstick pan. If you’re using a new pan, you need to use more oil to fry the beef, because the coating is quite starchy and might stick to the bottom of the pan.
Nutrition
Serving: 4g, Calories: 467kcal, Carbohydrates: 20.3g, Protein: 52.3g, Fat: 17.5g, Saturated Fat: 5.2g, Cholesterol: 152mg, Sodium: 630mg, Potassium: 771mg, Fiber: 0.3g, Sugar: 8.7g, Calcium: 10mg, Iron: 32.6mg