I was in the mood for chinese food, so instead of ordering in or eating out, I dug up one of my old recipes–orange beef. I obviously didn’t invent this dish and I’m not sure this is technically the way its supposed to be made, but this is how I make it and it is pretty damn good, especially paired with jasmine rice! It’s seriously better than eating it out! You can also play with the heat levels depending on how spicy you want it.

Orange Beef

---

INGREDIENTS

For sauce:

2 tablespoons fresh or bottles orange juice

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup sugar

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1 tablespoon white wine (optional)

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon cornstarch

For beef frying:

1 lb. pepper steak, thinly sliced against the grain (minute steak could also work well)

1 egg

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/4 cup vegetable oil

Everything else:

2 tablespoons sesame oil

Dried sweet orange peel, about 5 long pieces chopped (if you cannot find this in your supermarket, then substitute with the peel of 1/2 an orange, julienned thin. Make sure to cut off the white inside the peel because it can cause bitterness to the dish. Just use the orange-colored part of the peel and cut into long thin strips)

1 dried chili, flake it roughly with your hands (I have used to 3 chili’s at times–1 a little spicy to 3 very spicy)

3 scallions, chopped (leave some extra on the side for garnish)

5 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon sesame seeds, for garnish

DIRECTIONS

Make sauce: Whisk together all ingredients in a bowl and set aside.

Fry beef: Cut long, thin strips of the pepper steak against the grain. Heat up a pan with oil. In a bowl, whisk egg and cornstarch together. Add the cut pepper steak to the bowl and mix together so the beef is coated. In batches, fry a little at a time until they become a little browned and the cornstarch crispy. You don’t need to cook the meat all the way through at this point. Once ready, let the beef sit on a paper towel to drain out the oil. Set aside.

Putting everything together: In a skillet, add the sesame oil, orange peel, and chili. Cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat. Then add the scallions and garlic and cook for another 3 minutes. Add the fried beef to the skillet and mix around for 1 minute. Add the sauce and delicately mix into the beef. Let simmer for 5-10 minutes, until the sauce becomes thicker and coats the beef. Plate it and add scallions and sesame seeds for garnish.

Enjoy and please share any comments or questions you may have. I would love to see how yours turns out! Make sure to tag me @lizskosherkitchen if you share it on social media so I can see your masterpiece!