2020 Update: This recipe gets a lot of traffic. Most people love it and a few have not. Our family still likes the flavor of this dish with the orange sauce and the crispy chicken pieces. I hope you enjoy this too!
One thing I really miss? Chinese food. I love the sweet and spicy sauces combined with crispy meats. The smokiness that comes from the vegetables stir-fried in a blazing hot wok....YUM!
I have seen versions of Crispy Orange Beef on Pinterest several times. My mouth waters with each picture. I finally decided to give it a try and see if I could use "my ingredients" to make a tasty alternative.
I think I did. The beef is fried in coconut oil. I am able to use arrowroot starch in place of cornstarch. I use coconut-aminos in place of the recommended soy sauce.
I was very happy to have this for lunch with a bowl of rice and a few stir-fried vegetables along the side. The combination of ingredients created a nice blend of flavors. Nothing too over-powering. Subtle flavors that allow the meat to shine and the orange to be present with each bite.
My inspiration for this dish came from two blogs: Fifteen Spatulas and Table for Two. The links will take you to the original recipe if you don't need to make food adjustments due to allergies and intolerances.
NOTE: Before you make this recipe, read the instructions. It does say to freeze the meet with coating for 45 minutes. I personally have not tried the recipe by skipping this step.
Crispy Orange Beef
Makes enough for 2 very hungry adults or 4 adults with rice and side dishes
2 pounds of steak: sirloin, stir fry steak or skirt steak (what you see in the pictures)
2 tablespoons coconut-aminos or soy sauce or gluten-free soy sauce
1/3 cup arrowroot starch or corn starch
1 cup of oil, for frying (I used coconut oil)
Crispy Orange Beef Sauce, recipe below
1. Cut meat into bite-size pieces. I tried to have my pieces about 1inch by 1.5 inches. Add coconut -aminos or soy sauce to the meat pieces and toss. Add the starch and coat each piece of meat.
2. Using a wire rack inside a cookie tray, spread the meat pieces out in a single layer. Freeze for 45 minutes. This helps to dry the meat out and make it crispy when fried.
3. 10 minutes before the meat is done in the freezer, add oil to a large cast-iron pan or dutch oven. Bring oil to 375 degrees F.
4. Line a bowl with a paper towel and start frying meat. Fry until golden brown on each side (about 3 minutes) You can add more oil if you want to coat the pieces and "fry". I did more of a pan fry on mine and it worked out great. Remove pieces to a paper towel and continue frying until all the meat is prepared.
5. To prepare sauce-see below. Toss sauce with crispy beef pieces, add garnish and serve with rice.
Crispy Orange Beef Sauce
2 tablespoons arrowroot or cornstarch
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
3 tablespoons molasses
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
1/4 cup of orange rind, sliced very thin
1/4 cup green onion, chopped for garnish
To serve sauce on the side: Combine sauce ingredients in a small saucepan, whisk and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until thickened (about 3 minutes).
To serve sauce over beef: Add ingredients to a small bowl and whisk. When all of the meat has been fried, remove oil and toss sauce into the frying pan. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat for 3 minutes. Add beef pieces and stir to coat each piece with sauce.
Written by Sherron Watson