Orange Beef

This orange beef dish (chun pi niu in mandarin) is a nice change of pace, with really interesting, complex flavors. One important ingredient is the dried mandarin orange peel. The 5-spice powder and dried mandarin orange peel favors complement each other and the addition of dried red chili peppers gives it just enough heat it needs.

Marinating wit h orange marmalade and frying the beef infuses the beef with orange flavor.  Add broccoli florets and a rich sauce flavored with dried orange peels and you have a delicious meal served with rice.

dried orange peels are easy to make as long as you can find fresh mandarin oranges, tangerines, or clementines. All you do is peel the fruit and scrape as much of the white pith off the rind as you can and let dry on a sunny windowsill for a few days. They keep well in a glass jar for up to 6 months. Don’t try drying regular orange peels because the flavor is not as concentrated and the skin is too thick which will result in the dried peel being too bitter.  Tangerine or mandarin orange peels work best as they are quite thin and packed full of flavor.

Here’s the complete recipe!

To marinate the beef:

• 12 oz. flank steak
• 2 teaspoons oil
• 1/8 teaspoon five spice powder
• 1 teaspoon orange marmalade
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda (optional tenderizer)
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons flour

To assemble:

• 3 cups broccoli florets
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 cup of beef stock
• 1 tablespoon shaoxing wine
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½  teaspoon sugar
• ¼ teaspoon white pepper
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 7 whole dried red chili peppers
• 5 small pieces dried Mandarin orange or tangerine peel
• 1 star anise
• 1 clove minced garlic
• ½ cup sliced red bell pepper
• 1 teaspoon orange zest

Slice the beef into 2 to 3-inch pieces, each about a 1/2 inch thick. Place the beef between layers of plastic wrap and whack them with a rolling pin until about ¼ inch thick. Combine 2 teaspoons oil, five spice powder, orange marmalade, salt, baking soda and cornstarch and marinate the beef in the mixture. Then dredge the beef in the flour.

Blanch the broccoli for about 20 seconds and rinse in cold water. Drain and set aside. Mix a tablespoon of cornstarch with a tablespoon of water and set that aside as well. In another bowl, stir together beef stock, wine, light and dark soy, salt, sugar, and white pepper.

Next, heat the wok over high heat until smoking slightly. Add a tablespoon of oil to coat the wok and sear the slices of beef for a minute on each side. Remove the beef from the wok. Reheat the wok over medium heat and add another tablespoon of oil, dried hot chili peppers, orange peels and the star anise.

Allow the aromatics to infuse the oil for a minute and add your minced garlic and bell peppers. Quickly, pour in the stock mixture and allow it to come to a boil. Slowly add your cornstarch slurry until the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon. Add the orange zest, beef and the blanched broccoli florets and toss well until everything is coated.  Add more stock if the mixture is too thick and add more cornstarch slurry of the sauce is too thin.

Plate and serve over rice!

ORANGE BEEF

 

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Prep time

30 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

40 mins

 

Serves: Serves 2

Ingredients

TO MARINATE THE BEEF:

• 12 oz. flank steak
• 2 teaspoons oil
• ⅛ teaspoon five spice powder
• 1 teaspoon orange marmalade
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon baking soda (optional tenderizer)
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons flour

TO ASSEMBLE:

• 3 cups broccoli florets
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1 cup of beef stock
• 1 tablespoon shaoxing wine
• 1 tablespoon light soy
• 1 teaspoon dark soy
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon sugar
• ¼ teaspoon white pepper
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 7 whole dried red chili peppers
• 5 small pieces dried Mandarin orange or tangerine peel
• 1 star anise
• 1 clove minced garlic
• ½ cup sliced red bell pepper
• 1 teaspoon orange zest

Instructions

1. Slice the beef into 2 to 3-inch pieces, each about a ½ inch thick. Place the beef between layers of plastic wrap and whack them with a rolling pin until about ¼ inch thick. Combine 2 teaspoons oil, five spice powder, orange marmalade, salt, baking soda and cornstarch and marinate the beef in the mixture. Next, dredge the beef in the flour.
2. Blanch the broccoli for about 20 seconds and rinse in cold water. Drain and set aside. Mix a tablespoon of cornstarch with a tablespoon of water and set that aside as well. In another bowl, stir together beef stock, wine, light and dark soy, salt, sugar, and white pepper.
3. Next, heat the wok over high heat until smoking slightly. Add a tablespoon of oil to coat the wok and sear the slices of beef for a minute on each side. Remove the beef from the wok. Reheat the wok over medium heat and add another tablespoon of oil, dried hot chili peppers, orange peels and the star anise. Allow the aromatics to infuse the oil for a minute and add your minced garlic and bell peppers. Quickly, pour in the stock mixture and allow it to come to a boil. Slowly add your cornstarch slurry until the sauce is thick enough to coat a spoon.
4. Add the orange zest, beef and the blanched broccoli florets and toss well until everything is coated. Add more stock if the mixture is too thick and add more cornstarch slurry of the sauce is too thin. Plate and serve over rice!

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