Crispy Orange Beef Recipe – Chinese Special
Crispy fried beef is tossed in a sweet, tangy, and savory orange sauce. The texture and flavor combination makes this recipe a winner!
- Prep Time20 min
- Cook Time40 min
- Total Time1 hr
Crispy Orange Beef Ingredients :
- 1.25 pounds top sirloin steak, 1/4” slices (yes, you can sub with dark chicken pieces)
- 2 egg whites or 1 egg
- 2 teaspoon corn starch
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- oil for frying (canola, peanut, grapeseed, safflower)
- lime wedge for serving
- 1/2 cup corn starch
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour3/4 cup white sugar
- 3/4 cup tablespoon white vinegar
- 1/3 cup soy sauce
- 1/4 cup water
- zest of 1 1/2 oranges
- 1/4 cup fresh orange juice
- 1 tablespoon corn starch + 1 tablespoon water (mix together)
- 4+ garlic cloves, grated
- 2? ginger knob, grated
How To Make Crispy Orange Beef
Fill a heavy pot with frying oil 3” high and heat to 375F (temp is VITAL in making it crispy – use deep-frying or candy thermometer). Make sure the pot is less than 1/3 full for safety reasons.
Add a pinch of salt to beef slices then coat them in corn starch to keep the meat tender; leave for 30 minutes.
For the sauce, mix sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, water, zest, and orange juice in a wok/wide pan and bring to a boil on high heat. Reduce to medium heat once it boils, then add ginger and garlic, and simmer for 10 minutes. Mix corn starch and water in a bowl and pour into the sauce while stirring continuously until it becomes slightly syrupy. Turn off the heat.
Whisk together corn starch and all-purpose flour for the coating.
Add egg whites or whole egg to the beef and mix together.
Coat the beef in the flour mixture in small batches.
Fry beef in SMALL batches for 3 minutes and cool on a wire rack or paper towel. Turn heat higher after beef goes in if the temp drops. Keep an eye on it & keep the temp between 350-375!!
Allow temp to come back up between batches, and repeat!
Re-heat sauce. Toss chicken and the sauce in the wok until fully coated.
Serve with rice & steamed broccoli.
Recipe Notes:
To ensure crispy beef, please monitor the oil temperature to make sure it stays at 375F, fry in small batches, and raise the heat if the temperature drops. And remember to let the temperature come back up in between batches.
If you didn’t temp your oil & it’s not crispy, you can use the double frying method and fry it one more time for 30 seconds at 375. Don’t overcook the beef!
