Crispy Orange Beef Recipe

Crispy Orange Beef Recipe

200g flank steak, cut into pieces 1 inch long

  ½ inch wide and ¼ inch thick

1½ teaspoons baking soda

1 orange

Sauce:

2 tablespoons sugar

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon rice wine or dry sherry

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon cornstarch

Vegetable oil, for passing through

1 cup cornstarch

1 large egg white, lightly beaten

3 scallions, white part only, trimmed and sliced diagonally

  into ½-inch pieces (½ cup)

1 teaspoon dark sesame oil

1 tablespoon orange liqueur, such as Grand Marnier

¼ teaspoon hot chili paste

Method:

Mix the flank steak, baking soda and 3 tablespoons of water in a medium bowl.  Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours or overnight.  (The baking soda will tenderize the steak).  Using a vegetable peeler, remove the colored zest from the orange.  Cut the zest into thin strips about 1 inch long and set them aside.  Save the orange flesh for another use.  To begin the sauce, mix the sugar, vinegar, rice wine, soy sauce and cornstarch in a small bowl.  Set it aside.  Heat a large wok over high heat.  Add enough vegetable oil to come about 1½ inches up the sides of the wok, and heat it to 180°C.  Meanwhile, add the cornstarch and egg white to the steak, and mix well to coat the steak with the batter.  Add the flank steak to the oil, one piece at a time so it does not splash or stick together, and stir gently until it begins to look crispy, about 1 minute.  Using a wide wire-mesh strainer, transfer the steak to a colander to drain.  Using a fine-mesh wire strainer, remove any bits of fried batter from the wok.  Reheat the oil to 180°C, return the flank steak to the wok, and fry again until the beef is crispy all over, about 2 minutes.  Transfer to a strainer to drain.  Discard all but 1 tablespoon of the oil from the wok.  Return the wok with the oil to high heat.  Add the scallions, flank steak, sugar-vinegar mixture, orange zest, sesame oil, Grand Marnier, and hot chili paste.  Stir-fry until all of the ingredients are well-blended, about 30 seconds.  Serve immediately.