Spicy Orange Beef

I love Asian-American takeout food.  But you know what I love even more?  Learning to make Asian-American takeout at home.  It’s always tastier, more healthful, and less expensive than traditional takeout.  Often, it’s even faster.  This easy and delicious Spicy Orange Beef is the perfect example and a new family favorite.

I first made Spicy Orange Beef when I was trying to help a friend use up a bag of small mandarin oranges–Cuties®, to be exact–before they went all dry and wrinkly.  It was so good that I immediately went home and made it again for us.

I always grab some sirloin steak when it goes on sale, and after you make Spicy Orange Beef, you will, too.  Sirloin is perfect, and you’ll be slicing it thinly.  Very thinly.  Like ¼” thin or even less.  You’ll also be slicing it against the grain.  Sirloin has an obvious grain, not all cuts of beef do.  You can easily see the direction the muscle fibers are running on a piece of sirloin, and all you need to do is make your (thin!) slices perpendicular to that.  Slicing a lean cut like sirloin against the grain is the first step to very tender inexpensive beef.  The second step is to barely cook it.

You’ll be cooking the steak quickly in two batches.  Don’t worry about cooking the beef through at first.  It’s so thin that it will continue to cook off the heat, and then again in the sauce.  The closer to medium rare it ends up, the more tender it will be, anyway.  

Spicy Orange Beef is so quick to prepare, you will definitely want to have everything ready before you start.  Make the sauce, slice the beef, and cut up the vegetables before you turn on the stove.  And if you’re serving it over rice, make that before you start, too. 

As good as Spicy Orange Beef is, leftovers are even better the next day!

Print Recipe

Spicy Orange Beef

Better and faster than take-out!

Ingredients

Sauce

• 2 oranges zest of one orange and juice of both
• ⅓ cup brown sugar
• 3 T. rice wine vinegar
• 3 T. soy sauce
• 2 T. shaoxing wine or dry sherry
• 1½ T. dark sesame oil
• ½ t. red pepper flakes, or to taste
• 2 T. cornstarch

Spicy Orange Beef

• 2 T. neutral oil or coconut oil
• 1 lb. sirloin steak, sliced very thinly against the grain
• 1 cup vegetables of your choice: snow peas or french-cut green beans red bell pepper, diced or in strips broccoli florets shredded carrots shredded cabbage water chestnuts . . . or a combo
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 scallions, sliced
• 1 T. grated ginger or 1 t. powdered ginger
• ½ t. ground black pepper
• Steamed white or jasmine rice for serving

Instructions

• Whisk together the sauce ingredients and set aside.
• Heat oil in a wok or skillet over medium high heat. You'll work in batches, and only add enough beef to the skillet that you can lay the pieces flat in one layer. Very quickly cook the beef, a minute per side. Immediately remove each batch to a bowl and set aside.
• Without cleaning the pan add the vegetables and stir for a couple of minutes. Add the garlic and ginger, stir only until the garlic is fragrant. Add the sauce to the pan and turn the heat to low. Add the black pepper and scallions. Return the beef to the pan, simmer just long enough to heat the beef through and allow the sauce to thicken slightly.
• Serve over rice.