Crispy Orange Beef

Crispy Orange Beef - made November 4, 2019 from Simply Gourmet

Back to the savory side: another simple, tasty dinner recipe that takes minutes to put together with a little planning ahead.

I learned a tip from multiple other recipes that recommended slicing the beef when it was still partially frozen. Not so frozen that it's too hard to cut but not so defrosted that it's completely thawed and more difficult to cut cleanly.

When it's partially frozen, you can cut pretty thin slices which makes quick frying them a faster process. I don't like beef rare but I don't mind a bit of pink. When the slices are thin, by the time I put a single layer of the pieces in the frying pan, it's time to turn them over then time to take them off the heat right after I turn the last piece over. As much as I like frying things (too messy), this is a good compromise to being able to minimize frying time. Plus the beef remains tender.

I don't know that this was particularly crispy but that could be because I didn't fry them for very long as I didn't want to overcook the beef. But the orange flavor was good.

2 pounds sirloin steak, cut into bite-size pieces
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/3 cup arrowroot or cornstarch
1 cup oil, for frying

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 (I grated the rind for the zest instead)
1/4 cup green onion, for garnish

1. Combine beef pieces and soy sauce; toss together. Add cornstarch and coat each piece.
2. Using a wire rack set inside a baking sheet, spread out the meat pieces in a single layer. Freeze for 45 minutes to dry the meat out; this helps make it crispy when fried.
3. 10 minutes before the 45 minutes are up, add oil to a large cast iron pan or dutch oven. Bring oil to 375 degrees F.
4. Line a shallow bowl with paper towels and start frying the meat. Fry until golden brown on each side, about 3 minutes. Drain pieces in bowl lined with paper towels. Remove oil.
5. Prepare sauce: combine sauce ingredients in frying pan (oil removed); whisk and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until thickened, about 3 minutes. Add beef pieces and stir to coat each piece with sauce.
6. Serve with rice and garnish with green onion.