Here’s another classic: Chinese Beef in Orange Sauce. This would be perfect if you’re planning a Chinese dinner party menu or if you just fancy some Chinese this weekend!
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Chinese Beef in Orange Sauce
I love making this Chinese Beef in Orange Sauce because it satisfies all of one’s cravings – its orange flavoured sauce is rich, a little sweet, sour and salty, epitomising, in my opinion, Sichuan cuisine. Minus the typical heat.
On top of that, the orange peel adds just a hint of bitterness, the merest of suggestions, to add yet another layer of flavour to the dish.
And then, we have the Sichuan peppercorns, adding one more dimension, this time giving you a slight tingling sensation on the tongue as you savour every mouthful! If you like, you can even add red chillies to make it spicy which I sometimes do and have given as an option here.
Sichuan Peppercorns
Their claim to fame is their mouth numbing characteristic; you get a tingling sensation on your tongue which sets the stage for the typically spicy dishes found in Sichuan cuisine.
Click here to read more about them.
Dried or Fresh Chillies?
Dried chillies impart a deeper, earthier flavour, so they work better here, in keeping with the depth of the sauce. If you want your dish to be spicy, cut up or slice your chillies but if you’d like just a hint of heat, leave them whole as the heat of the chillies is found within the chilli, on the white part, the membrane.
This is a really quick and easy recipe, even getting the ingredients together doesn’t take long. You start of with marinating the beef for 20-30 minutes, then it’s just a 5 minute job of cooking the beef. That means the cut of beef is important; we need something that will cook quickly.
What cut for Beef in Orange Sauce?
Because the cooking time is very brief, we need tender cuts of beef that require minimum cooking. Tender cuts come from the middle – the rib and loin – as these are support muscles that have less connective tissue because they get less exercise.
What’s perfect for this recipe?
- Sirloin – lean and boneless, great for all quick cooking, my favourite but maybe not for stir-fries, what a waste to mess with greatness!
- Rib Eye – probably with the most flavour but fattier
- Fillet Steaks – very lean and tender
- Rump Steaks – firmer but full of flavour
- Feather Steaks – taken from the blade, not as well known and are relatively inexpensive. I quite like these, you get flavour without the price tag
How to Serve Beef in Orange Sauce?
With plain steamed white rice. As is. Unadorned. The white rice absorbs and highlights the multifaceted constitution of this recipe the best.
But, if you like your egg fried rice, by all means, that’ll work too! It makes the perfect side dish in any Chinese meal or even mixed with Thai or Vietnamese dishes.
If you enjoy the recipe, drop me a comment and let me know. And if you are feeling like a star, don’t forget that 5-star rating! Thank you!
If you make this recipe, post it on Instagram or Facebook and tag me @azlinbloor and hashtag it #linsfood.
Lin xx
Chinese Beef in Orange Sauce
Ingredients
- 500 g quick cook beef (see above)
- 2 Tbsp vegetable oil or other flavourless oil
- 1 Tbsp rice wine or dry sherry
- 1 Tbsp sichuan peppercorns dry roasted for 2 minutes and pounded
- 5 cm fresh ginger, grated or pounded
- rind from 2 oranges not the bitter white part
- 2 dried Sichuan chillies or 2 fresh any red chillies of your choice
- 3 spring onions (scallions) sliced, white and green parts separated
- 125 ml water
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
Marinade
- 125 ml fresh orange juice roughly, from 2 oranges
- 2 Tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 Tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
- 2 tsp cornflour (cornstarch in the US)
- ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Marinate the beef and set aside for about 20-30 minutes while you get all the other ingredients ready and make yourself a cup of tea. Or coffee.500 g quick cook beef (see above), 125 ml fresh orange juice, 2 Tbsp light soy sauce, 1 Tbsp dark soy sauce, 2 Tbsp honey, 2 tsp toasted sesame oil, 2 tsp cornflour, ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- Heat the peanut oil in a roomy wok or frying pan on high heat.2 Tbsp vegetable oil
- Take the beef out of the marinade either just with your hand and squeezing it or by using a colander or slotted spoon. Reserve the marinade.
- Toss the beef into the wok and sauté on high heat for 2 minutes, stirring constantly.
- Add the rice wine or sherry and cook for a further 30 seconds.1 Tbsp rice wine or dry sherry
- Now add the reserved marinade along with all the other ingredients apart from the green spring onion slices and stir thoroughly.1 Tbsp sichuan peppercorns, 5 cm fresh ginger, grated or pounded, rind from 2 oranges, 2 dried Sichuan chillies , 125 ml water
- Cook for a further 3 minutes and turn the heat off. The beef should just be lightly cooked. At this stage, it will still be pink in the middle.
- Drizzle the last bit of sesame oil all over and stir through, off the heat.1 tsp toasted sesame oil
- Sprinkle with the green spring onions and serve immediately.3 spring onions (scallions)
MMmm this sounds so very tasty! I’ll have to see if I can find some of these peppercorns. Dry roasting them sounds like a great way to bring uor the flavour!
Absolutely!
love this recipe, we eat a lot of beef at home, my husband is from australia hehe. this is another recipe i can try on every weekend with the family
Lol, and i bet he likes Chinese food toO! Thank you!
Mmm, this looks so amazing! I’ll have to make this.
Thanks Amber!
Orange or tangerine beef is my litmus test for Chinese restaurants. I always order it the first time I try a place, if its good I’ll go back.
I can just imagine!
That luscious beef in its orange sauce looks so tasty. It’s a perfect combination for rice and it will surely satisfy my craving.
Sour/Sweet recipes have a special place in my heart/mouth! They’re my absolute favorite
I usually don’t like Chinese food, but this looks and sounds amazing!
Oh my God, that looks so good! I love Asian food in general and this looks like I’d really love it! Now I’m hungry tho O:))
Haha, thank you!
That sounds like a meal my whole family will enjoy! I am going to have to make it for them.
Thank you, let me know if you do!
This looks delicious. Lovely beautiful sauce. Yum Yum 🙂
Thank you Ritu, good of you to pop in again. Have a wonderful week ahead!