This Crispy Orange Beef is super easy to make and way better than take-out! Sticky-crispy-sweet Crispy Beef in orange sauce - so delicious and satisfying and ready in 25 minutes!
Oh man I love crispy, sticky, sweet anything!
Have you ever tried crispy chilli beef? That is one amazing dinner served up with my homemade egg fried rice (one of Chris's all-time favourites). This recipe uses similar ingredients (soy sauce, garlic, sugar, ginger etc). However, replacing the lime juice with orange just adds such a great sweet-tangyness.
It's not exactly what I'd call a diet dinner, but it's one of those meals that's so tasty that I'd prefer a small-but-perfect bowl of it, rather than a huge plate of..... well anything that's moderately healthy 🙂
Can you tell that I'm having a bit of a diet wobble?
I'm halfway through a 10-week weight loss challenge at the moment. Just a little motivational thing we're doing with a few people from the family to lose a few pounds. My aim is to lose 10 pounds over the 10 weeks, and I've lost 5 and a half so far. I figured a pound a week is a good amount that will still let me eat a few treats - like this orange beef!
Start by coating strips of beef in cornflour, salt and pepper.
Fry in oil in a hot wok until crispy, then remove from the wok.
Add chopped peppers and onion to the wok and fry for a minute or two - so they're still crispy.
Add in the orange sauce - made from orange zest, orange juice, sugar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger and rice vinegar. Bring to the boil, then reduce until thickened.
Add the beef back in to warm through, before serving with rice!
Make this and I guarantee every plate will be clean within 10 minutes!!
Check out the full step by step version in our video below.
At least I know this dinner is healthier than throwing in the towel and ordering a Chinese banquet!
Crispy Orange Beef
Ingredients
Crispy Orange Beef
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- 500 g beef steak - I use sirloin, chopped into strips*
- 2 tbsp cornflour/cornstarch - not cornmeal
- pinch of salt and pepper
- Juice of 2 large oranges
- Zest of half an orange
- 3 tbsp caster sugar
- 5 tbsp soy sauce - make sure it’s gluten-free soy sauce if you’re gluten intolerant
- 2 cloves of garlic - peeled and crushed
- 1 thumb sized piece of ginger - peeled and finely chopped/grated
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
- 1 red pepper - sliced into chunks
- 1 large onion peeled and sliced into chunks
To Serve:
- Boiled rice
- 4 spring onions/scallions chopped on the diagonal
INSTRUCTIONS
- Heat the oil in a wok or large frying. Pat the beef dry with some kitchen roll, then mix the cornflour with the salt and pepper and toss the beef in the cornflour until completely coated. When the oil is hot, tip the beef in and fry until crispy. I try not to move the meat around too much as this seems to reduce the amount of crispiness you get. It generally takes about 9 or 10 minutes to crisp up the beef, with about 3 or 4 stirs during that time. Some people would say to crisp the beef in batches, but I'm far too lazy for all that, and so long as you're using a large pan, and very hot oil you can get away with doing the lot in one go. Once the beef is crispy and cooked through, remove the beef using a slotted spoon, and place in a bowl lined with kitchen roll to soak up excess fat.
- Whilst the beef is cooking, mix the orange juice, zest, sugar, soy sauce, garlic, ginger and rice vinegar and put to one side.
- After the beef has been removed from the pan there should still be a little oil left. Turn the heat down a little and add the sliced red pepper and onion. Fry for a minute or two (so they're hot but still crunchy), then pour over the orange sauce. Turn up the heat and bring to the boil, then add the beef back in. Give it a stir and heat through for 1 minute. If your sauce is looking too thin, you can stir in a little bit of cornflour mixed with cold water to thicken.
- Once bubbling and thick, serve up with boiled rice. Garnish with the spring onions/scallions.
Video
✎ Notes
CAN I MAKE IT GLUTEN FREE?
Yes! Replace the soy sauce with tamari. I've done this lots of times and it works really well. You must ensure you use the correct amount of orange juice and sugar though, otherwise the tamari can overpower the flavours.CAN I FREEZE IT OR MAKE IT AHEAD?
This recipe works best when made and served right away. Freezing/chilling then reheating means the beef won't be crispy.However, it does still taste really good. So if you did want to freeze it, then cool, cover and freeze. Defrost overnight in the refrigerator and reheat thoroughly in the wok or a microwave until piping hot throughout. You can add a splash of water if it's a little dry. Nutritional Information is per serving and does not include the serving suggestion of boiled rice.
Nutrition
Originally published September 2015. Updated May 2018 with new photos and a video, plus extra tips.
Equipment:
In order to make this Crispy Orange Beef recipe you will need:
- A good Kitchen knife. I have recently bought this Dalstrong one and love it.
- Chopping Board
- Zester or microplane
- Juicer
- Measuring Spoons
- Garlic Press
- A wok or if you dont have a wok then a frying pan/skillet will do
- Wooden or Silicon Coated Spoons. We have just bought these and love them.
- Rice Steamer.
Some of the links in this post may be affiliate links – which means if you buy the product I get a small commission (at no extra cost to you). If you do buy, then thank you! That’s what helps us to keep Kitchen Sanctuary running. The nutritional information provided is approximate and can vary depending on several factors. For more information please see our Terms & Conditions.
Loulou says
I made this last night for my partner and me - it was really tasty. I found it best to get all my prep done and tidy up along the way and then followed the recipe. I will definitely make it again, thank you 🙏
Stacey Wright says
This is the first recipe of yours I've tried and it won't be the last! This was fantastic, everyone who had it loved it also. Quick and easy to make and will make again. Thank you.
Chris Corbishley says
Thanks Stacey,
So pleased that you liked the recipe. I love Orange Chicken too 🙂
Thanks
Chris
Allan Smith says
Oh. My. Gosh. This was so delicious! This is a must make. This was my first recipe by Kitchen Sanctuary and I'm very excited to explore all the others!
Candice says
Delicious! And very easy to make
fiorino says
Awesome recipe..saved and posted to mt accounts on : Twitter..Pinterest.Yummly.facebook..and tumblr
Karly says
This looks absolutely amazing! Like I want to eat it now! Thanks for sharing!
Danielle says
Nicky, this looks amazing! That beef is just mouthwatering. I love stir fry dishes like this. And the flavors are amazing, love the orange!
Minnie says
Love your new video, it is great to see the person behind all these fab recipes. I have made this in the past and the whole family loved it.
Julie says
Well Nicky, since I discovered your website a couple of weeks ago, I have downloaded loads of your delicious recipes. Friday night hubbie cooks dinner and we had your crispy orange beef. A big success!! I had made rhubarb tiramasu for dessert (I hate the coffee version) so a very nice meal tonight. I look forward to the next "nicky" recipe!
Nicky Corbishley says
Thanks for coming back and letting me know Julie, I'm so glad you like the recipes 🙂
Patti Locken says
Living in northern Alberta, Canada, my husband is a hunter. We currently have some fresh elk meat in the freezer and I'm always looking for new recipes to use with the wild (game) meat. This looks wonderful and I will try this soon. One question - what is caster sugar and can I substitute it with coconut palm sugar?
Nicky Corbishley says
Wow, I've never tasted elk! I bet that would be awesome!! I've never tried replacing the caster sugar with coconut palm sugar, but I can't see a problem with it. It's similar to brown sugar if I remember correctly? so that should work just fine. Hope you enjoy Patti 🙂
Lorraine says
Hi Nicky I am definitely going to try this you make the types of foods my daughter and I love, usually take-outs but now I shall try yours. Thanks for your lovely pics and recipes...
Nicky Corbishley says
Thanks so much Lorraine, glad you like the recipes 🙂
Rob says
This looks terrific. Those are some really spectacular photos...my mouth is watering just looking at them! I also appreciate your sense of humor. Normally, I just skip ahead to the ingredients, but the read is half the fun! Hmm...I'm thinking I could swap out the beef for chicken and it would work the same way. What do you think? Thanks.
Nicky Corbishley says
Thanks Rob, glad you like it 🙂
Yes, you can swap out the beef for chicken. In fact I do the recipe here: https://www.kitchensanctuary.com/sticky-orange-chicken/
It's similar to the beef recipe, except I marinate the chicken for a deeper flavour. It'll still taste great without marinading too.
Casey says
Wondering if you meant corn meal instead of cornflour? Anxious to try this recipe, it is almost beautiful to look at.
Nicky Corbishley says
Hi Casey,
We call is cornflour in the UK. It's the one with the flour-type textur (not the grainy one). I think you might know it as corn starch? I've updated the ingredients to make it more clear. Hope you enjoy the recipe 🙂
cupcakes says
nice asian meal, I will try it as soon as possible, red pepper is always giving great decoration on any recipe, it is a nice choice
Nicky Corbishley says
Thanks for stopping by, glad you like the recipe 🙂
anniesnomsblog says
This looks utterly wonderful!! I love "fake-out" dishes, so much better for you than a real takeout and you can make it exactly as you want! Need to try this! 🙂
Nicky Corbishley says
Thanks Annie - I agree. One of Chris's favourites is the crispy chilli beef I do at home - he won't order it in a restaurant now - he says mine is better (he knows how to get in my good books :-))