tangeringe beef

My go-to dish at Chinese restaurants has always been orange peel beef. Last night was my first attempt at re-creating the magic at home - and I found out that not only is it surprisingly easy (near foolproof), it's almost a dead-ringer for any restaurant dish.

The recipe I ended up with is adapted from Food Network's Guy Fieri's files - I like his style in the kitchen - adventurous, but not pretentious. So, I encourage you to try it out, I don't think you'll be disappointed!

Tangerine Beef

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 20 minutes

You'll need:

1.5 lbs. flank steak

4 T. soy sauce (I used Tamari, I like the deep flavor)

1 T. corn starch

Sauce:

2 T. soy sauce (again, Tamari is good)

2 T. hoisin sauce

2 T. olive oil

2 T. honey
2 T. dry sherry

1 T. hot chili paste

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 T. ground ginger

1/4 C. fresh squeezed tangerine juice

1/2 t. tangerine zest

Garnish:

3 Scallions - chopped

For the meat marinade: Whisk together soy sauce and corn starch. Slice flank steak across the grain/on the bias into very thin slices. Toss flank steak with soy sauce/corn starch, and let marinate in fridge for at least 20 minutes.

For the sauce: Whisk together all the ingredients and set aside.

To cook the beef: Heat 2 T. oil in a deep skillet for 2 minutes, until it's very hot. First, sautee the beef. once you put it in the pan, let it sear for at least one minute and up to two before tossing. (Tongs are helpful when working with strips of beef). When you are happy with the level of caramelization on the beef, give the sauce a quick stir and add it to the sautee pan. Sautee until sauce reduces slightly, or until you are happy with the done-ness of your beef. And that's it!

I served this last night with whole grain rice, as well as a very simple, colorful salad of red cabbage and shredded carrot, tossed in Ken's Lite Asian Ginger Sesame dressing - delicious, and healthy.

For the salad, either finely chop or use a mandolin to slice half a head of red cabbage into a deep bowl. Toss with shredded carrots (you can buy carrots pre-shredded at the store, or do it yourself using a cheese grater at home). Toss with 1/4 C. Ken's dressing - and chill for 30 minutes.