This orange beef is a take-out classic that’s quick and easy to make at home. It’s made with thinly sliced beef and a simple, sweet and tangy orange sauce.
Like this orange chicken, orange beef only takes about 30 minutes to make, including the prep work. Actually, most Asian-inspired favorites are quick and easy, this beef and broccoli and beef and vegetable stir fry both come together in no-time.
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Finding quick and easy recipes is important if you want to serve your family home-cooked meals. Asian inspired take-out favorites are great for this.
Put together an Asian food pantry that you go-to on busy nights. Items like soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil, sesame seeds and hoisin sauce can be used to make a variety of dishes. If you have what you need on hand, you’re more likely to start on dinner and skip the take out.
What cut of meat to use
To make this orange beef we’re going to start with an affordable cut of meat, slice it super thin, coat it in flour and cornstarch and pan fry it until cooked and crispy.
In this recipe we use flank steak. Flank is a lean, firm cut of beef that’s comes from the abdominal muscle. It’s flavorful, but rather tough and has a pronounced grain. Slice the meat across the grain to increase tenderness.
If you don’t have flank steak, skirt steak (also slice across the grain) and sirloin make good alternatives.
Ingredients
- ½ cup Orange Juice, fresh squeezed is best – about 2-3 oranges depending on how juicy they are
- ¼ cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce
- 3 tablespoons Orange Marmalade
- 1 tablespoon Rice Vinegar
- ½ teaspoon Ginger Powder
- 1 Garlic Clove, grated or minced
- ¼ teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper, optional – leave it out if you don’t like spicy
- 3 tablespoons Canola Oil, or use your favorite oil but choose one with a high smoke point
- 1 pound Flank Meat, trimmed and cut into thin slices
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 2 tablespoons Cornstarch
- 1½ tablespoon Flour
You will also need
- Large re-sealable plastic bag
Optional garnishes
- Sesame Seeds
- Sliced Green Onions
- Orange Zest
Prep Work
There’s not a lot of prep work required with this dish. Just make the orange sauce and slice the meat, that’s it!
If you’re serving the orange beef with white rice, noodles or vegetables, make sure to get them started first. This dish takes about 20 minutes to make so we want to get any sides going before we start cooking.
How to make the orange sauce
This orange sauce is delicious! It’s a sweet and savory sauce made with fresh squeezed orange juice, orange marmalade, vinegar, garlic, ginger, soy sauce and red pepper flakes for a little zing.
Cook’s note: Zest the orange before juicing if you plan on using it as garnish. Use a zester to make quick work of this.
Juice the oranges. We used 2 large, extremely sweet and juicy, navel oranges to get ½ cup of orange juice. How many oranges you will need depends on how juicy they are. You can use bottled orange juice, but fresh squeezed really does make a difference.
Use a microplane to grate the garlic, or mince it finely.
Add the orange juice, soy sauce, orange marmalade, rice vinegar, ginger powder, garlic and crushed red pepper (if using) to a jar or a medium bowl.
I like using canning jars to make sauces, dressings and marinades. They’re washable, reusable and convenient. If you make the sauce ahead of time, you can cover the jar tightly with a lid and refrigerate until ready to use.
Cover and shake the jar, or stir the sauce with a fork or small whisk until well combined. Give the sauce a good stir right before using too.
Prepare the beef
- Pat the meat dry with a paper towel.
- Cut the steak into thin slices working against the grain.
- Sprinkle the steak with the salt.
- Add the cornstarch and flour to a large, re-sealable plastic bag. Add the sliced beef to the bag and seal it tightly leaving air inside the bag.
- Shake the bag from side to side and up and down to coat the steak with the cornstarch and flour. Massage the bag a bit to separate the pieces and shake the bag again. Do this several times.
Cook the beef
We want to fry the steak slices in batches so that we don’t overcrowd the pan and the beef gets and nice crispy crust. Two batches should be enough.
Heat the oil in a large, non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, but not smoking, add half of the beef.
Arrange them in a single layer and cook 2-3 minutes. Use tongs to turn each piece and cook another 1-2 minutes, or until the steak pieces are a nice golden-brown color.
Remove the steak from the skillet. Use tongs or a slotted spoon and set them on a plate or pan. Fry the rest of the meat following the same steps.
When all of the beef is cooked through, lower the heat on the skillet to medium-low.
If there is a pool of oil in the skillet, drain it but do not wash or wipe the pan. Add the prepared orange sauce and bring it to a simmer. Cook the sauce for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.
Add the beef to the sauce and cook 2-3 minutes or until it’s coated and the sauce thickens. Stir often and keep the sauce at a simmer. If it starts boiling too vigorously, lower the heat a bit.
Garnish the orange beef with orange zest, sesame seeds and sliced green onions, if desired.
Serve the orange beef on a bed of white rice, noodles or with a side of steamed vegetables for a delicious meal your family will really enjoy!
You may also like these take-out inspired recipes:
- Stir Fry Sauce
- Asian Chicken Skewers
- Shrimp and Vegetable Stir Fry
- Bacon and Eggs Fried Rice
- Shrimp Lo Mein
- Chicken Fried Rice
- Asian Marinated Pork Tenderloin
- Orange Glazed Pork Chops
Orange Beef
Ingredients
- ½ cup Orange Juice fresh squeezed is best – about 2-3 oranges depending on how juicy they are
- ¼ cup Low Sodium Soy Sauce
- 3 tablespoons Orange Marmalade
- 1 tablespoon Rice Vinegar
- ½ teaspoon Ginger Powder
- 1 Garlic Clove grated or minced
- ¼ teaspoon Crushed Red Pepper optional – leave it out if you don’t like spicy
- 3 tablespoons Canola Oil or use your favorite oil but choose something with a high smoke point
- 1 pound Flank Meat trimmed and cut into thin slices
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- 2 tablespoons Cornstarch
- 1½ tablespoon Flour
Instructions
- You will also need: Large re-sealable plastic bag
- Optional garnishes: sesame seeds, sliced green onions, orange zest
- Add the orange juice, soy sauce, orange marmalade, rice vinegar, ginger powder, garlic and crushed red pepper (if using) to a jar or a medium bowl. Stir well to combine. Give the sauce a good stir right before using too.
- Pat the meat dry with a paper towel. Cut the steak into thin slices working against the grain. Sprinkle the beef with the salt.
- Add the cornstarch and flour to a large, re-sealable plastic bag. Add the sliced beef and seal it tightly leaving air inside the bag. Shake the bag from side to side and up and down to coat the steak. Massage the bag a bit to separate the pieces and shake again. Do this several times.
- Heat the oil in a large, non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. When the oil is hot, but not smoking, add half of the beef.
- Arrange the beef in a single layer and cook 2-3 minutes. Use tongs to turn each piece and cook another 1-2 minutes, or until the steak pieces are a nice golden-brown color.
- Remove the steak from the skillet. Use tongs or a slotted spoon and set them on a plate or pan.
- Fry the rest of the meat following the same steps.
- When all of the beef is cooked through lower the heat to medium-low. If there is a pool of oil in the skillet, drain it but do not wash or wipe the pan.
- Add the prepared sauce and bring it to a simmer. Cook the sauce for 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently.
- Add the beef to the sauce and cook 2-3 minutes or until the beef is coated and the sauce thickens. Stir often and keep it at a simmer. If it starts boiling too vigorously, lower the heat a bit.
- Garnish the orange beef with orange zest, sesame seeds and sliced green onions, if desired.
Video
Notes
- Zest the orange before juicing if you plan on using it as garnish.
- If you don’t have flank meat, skirt steak (also slice across the grain) and sirloin make good alternatives.
- If you’re serving the orange beef with white rice, noodles or vegetables, get them started before you start cooking.
- Fry the steak slices in batches so the pan is not overcrowded and the beef gets and crispy crust.