Clementine Beef
This recipe stemmed from a random craving for American mall cuisine: Panda Express. Orange Chicken is a best seller for the chain. I wanted to lighten up the end result, so I went for a pan seared version in lieu of deep frying the meat. (You are most welcome to deep fry if you like, it makes the meat texture a bit more like the restaurant, but also quite a bit heavier) The sauce is a bit more spicy and garlicky than the original. These ingredients could be applied to chicken, beef, or pork. I find that for the sauce, you can play around with the level of spice or skip it entirely if that’s not your vibe. I used clementine, because its the season for them, and its what I had at home. The portion below is for one or two as a starter - so you can double or triple it for a larger servings. Give this one a try and let me know how you like it!
Ingredients
Vegetable oil for cooking
250 grams or 8 oz of flank steak (or chicken/pork) thinly sliced
2 tablespoons of flour or cornstarch or tempura mix (I used Tippy)
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
pinch of salt and a pinch of white and black pepper
For the Sauce
Juice from 2 small clementines
1 Tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 Tablespoon sesame oil
1 Tablespoon rice wine vinegar (substitute: white or red wine vinegar is also fine if that’s what you have)
1 Tablespoon mirin (substitute: half a teaspoon of sugar)
2 Tablespoons chopped green onions
1 Tablespoon grated ginger
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (possible substitute: 1/2 teaspoon chili garlic sauce)
1 heaping tablespoon of cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon of clementine zest (optional - I’m just not a zest person)
Sesame seeds for garnish
Directions
Cut the beef into thin slices. You want to keep them thin so it cooks quickly and gains a bit of texture from the coating. Mix the cornstarch, garlic powder, onion powder, salt and pepper together. Toss the beef in coating (you could do it in a bowl or a plastic bag) and set aside. For the sauce, mix all of the ingredients except the sesame seeds in a bowl, be sure to mix in the cornstarch well, or it stays in clumps. This is a recipe where you want to have everything ready before you start cooking - you don’t want to watch the beef and make the sauce at the same time - you won’t have enough time and you risk overcooking the meat and having a hot mess of a sauce.
In a large skillet add about two tablespoons of vegetable oil to medium high heat. Optional flavor variations: Garlic lovers: you can chop one clove and start it in the heat. Idem for ginger fans, grate a teaspoon and let it start frying for an extra punch. Or you can do garlic and ginger to start the oil and its delicious, but if you want a more mellow dish, perhaps go straight to the beef. Add the beef strips to the hot oil and allow it to brown on both sides - this should be 2 min on each side (if you are using chicken its longer! about 3-4 minutes). If using the zest add that in now. Once all the pieces are cooked lower the heat to medium and carefully add the sauce mixture and stir. - it will splatter if you throw it in a hot pan all at once. The sauce will come together very quickly. Once the sauce goes from milky to clear, it is ready to serve on rice or on leafy greens. Garnish with the sesame seeds or an extra squeeze of the juice.