Orange Tangerine Beef

This is Chinese Szechuan cooking at its sharpest, built on one ingredient most Western cooks overlook: dried orange peel. Unlike fresh zest, dried tangerine or orange peel has a concentrated, slightly bitter perfume that blooms in hot oil and lingers on the beef long after the stir fry is plated.

Flank steak gets sliced thin against the grain and marinated briefly in soy, rice wine, ginger, and a touch of cornstarch. The cornstarch is the key to that velvety, glossy coating the meat picks up. Dried red chilies hit the hot oil first and infuse it with smoky heat before the beef goes in.

The whole thing cooks in under 5 minutes once the oil is ready. Have everything prepped, chopped, and within reach before the pan gets hot. Stir fry punishes slow cooks.

Kitchen Tips

• Slice the flank steak against the grain, about ⅛ inch thick. Cut with the grain and you get chewy meat no matter how tender the cut was.
• Freeze the beef for 20 minutes before slicing. Firmed-up meat cuts in cleaner thin slices.
• Use dried orange peel if you have it. Fresh orange zest can substitute, but add it at the end so the oils don’t burn.
• Get the wok smoking hot before the beef goes in. A cool pan steams instead of searing.

Variations

• Add a pinch of Sichuan peppercorns with the chilies for authentic ma la tingle.
• Swap flank steak for sirloin or flat iron if that’s what the butcher has.
• Toss in sliced scallion whites at the very end for a fresh green lift.