Szechuan Crispy Orange Beef

I didn't have oyster sauce or water chestnuts in my pantry, but this recipe looked awesome , so I went out of my way to go to the store and buy those ingredients. I followed the recipe to the letter as I always do, so I can fairly rate the recipe. I am so happy I put the extra effort in to make this. It was AWESOME, my hubby loved it. Kudos to you for posting this. I will make again, and now I will forever keep oyster sauce and water chestnuts in my panty.

0 people found this review Helpful. You can only vote others' reviews helpful or not helpful... Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No We don't know who you are. Sign in or create an account

Loved this. Did not have whole peppers, so used 1 Tbsp. dried flakes. Too much for the kids, but just right for me and the husband. We loved it and will have again. Also, I used 2 oranges, and it was very tasty. A nice hot dish for a cold night.

0 people found this review Helpful. You can only vote others' reviews helpful or not helpful... Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No We don't know who you are. Sign in or create an account

We loved this. A wonderful pungency from the oranges gave this a great flavor. The beef turned out nice and crispy and the sauce was delicious. I think I used an orange too small for the recipe and we felt it could use more of the orange strips. This however, did not detract from the recipes appeal. Thank you!

0 people found this review Helpful. You can only vote others' reviews helpful or not helpful... Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No We don't know who you are. Sign in or create an account

Yummy, yummy, yummy. We had this at a restaurant and I was craving it a week later. This was fabulous! I doubled the sauce, which was perfect for our family of 5. And even my picky ones ate it all. Thanks so much.

0 people found this review Helpful. You can only vote others' reviews helpful or not helpful... Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No We don't know who you are. Sign in or create an account

Great recipe !!! I made this tonite and it was really tasty and also very easy to do ..it's one of the best stir frys I ever made..Only change I made was to substitute the meat with chicken breast and added the juice of the orange to the sauce...Thank you for posting a delicious recipe This is definately a keeper!!!

0 people found this review Helpful. You can only vote others' reviews helpful or not helpful... Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No We don't know who you are. Sign in or create an account

This was really yummy and easy to make after the prep. I think next time I might add a bit of orange juice to the sauce though and make the peel a little bit thicker. The beef was crispy and delicious, thanks!

0 people found this review Helpful. You can only vote others' reviews helpful or not helpful... Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No We don't know who you are. Sign in or create an account

We loved this. Like some others, I added some orange juice to the sauce, and some fresh ginger, and tossed in a big bunch of chinese greens at the end. I found the beef was very crispy until I returned it to the sauce - I used peanut oil and cooked in small batches in an electric wok with no problems. I think the only way you'd keep the beef crispy is to serve it separately, which would be nice as well, but I liked it mixed in the sauce. Will definitely be making this again, and will also try it without frying the beef in the oil first, as I think it will be almost as nice plus healthier.

0 people found this review Helpful. You can only vote others' reviews helpful or not helpful... Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No We don't know who you are. Sign in or create an account

I found this recipe OK, I liked the fact I didn't have to make a batter for the beef, but the beef didn't get the really crispy/coated texture we like.

0 people found this review Helpful. You can only vote others' reviews helpful or not helpful... Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No We don't know who you are. Sign in or create an account

Great recipe - easy to make and better than the resturant ( excpet for the dishes LOL) Thanks !

0 people found this review Helpful. You can only vote others' reviews helpful or not helpful... Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No We don't know who you are. Sign in or create an account

I've been cooking Chinese food for about 35 years, so I _think_ I know what I'm doing, but I must have done something seriously wrong, based on all the positive reviews. This was too greasy, too salty, the sauce never thickened (I had to add extra cornstarch), and in general, I just didn't care for it. Just my opinion, of course, and lots of others seem to have loved it.

0 people found this review Helpful. You can only vote others' reviews helpful or not helpful... Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No We don't know who you are. Sign in or create an account

Great recipe! I definitely agree that you have to fry the beef in HOT HOT oil to make it crispy! I also used a batter of flour, cornstarch, and egg instead of just cornstarch. Don't be afraid to use all the orange peels! I was afraid the orange would overpower the dish, but I could barely taste it. Thanks for posting!

0 people found this review Helpful. You can only vote others' reviews helpful or not helpful... Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No We don't know who you are. Sign in or create an account

Made this again last night but this time with chunks of boneless chicken thigh. Delicious! I made a huge batch so we could have leftovers today. I snuck a bite out of the fridge just now ~ even great cold! I want to make this with fish next. Can't wait!

0 people found this review Helpful. You can only vote others' reviews helpful or not helpful... Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No We don't know who you are. Sign in or create an account

Wonderful! I took some tips from others, used 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper instead of the dried whole chilies, and passed it around for people who like it hotter. I alo doubled the sauce except for the sugar, and replaced 1/2 the chicken broth with fresh squeezed orange juice. I agree that using peanut oil on high heat is the key for getting the meat crispy. I have a glass-top electric range and it worked very well using small batches, but what a mess! Anyway, the whole family loved it, and we will have this again and again.

0 people found this review Helpful. You can only vote others' reviews helpful or not helpful... Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No We don't know who you are. Sign in or create an account

I have to say this is one of the best recipes we've tried from Zaar. Absolutely stunning flavour! I used 500g (1lb) of rib fillet steak and 1/2 cup cornflour and fried the meat in batches in very hot oil. I used a good 1/2 teaspoon of minced chilli, 1/2 a small onion and a can of water chestnuts, along with the orange peel, garlic and green onions. I did take the pan off the heat to add the garlic etc. so it wouldn't burn. I placed the orange peel on a paper towel on a plate and cooked it on HIGH in the microwave for 2 minutes. As suggested by Jewelies, I doubled the sauce, using Japanese sake for the rice wine - you could substitute with dry or sweet sherry. Instead of peanut oil, I used light olive oil with a good dash of sesame oil. I think you need a really hot wok, probably over a gas flame, to get the beef super crispy, but it didn't matter that the meat wasn't as crisp as it might have been - it tasted great! The orange flavour really permeates through the dish, giving it a most unusual flavour. Mother Kooka thought, next time, she'd like me to add some finely sliced ginger. Not a bad idea.

0 people found this review Helpful. You can only vote others' reviews helpful or not helpful... Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No We don't know who you are. Sign in or create an account

This was interesting. My beef didn't come out "crispy," but had a nice flavor. When I put the beef in the pan, it absorbed the oil instantly, and I had to add some more, so it came out oilier than I wanted. I used alot less orange peel, but squeezed some orange juice into the sauce, and added cornstarch to the sauce before putting it in the pan. I also added some sesame seeds for extra crunch.

0 people found this review Helpful. You can only vote others' reviews helpful or not helpful... Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No We don't know who you are. Sign in or create an account

This is amazing! We really enjoyed it. I doubled everything except the meat. Highly recommend this. Thanks!

0 people found this review Helpful. You can only vote others' reviews helpful or not helpful... Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No We don't know who you are. Sign in or create an account

This was really wonderful. I made the recipe exactly as written and we both loved it. Thank you for a really easy, asian meal.

0 people found this review Helpful. You can only vote others' reviews helpful or not helpful... Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No We don't know who you are. Sign in or create an account

My husband and friends love this recipe. I only used half of the orange the second time I made it and I thought it was a tad better, but hey, I'm not an orange fan. I am a spicy beef nut tho. Really easy, just takes a little prep. YUM!!!!!!

0 people found this review Helpful. You can only vote others' reviews helpful or not helpful... Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No We don't know who you are. Sign in or create an account

This turned out great but my kids didn't like it - they didn't care for the strong orange flavor. The adults ate it all up and I love this recipe.

0 people found this review Helpful. You can only vote others' reviews helpful or not helpful... Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No We don't know who you are. Sign in or create an account

100% restaurant-quality. I thought Ron was going to eat the plate AND the wok. About 75 minutes from gathering the ingredients to eating, but I'm slow. Only change I made was using Vietnamese chili sauce instead of the dried hot peppers. Not exactly diabetic-friendly, bu hey, no one is 100% compliant 100% of the time & this was certainly worth Ron taking extra insulin. An absolute delight.

0 people found this review Helpful. You can only vote others' reviews helpful or not helpful... Was this review helpful to you? Yes | No We don't know who you are. Sign in or create an account