A Valentine's Day Lunch

In honor of Maddie's request for a Valentine's day lunch, I'm ignoring her request for buffalo chicken, and instead putting up an easy, but impressive looking Chinese recipe. This is especially appropriate, because my friend Elysa pointed out to me that Valentine's day this year falls on Chinese New Year- so, sorry Mads, but this'll have to do for now! I hope you and Jimmy enjoy your first Valentine's day together :)

Orange Beef
From Quick & Easy Chinese

Serve with sticky rice- I typically look for sushi rice at the grocery store (avoid the typical long grained white rice if possible). To make it especially sticky (which makes it much easier to eat with chopsticks), soak it in cold water for 30 minutes prior to cooking to get rid of the starch. Rinse it in a strainer, and then follow the cooking times on the bag.

Note: it is easy to mess with the proportions on this recipe- I like a lot of sauce to pour on my rice, so I usually quadruple the amounts asked for. Also, you can err on the side of more beef (i.e. 1 lb instead of 3/4 if you want).

Ingredients:
3/4 lb thinly sliced beef
2 tbs soy sauce
2 tbs thinly shredded fresh orange peel or zest
1 tbs chopped fresh ginger
2 tsp chopped garlic
1 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tbs dry sherry or Shaoxing rice wine
2 tbs orange juice
1 tbs sugar
2 tsp cornstarch
1/2 tsp dark soy sauce (note- dark soy sauce is mainly for the color it gives the dish. There is a slight taste difference, but because this is hard to find, it is fine to substitute regular soy sauce)
1 tsp salt
2 tbs vegetable oil
1/2 c shredded carrots
1/2 tsp Asian sesame oil
3 tbs finely chopped green onion

1. In a small bowl, combine the beef with the soy sauce and toss to season the meat evenly. Set aside to marinate while you prepare the other food.

2. Combine the orange peel, ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes in a small bowl, and stir to mix them together lightly. Set aside.

3. (Note: these are the ingredients that I usually quadruple in order to get a substantial amount of sauce) In a medium bowl, combine the sherry, orange juice, sugar, cornstarch, dark soy sauce and salt. Stir well to dissolve the cornstarch and mix everything into a smooth sauce.

4. Heat the vegetable oil over high heat in a wok or large, deep skillet. Scatter in the beef and its marinade and spread the beef out into a single layer. Let it cook undisturbed for about 15 seconds, and then toss well. Add the carrots and cook, tossing now and then, until the beef is no longer pink and the carrots are beginning to wilt, about 1 minute.

5. Add the orange peel mixture and cook, tossing often, until it releases its fragrance, about 30 seconds.

6. Add the orange juice mixture, pouring it in around the sides of the pan and toss well. Cook, tossing now and then, until the beef is tender and evenly seasoned with the sauce. Add the sesame oil and green onion, toss well, and serve.