Asian Inspired Tangerine Beef Recipe (2024)

Published: · Modified: by Chef Dennis Littley

4.63 from 8 votes

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Tangerine Beef is a great way to spice up your weeknight dinners and can be made at home faster than going out for take-out!

Asian Inspired Tangerine Beef Recipe (1)

Asian style cooking comes down to understanding a few basic techniques and having the right ingredients on hand. It’s not difficult and although a wok will help make your culinary adventure for fun, it isn’t necessary.

Table of Contents:

What do I need to make Tangerine Beef?

Asian Inspired Tangerine Beef Recipe (2)

Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make Tangerine Beef In Chef Speak this is called the Mise en Place which translates into Everything in its Place.

Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed the cooking process, but it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.

If you can’t find tangerine juice, orange juice is a good substitute.

Asian Inspired Tangerine Beef Recipe (3)

The marinade is really easy to make and the only thing you need to remember about cutting the flank steak (as with any beef) is to go against the grain.

Once the marinade is ready and the beef sliced, place it into a zip-lock bag. Mix it thoroughly in the bag, then remove the air, seal the bag and place it in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours up to 6 hours.

Chef Dennis Tip:

*Remember to place the bag zipper up and on a plate in case it leaks.

Asian Inspired Tangerine Beef Recipe (4)

After the beef has marinated we can gather the rest of our ingredients for this delicious dish!

Asian Inspired Tangerine Beef Recipe (5)

Dredging the beef in corn starch gives it a crunch appearance. While the beef is draining, start your sauce.

Asian Inspired Tangerine Beef Recipe (6)

Living in the Orlando area I could go out to eat every day of my life and never try all of the restaurants in the area. And while that might fun to do, it can also be very expensive. The other problem with eating out is losing control over ingredients that are used in your meal. Cooking at home can be fun, save you money and gives you control over the ingredients you use.

My Tangerine Beef was a great way to incorporate the taste of Florida into the Asian Style dish. Of course, if your grocery store doesn’t carry Tangerine Juice, you can substitute orange juice.

Serve this delicious beef with jasmine rice or your favorite Asian Noodle and be prepared for rave reviews!

If you enjoyed this post you may also like these recipes:

  • Peppercorn Beef and Broccoli
  • Chinese Sticky Wings
  • Dan Dan Noodles with Shrimp
  • Korean Pork Barbecue

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Asian Inspired Tangerine Beef Recipe (7)

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4.63 from 8 votes

Tangerine Beef

If you're missing take-out from your favorite Asian Restaurant, try my Tangerine Beef. You'll love the deliciousness of this Asian inspired dish and how easy it is to make!

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Cook Time15 minutes mins

marinate2 hours hrs

Total Time25 minutes mins

Course: Entree

Cuisine: Chinese

Servings: 4

Calories: 485kcal

Ingredients

  • 16 ounces flank steak
  • ½ cup corn starch (for dredging beef before frying)
  • cup vegetable oil for frying beef

Marinade

  • ¼ cup soy sauce low sodium
  • ¼ cup rice wine
  • ¼ cup tangerine juice
  • 2 tablespoons tangerine zest grated
  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 2 cloves garlic finely diced
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

Tangerine Beef

  • 1 clove garlic chopped
  • 1 teaspoon chopped ginger
  • 3 tablespoons tangerine juice
  • 3 tablespoons light soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon hot water
  • 1 ½ tablespoons dark brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon cornstarch mixed with 1 tablespoon tangerine juice
  • 2 scallions sliced for garnish
  • tangerine segments for garnish
  • finely chopped cilantro for garnish

US CustomaryMetric

Instructions

  • Trim any excess fat or membrane from beef

  • Thinly slice meat across the grain into ¼-inch-thick slices.

  • Place beef in a large resealable plastic bag set in a shallow dish.

Marinade

  • Combine soy sauce, rice wine, tangerine juice, ½ of the tangerine zest, sesame oil, cornstarch, garlic and crushed red pepper in a small bowl and whisk to mix.

  • Pour marinade over beef in bag; seal bag. Marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours (or longer)

Beef

  • Remove beef from marinade, discarding the marinade.

  • Dredge the pieces of meat individually in of cornstarch until lightly coated,

  • Heat oil in a clean wok or saute pan over high heat.

  • Just before the oil starts to smoke, spread the flank steak pieces evenly in the wok, and let sear for 1 minute.

  • Flip the steak over and let the other side sear for another 30 seconds, then transfer to a sheet pan, tilting it slightly to let the oil drain. The beef should have a crusty coating.

  • Drain most of the oil from the pan. leaving about 1 tablespoon in the pan.

  • Heat over medium-high.

  • Add ginger and garlic to pan stir frying for about 15 seconds.

  • Add the soy sauce, tangerine juice, water and brown sugar. Bring the sauce to a simmer, stirring occasionally.

  • Let the sauce simmer for 1 minute, then slowly stir in the cornstarch slurry mixture–until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Add the beef and tangerine segments

  • Toss everything for another 30 seconds until all of the beef is well-coated.

  • There should be almost no liquid, as the sauce should be clinging to the beef.

  • If the sauce is too thick, add a little bit of hot water to thin it out.

  • Serve over Jasmine Rice or your favorite Asian Noodles

  • Garnish with scallions and cilantro.

Notes

**There should be almost no liquid, as the sauce should be clinging to the beef. If you have too much sauce, increase the heat slightly and continue cooking until thickened. If the sauce is too thick, add a little bit of hot water to thin it out.

Nutrition

Calories: 485kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 17g | Cholesterol: 68mg | Sodium: 1637mg | Potassium: 519mg | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 275IU | Vitamin C: 10.1mg | Calcium: 43mg | Iron: 2.7mg

Tried this Recipe? Pin it for Later!Mention @askChefDennis or tag #askChefDennis!

Asian Inspired Tangerine Beef Recipe (8)

More Asian Inspired Recipes

  • Spicy Chili Garlic Noodles
  • Korean BBQ Chicken {Chicken Bulgogi}
  • Peppered Pork Tenderloin with Sweet Chili Pecan-Fruit Sauce
  • Asian-Style Grilled Shrimp and Broccoli Skewers

About Chef Dennis

Chef Dennis Littley is a classically trained chef with over 40 years of experience working in the food service industry. In his second career as a food blogger he has made it his mission to demistify cooking by sharing his time-tested recipes, knowledge, and chef tips to help you create easy-to-make restaurant-quality meals in your home kitchen. Let Chef Dennis help you bring the joy of cooking into your home.For more details, check out his About page.

Reader Interactions

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  1. Song Bird

    Asian Inspired Tangerine Beef Recipe (14)
    Delicious.. tastes just like the Chinese restaurant.. soooo good!! will make it again!

  2. Taleen | Just As Tasty

    Asian Inspired Tangerine Beef Recipe (15)
    We are totally missing take-out right now, so I’ll definitely be making this for my husband soon! He’s going to love it!

    Reply

  3. Jocelyn Mallory

    I can’t wait to try this. The tangerine juice ..get by juicing tangerines?

    Reply

    • Chef Dennis Littley

      a lot of stores carry tangerine juice, its just not something you usually look for. If not you can sub orange juice or squeeze tangerines

      Reply

  4. Ann

    Can this be prepared ahead for a party?

    Reply

  5. Kimberly Button

    This looks so yummy!

    Reply

    • Chef Dennis Littley

      Thanks Kimberly!

      Reply

  6. Simply St. Augustine

    Asian Inspired Tangerine Beef Recipe (16)
    Chef Dennis, this looks AMAZING! I can’t wait to try it!

    Reply

    • Chef Dennis Littley

      Thanks Allie, It turned out better than expected!

      Reply

  7. Chef Michael

    Another great share and “Kudos or Cheers” bro and thank you Chef Dennis ;)P

    Reply

    • Chef Dennis Littley

      Thank you Michael!

      Reply

  8. Dawn @ Words Of Deliciousness

    Asian Inspired Tangerine Beef Recipe (17)
    Wow, this tangerine beef sounds yummy. I love cooking and baking citrus.

    Reply

    • Chef Dennis Littley

      Thank for stopping by Dawn, I do love my tangerines!

      Reply

  9. Dawn Lopez

    Asian Inspired Tangerine Beef Recipe (18)
    This recipe sounds absolutely incredible, I can’t wait to try it out! Great way to beat dinner monotony!

    Reply

    • Chef Dennis Littley

      It certainly does spice things up a bit! Thanks so much for stopping by Dawn!

      Reply

      • Dawn Lopez

        My pleasure 😉 Always love to see what you have cooking!

  10. Liz

    A lovely recipe. Thank you Chef Dennis.

    Reply

    • Chef Dennis Littley

      Thanks Liz, it truly was delicious!

      Reply

  11. Katie @ Recipe for Perfection

    That looks just wonderful! I love the idea of tangerine juice to add flavor here.

    Reply

    • Chef Dennis Littley

      Between drinking this delicious juice and cooking with it, I just can’t keep enough in the house! Thanks for stopping by Katie

      Reply

Asian Inspired Tangerine Beef Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you make stir fry beef so it's tender? ›

How to tenderise beef – easily!
  1. Sprinkle 3/4 tsp baking soda (bi-carbonate soda) on 250g / 8oz sliced economical beef cuts.
  2. Toss with fingers, leave for 30 minutes.
  3. Rinse, pat off excess water.
  4. Proceed with stir fry recipe. It can be marinated with wet or dry seasonings, or cooked plain.
Feb 23, 2019

Do you marinate beef before stir frying? ›

Marinating beef for your stir-fry is an important second step of velveting that should never be skipped. The marinade isn't as much about soaking the beef in a lot of liquid or adding a bunch of different flavorings like you may be used to. It's about giving the beef an extra juicy texture.

What is the best beef for stir fry? ›

What Cut of Beef Is Best For Beef Stir-Fry? Flank steaks are the most popular choice for making a stir-fry. However, you can also use sirloin steak, skirt steak, Denver steak, or even beef chuck. Beef chuck steak is the most economical choice, but it does require some extra trimming.

How do Chinese get their beef so soft? ›

In Chinese cooking, proteins like beef, pork or chicken are velveted first before stir-frying them. There are several ways to velvet, but at its most basic level, it involves marinating meat with at least one ingredient that will make it alkaline. This is what tenderizes the meat, especially cheaper, tougher cuts.

How to make beef super tender? ›

7 Ways to Tenderize Steak
  1. Pounding. Using a meat mallet (or kitchen mallet) to pound steaks helps soften and tenderize the meat. ...
  2. Salting. Most cuts of steak benefit from being salted up to an hour in advance of cooking, but especially tougher cuts. ...
  3. Marinating. ...
  4. Velveting. ...
  5. Slow Cooking. ...
  6. Enzymatic Application. ...
  7. Scoring.
Oct 18, 2022

Is cornstarch or baking soda better for tenderizing meat? ›

both cornstarch and baking soda tenderizes the meat. it does have a slightly different texture since baking soda is causing a chemical reaction. it changes the taste of the chicken so cornstarch is better if you are sensative to taste.

What is the secret to cooking tender beef? ›

Cook It Slowly

This is certainly true when it comes to notoriously tough cuts of meat like beef brisket and pork shoulder. Cooking these cuts of meat slowly, either by braising, stewing or grill roasting, is the best way to get these tasty cuts of meat meltingly tender.

What do the Chinese use to marinate meat? ›

ingredients
  1. 1 in piece fresh ginger, peeled.
  2. 4 tablespoons dark soy sauce.
  3. 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar.
  4. 1 tablespoon dry sherry or 1 tablespoon rice wine.
  5. 1 pinch superfine sugar.
  6. 4 garlic cloves, very finely chopped.
  7. 2 tablespoons clear honey.
  8. 1 teaspoon five-spice powder.

Does soy sauce tenderize meat? ›

Why It Works. Salt and soy sauce tenderize meat, help it retain moisture, and increase its savoriness. Sugar helps browning characteristics. Oil helps distribute fat-soluble aromatic compounds over the meat.

How long should I marinate beef before cooking? ›

How long to marinate your steak depends on the size and variety of the cut you're using. Thinner cuts, such as skirt or flanks steaks, should be marinated for 2-4 hours. Tougher cuts, such as top sirloin or sirloin tip, will benefit from marinating overnight (about 8 hours).

How do Japanese tenderize meat? ›

Onion: The Natural Tenderizer

Inspired by Japanese culinary techniques, the article suggests scoring and pounding the beef with a mallet before coating it in raw onions, creating a dish known as Chaliapin steak.

How do you make beef super tender? ›

7 Ways to Tenderize Steak
  1. Pounding. Using a meat mallet (or kitchen mallet) to pound steaks helps soften and tenderize the meat. ...
  2. Salting. Most cuts of steak benefit from being salted up to an hour in advance of cooking, but especially tougher cuts. ...
  3. Marinating. ...
  4. Velveting. ...
  5. Slow Cooking. ...
  6. Enzymatic Application. ...
  7. Scoring.
Oct 18, 2022

What can I add to beef to make it tender? ›

Velveting is a simple process of using baking soda or a mixture of egg whites, cornstarch and oil to marinate and tenderize economical cuts of steak, chicken and other meats before cooking. Velveting meat softens fibers to reduce toughness and enhance juiciness for maximum flavor and tenderness.

What is the best method for cooking tender beef? ›

Cooking these cuts of meat slowly, either by braising, stewing or grill roasting, is the best way to get these tasty cuts of meat meltingly tender. Cuts like this come from active muscles in the animal such as the shoulder or the chest area, which get more of a workout (making them quite tough).

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