Spicy Tangerine Beef with Carrot Ribbons

4
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour

Spicy Tangerine Beef simmered in spicy garlic orange sauce with carrot ribbons. Tastes like a cross between orange beef and Mongolian beef!Tender Spicy Tangerine Beef simmered in spicy garlic orange sauce with carrot ribbons. Tastes like a cross between orange beef and Mongolian beef!

This Spicy Tangerine Beef has the distinction of being the very first meal I ever cooked for my now husband when we first moved in together. We had been in the apartment for just a couple of nights, I had unpacked my wok and my knife, so I went hunting online for a recipe. This also happened to be years ago when I enjoyed watching Guy Fieri’s cooking show. So I was excited to find a Spicy Tangerine Beef recipe online and when it turned out amazing it went into my folder of recipes (an actual folder with paper and all…this was before Pinterest!).

I’ve adjusted a few ingredients over the years, added in the carrot ribbons that I make with a vegetable peeler. In case you are wondering why I am linking you to a vegetable peeler it is because that peeler is the only one I use to make ribbons. I have probably 10 different peelers (I’m probably underestimating here). Every time I would come across a good deal on one I would buy it. So I have a HUGE variety of them (seriously I should take a picture of them all) and they each are good for different reasons (ie, I wouldn’t use this peeler for a butternut quash, it is too delicate, I would use a serrated peeler). This specific one makes the smoothest, thinnest ribbons. It actually does such a good job I’ve been using my much beloved mandoline (my favorite wedding present!) less and less. You probably think I am crazy, having so many different peelers, but hey if you think about it they sort of are like knives right? Look at those beautiful thin, wide ribbons!

Spicy Tangerine Beef simmered in spicy garlic orange sauce with carrot ribbons. Tastes like a cross between orange beef and Mongolian beef!

Ok I officially rambled about the carrots long enough. Back to this sauce, some pointers I’ve learned over the years:

  1. Don’t swap the honey, the flavor difference will be significant. Trust me if you don’t have honey, go buy it.
  2. Chili garlic paste is great, Sriracha is a good substitute if you need it.
  3. If you like things spicy, this is a good heat level for the chili garlic paste, with kids, I would do a ½ teaspoon. Like things hot? go for a tablespoon
  4. Fresh ginger is a big part of this recipe, try not to use ground if you can. Quick tip, I freeze my ginger so it lasts longer. If you freeze it feel free to grate it into to the dish instead of mincing.
  5. If you don’t have tangerines you can use orange. I have in the past and I add a bit of lemon to the mix (I always keep lemons on hand, they’re a pantry staple for me).

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Spicy Tangerine Beef with Carrot Ribbons

Tender beef simmered in spicy garlic orange sauce with carrot ribbons. Tastes like a cross between orange beef and Mongolian beef!
Yield 4
Prep Time 45 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour
Course Main
Cuisine Chinese
Author Sabrina Snyder

Ingredients
 

  • 1/4 cup lite soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 pound flank steak , cut in ¼ inch thick slices
  • 2 tablespoons cooking sherry
  • 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 2 teaspoons chili garlic paste (you can sub Sriracha)
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1/4 cup freshly squeezed tangerine juice
  • 3 tablespoons canola oil
  • 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
  • 3 scallions , chopped
  • 1 tangerine , zested
  • 2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
  • 1 large carrot , shaved with vegetable peeler

Instructions

  • Add ¼ cup lite soy sauce, cornstarch and sliced beef to a ziploc bag.
  • Shake to combine, then refrigerate for at least a half an hour.
  • Add the cooking sherry, hoisin, honey, chili garlic paste, 2 tablespoons soy sauce and tangerine juice to a small cup and stir to combine.
  • Heat a skillet or a wok on high and add the oil to the pan.
  • Cook the beef on high heat, quickly.
  • You only want a quick sear on both sides.
  • Add the ginger and carrot ribbons into the pan.
  • Cook for 45-60 seconds (until the carrots are just softening), tossing the carrots, then add the sauce mixture back into the pan.
  • Add in the beef and combine and cook until sauce has just thickened
  • Garnish with scallions, tangerine zest and sesame seeds and serve over some rice.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Guy Fieri (I know what you're thinking...but it is GOOD.)

Nutrition

Calories: 381kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 28g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 68mg | Sodium: 1517mg | Potassium: 626mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 2825IU | Vitamin C: 13.6mg | Calcium: 91mg | Iron: 3.2mg

 

Spicy Tangerine Beef simmered in spicy garlic orange sauce with carrot ribbons. Tastes like a cross between orange beef and Mongolian beef!

Tender beef simmered in spicy garlic orange sauce with carrot ribbons. Tastes like a cross between orange beef and Mongolian beef!
Tender beef simmered in spicy garlic orange sauce with carrot ribbons. Tastes like a cross between orange beef and Mongolian beef!

About the Author: Sabrina Snyder

Sabrina is a professionally trained Private Chef of over 10 years with ServSafe Manager certification in food safety. She creates all the recipes here on Dinner, then Dessert, fueled in no small part by her love for bacon.

Sabrina Snyder is a professionally trained personal and private chef of over 10 years who is the creator and developer of all the recipes on Dinner, then Dessert.

She is also the author of the cookbook Dinner, then Dessert – Satisfying Meals Using Only 3, 5 or 7 Ingredients, published by Harper Collins.

She started Dinner, then Dessert as a business in her office as a lunch service for her coworkers who admired her lunches before going to culinary school and becoming a full time personal chef and private chef.

As a personal chef Sabrina would cook for families one day a week and cook their entire week of dinners. All grocery shopping, cooking and cleaning was done along with instructions on reheating. As a private chef she cooked for private parties and cooked in family homes in the evenings for families on a nightly basis after working as a personal chef during the day.

Sabrina has been certified as a ServSafe Manager since 2007 and was a longstanding member of the USPCA Personal Chef Association including being on the board of the Washington DC Chapter of Chefs in the US Personal Chef Association when they won Chapter of the year.

As a member of the community of food website creators Sabrina Snyder has spoken at many conferences regarding her experiences as a food writer including the Indulge Food Conference, Everything Food Conference, Haven Food Conference and IACP Annual Food Professionals Conference.

Sabrina lives with her family in sunny California.

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Comments

  1. Do to food allergies, I have come up with a few interesting dishes throughout the years. This looks great. I have a day to play while I wait for someone to hard wire the system so I can work. I’m looking for things to do with thinly sliced flank steak (purchased and cut originally to make jerky) i’m extremely allergic to anything with red dye, annatto, soy, and x-gum, (man-made, plant based, and organic). So, my question: do you think raw aged balsamic and garden dried/ground chili and fresh garlic could be used in place of the soy, hoisin, and chili paste? Thanks.

    1. I’ve not tested it so I’m not comfortable giving a recommendation. If you decide to try, I’d love to know how it turns out. Good luck!

  2. This was delicious. I really like the addition of the carrots. I am always trying to squeeze more vegetables into dinner & this was fantastic. Reheated very well for the next days lunch.

    1. Sorry I don’t have the nutritional facts for recipes on the site but I know there are a lot of free resources on the internet from when I’ve cooked for clients with low calorie diets.

  3. The recipe sounds wonderful – but the discussion of peelers!

    OK, I use them all the time for things like this – carrots and such. They’re wonderful.

    But – he recently brought home a serrated peeler, and I had put it aside to play with later – but I was wrestling just the other night with a butternut squash. I’d never put them together in my mind – I was thinking more fancy, fancy, rippled edges or something. Huh. Thank you.

    1. The serrated ones are my heavy duty peelers. If you use them on a carrot or anything with a thin skin like a yukon potato, you’re going to lose more of your food than necessary. So I stick firmly with the peeler I use for the ribbons for that, but that serrated one is amazing for things like hard winter squashes or sweet potatoes (it gets through the bends of the potato in one swipe usually) or even a melon. I’m such a kitchen nerd, haha. When I ask my husband for a peeler I always specify exactly which one and he thinks I am nuts! PS the julienning peelers are fun to play with too!