MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.06

     Title: Szechuan Orange Beef
Categories: Spice, Chinese, Beef, Chilies, Fruit
     Yield: 4 servings

          BEEF:
     1 lb Beef (rump is better than
          -flank), cut into 2x1x1/4"
          -slices
   3/4 c  Pure water chestnut flour
   1/2 c  Water
     4 tb Vegetable oil
       pn Salt
          SAUCE:
   1/2 c  Beef broth
     4 tb White vinegar
     8 tb Sugar
     3 tb Dry rice wine or
          -pale dry Sherry
     3 tb Mushroom soy sauce
   3/4 ts Oyster sauce
 1 1/2 ts Ginger; minced
 1 1/2 ts Garlic; minced
 1 1/2 ts Scallion; finely sliced
     1 pn White pepper
     2 tb Corn starch +
     2 tb Water
          GET READY:
          Pieces of dried orange peel
          Dried red chile peppers (cut
          -into halves)
     2    Scallion bulbs;
          -coarsely chopped
     2 cl Garlic; coarsely chopped
     2 tb Vegetable oil

 This recipe is a modification of a recipe for Orange Chicken
 posted by Russell S. Finn back in Dec. 1993.  The suggestion of
 using water chestnut flour to coat the beef was a great one (it
 really is important to the dish).

 Mix together all ingredients except beef.  The coating will have
 the consistency of thick gravy.  Stir in the beef to coat; it will
 not coat heavily, but that's okay.  After it sits for a while, it
 gets like wall putty.  Let sit for 20-30 minutes; I do it the
 night before and let sit in refrigerator overnight.

 Heat oil in a deep-fryer, pot, or wok; enough oil to deep-fry the
 beef. If you hold a wooden chopstick in the oil and tiny bubbles
 stream from the tip of the stick, the oil is hot enough (I use the
 highest setting on an electric burner).  Add several pieces of the
 coated beef to the hot oil and fry for 5-8 minutes (you may want
 to remove a piece after 5 minutes and cut it in half and taste it
 to see how you like it. I cook it for 7-8 minutes until parts of
 the outside start to turn dark brown; it's a matter of personal
 choice).

 Put the first batch into the oven (on low) to keep warm while you
 fry the rest.  Prepare the sauce while you fry the beef.

 Sauce: Mix all ingredients together and set aside.

 After beef is finished and waiting in the oven, heat a wok on high
 heat and add the 2 tb oil.  Add the dried chiles, pieces of
 orange peel, and scallion (the Orange Chicken recipe calls for 5
 pieces of orange peel and 3 dried chiles.  I use 20 pieces of
 orange peel and 25-30 chiles, but I like it hot.  The heat amount
 is your choice, but I would use 10 pieces of orange peel
 initially.  You can increase it next time if it's not "orangy"
 enough for you).  Stir-fry about 30 seconds; peel starts to give
 nice orange smell and chiles start to darken. Add the garlic and
 stir-fry another 30 seconds or so 'til peels start to brown and
 chiles turning black.  Stir up the sauce mixture and add to the
 wok. Stir constantly until sauce thickens and starts to bubble
 (1-2 minutes). Add the pieces of beef and stir until thoroughly
 coated. Serve with rice.

 You can also serve this dish over a bed of broccoli which has
 been stir-fried or lightly steamed (still crunchy, but not raw).
 The water chestnut flour is the key to the crunchy coating.  You
 can remove the orange peel after it's done if you don't like to
 eat them, but they taste good if eaten together with a piece of
 beef and a couple of peppers,

 Recipe by Pete Herzer

 From Chile-Heads-L

MMMMM