crunchy chinese orange beef

A "holy grail" for me is a crunchy orange beef that I used to get at a restaurant across Butterfield from Oakbrook Center, back in the early 1990s. That restaurant since closed and I don't remember the name. My (then) wife and I would drive down there just to get it. It wasn't sticky sweet like orange beef/chicken typically is. The surface was basically dry. It was spicier than orange beef/chicken typically is too, IIRC. It may have been from the "Hunan" section of the menu.

Then one day we drove down there and it was gone with no trace. I suppose there is some chance we got confused as to where it was, so if the restaurant is still somewhere around there, my face will be red. But my ex will appreciate knowing for the next time she comes to town, and I could earn brownie points with her.

My wife worked diligently to try to recreate it, she eventually got something about half way there, better than any orange beef I've found at any other restaurant, but not as good as there.

First, does anybody remember the place I went?

Second, can anybody offer a recipe to make at home (not sure if the ex would remember or give hers to me if she does)? I suspect it is partly skill not just directions to write down, like knowing just how long to leave in (presumebly) a deep fryer.

Third, does anybody think they know of a restaurant with an equivalent?

This looks pretty good.

Snippet before America's Test Kitchen paywall: "Traditionally, this dish is made by frying multiple batches of lightly battered beef in about 8 cups of oil. We simplify the recipe by replacing the batter with a coating of cornstarch and freezing the dredged pieces of beef for easier handling as well as decreasing the oil to 3 cups. Our sauce uses orange pith as ..."

On youtube there are number of crispy orange beef videos, which may spark your inspiration.

This is the recipe from the restaurant in NYC that popularized the dish - I have had it there and it is AMAZING. I can't say you'll do as well at home, but at least you will have tried.

https://www.starchefs.com/features/chinese_new_year/2005/html/crispy_orange_beef_m_tong.shtml

Thank you Cathy and Leek.

Still hoping for a restaurant that has it on their menu...or off menu if orderable as such. I just started a new food regimen, so will wait a while before attempting this, but I have forwarded Leek's recipe to my ex.

Without actually attempting to make them, the youtube recipes, either the final photo or the process, seemed like the final product would be sticky and gooey, as we had at several restaurants subsequently, and which the dish we loved was NOT, it was "dry". Leek's recipe looks like it might be close to what we had.

leek wrote:This is the recipe from the restaurant in NYC that popularized the dish - I have had it there and it is AMAZING. I can't say you'll do as well at home, but at least you will have tried.

https://www.starchefs.com/features/chinese_new_year/2005/html/crispy_orange_beef_m_tong.shtml

Ooo! That one looks good. I'm a little bit surprised by the long marinade of the thin strips in the baking soda, and no instructions to wash it good afterwards. I do that trick for stir fry, as well, but it's usually a sprinkle of baking soda, and maybe an hour, at most, and then a good rinse in a colander to get all of the baking soda off.

I'll have to try this recipe one of these days as-is to see if I've been overly cautious about the baking soda.

Binko wrote:

leek wrote:This is the recipe from the restaurant in NYC that popularized the dish - I have had it there and it is AMAZING. I can't say you'll do as well at home, but at least you will have tried.

https://www.starchefs.com/features/chinese_new_year/2005/html/crispy_orange_beef_m_tong.shtml

Ooo! That one looks good. I'm a little bit surprised by the long marinade of the thin strips in the baking soda, and no instructions to wash it good afterwards. I do that trick for stir fry, as well, but it's usually a sprinkle of baking soda, and maybe an hour, at most, and then a good rinse in a colander to get all of the baking soda off.

I'll have to try this recipe one of these days as-is to see if I've been overly cautious about the baking soda.

I'm guessing that the baking soda interacts in some way with the coating ingredients, making it puff up and maybe making the coating crispier? It's only the the wok for a very should period of time.

Still no reports of Chicago area restaurant(s) that serve this crunchy style? The recipe is a LOT of work for a single person....and if I can't count on success, not something to plan on for a pot luck/food exchange, especially since it says "serve immediately", so perhaps it wouldn't travel well (which makes sense, crispy things often don't stay crispy very long).

chicagojim wrote:

Binko wrote:

leek wrote:This is the recipe from the restaurant in NYC that popularized the dish - I have had it there and it is AMAZING. I can't say you'll do as well at home, but at least you will have tried.

https://www.starchefs.com/features/chinese_new_year/2005/html/crispy_orange_beef_m_tong.shtml

Ooo! That one looks good. I'm a little bit surprised by the long marinade of the thin strips in the baking soda, and no instructions to wash it good afterwards. I do that trick for stir fry, as well, but it's usually a sprinkle of baking soda, and maybe an hour, at most, and then a good rinse in a colander to get all of the baking soda off.

I'll have to try this recipe one of these days as-is to see if I've been overly cautious about the baking soda.

I'm guessing that the baking soda interacts in some way with the coating ingredients, making it puff up and maybe making the coating crispier? It's only the the wok for a very short period of time.

The Secrets Of Chinese Stir-Frying: Why Does It Always Seem To Go Wrong At Home
By David Rosengarten

Prepping the protein. This is another key element in a proper stir-fry! Most home cooks are surprised to realize that the proteins of Chinese-restaurant stir-fries are often pre-cooked, in another way, before they go into the stir-fry! The most important form of pre-cooking proteins is: frying in deep oil! Proteins are usually marinated and/or coated as well. Believe me: it changes everything! No more grey, listless meat in your stir-fries!
FOR THE BEEF: This step takes the most time and trouble in this dish. First, you want to slice the beef fairly thinly, about 1/8 of an inch. Placing the beef in the freezer for 30 minutes or so helps you slice more easily.


London broil from the shoulder, frozen briefly and thinly sliced.

FOR THE BEEF: Next, the crucial beef step: sprinkling your slices with a little baking soda — about a teaspoon for half a pound of beef — toss, and allow to rest for 30 minutes in the fridge. The baking soda gives the meat a lush, velvety texture.

Beef slices with baking soda, just before tossing and holding in fridge.

FOR THE BEEF: After the beef and baking soda have sat for 30 minutes, wash off the baking soda with water. Then toss the wet beef in a bowl with a few teaspoons of cornstarch, to make a crispy coating. Add just enough water to distribute the cornstarch.

The beef with cornstarch coating, just before frying.

FOR THE BEEF: Heat a deep pan of frying oil to about 375 degrees. Add the beef, slice by slice, working quickly. Stir while frying. Cook for about a minute.

Coated beef frying in hot oil.

FOR THE BEEF: Remove the beef quickly, and place on paper towels. Salt. Reserve.

Crispy beef resting after frying.

That reminds me of Kenji Alt-Lopez's secret to kung pao chicken: start with Popeye's fried chicken nuggets.