During December… well, on New Years days (By the way... Happy 2014 everyone!)… I participated in a Secret Santa party with some friends… And in my Secret Santa Wishlist, I asked for a cookbook named, Chef Micky by Pam Brandon, that had a few choice Disneyland/DisneyWorld/Disney Epcot/Disney Resort recipes. When I oh-so carefully unwrapped my gift, I just jumped for joy when I saw the book. I just knew I had to try something from it. So, thank you Diana for this awesome gift! My only "complaint" is that I wish that the book had the recipe for the clam chowder and/or gumbo served at Disneyland's Royal Street Veranda. OMG I can so go from some right now. Drool~
Anyways, I combed through the book, and thought I try something fairly easy. Okay, I'm a total ABC, but I have never order orange chicken or beef dish in any Chinese restaurant or fast-food chain before. I've heard of the dish, I'm sure I've tried it before, but I've never ordered any on my own. So I thought, "Why the heck not! Wouldn't hurt right?" So I took a stab at the recipe for Orange Beef from the Papeete Bay Veranda at the Disney Polynesian Resort. So here, I will share this one recipe with the world, of course with some of my own additions and changes. In order not to give out the whole book and anger the author for all that she had gone through to compile and publish this fabulous piece of work, I shall refrain with just this one recipe, and if you enjoy the recipe and would like to explore what more the Magic Kingdom has to offer, please purchase the book. (The link is given above.)
I've never been to the Disney Polynesian Resort, so I've never had the dish. I followed the recipe as it is given. The orange sauce is orangey, kind of tangy with a very slight sweetness. Typical orange chicken dish flavor. The original recipe's sauce is very thin and watery. So I added a touch of cornstarch to thicken it. The beef… I wish I knew how to shop for a tender cut of flank steak or beef in general. I will list out the things I replaced or omitted in the ingredients' section. All in all, it is tasty.
I have no plating skills.
Ingredients:
Orange Sauce:
1 tbsp olive oil (I just used regular vegetable oil)
4 scallions, chopped (I just used one large stalk of scallion)
½ tsp crushed red peppers
4 tbsp soy sauce
1 cup orange juice (I just used the brand Simply Orange, but I think fresh squeeze would be better)
2 tbsp sugar (I used regular granulated)
½ cup water
½ tbsp cornstarch + a touch of water (optional step)
4 cups cooked rice, for serving (I thought it was funny how this was listed under the sauce's ingredient list, but I say this can be optional… I ate it as is, no rice. Am I weird?)
Beef:
1 lb flank steak
2 tbsp cornstarch (I just mainly used cornstarch as the dredge)
2 tbsp all-purpose flour (I didn't use this because I did not have any on hand)
2 eggs, beaten
2 tbsp olive oil (I just used vegetable oil)
2 tbsp butter (I had no butter at home, so I omitted this)
How-To:
Orange Sauce:
- Heat olive oil in medium skillet. Sauté scallion and crushed red pepper for 2 minutes.
- Stir together soy sauce, orange juice, sugar, and water, and slowly pour into skillet. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, 2 - 3 minutes. Set aside and keep warm while preparing beef. (For myself, because I like a little more sweetness, I sprinkled a little more sugar and added a splash more orange juice. I let the sauce reduce to about half or a little more, stirring frequently. Lower the heat to about medium-low to low heat, and little by little pour the optional cornstarch-water mixture to the desired thickening thickness.)
Beef:
- Slice flank steak into ½-inch strips. (For myself, I cubed the meat for easier eating. I also gently marinaded the meat simply with salt to taste for about 15 minutes or so.)
- Combine cornstarch and flour in a wide shallow bowl. Lightly beat egg in a separate wide shallow bowl.
- Dredge steak in cornstarch and flour, then in beaten eggs. Shake off excess. (For myself, after dredging the meat in the egg, I redredged the meat in the cornstarch. I think I read that doing that makes the final product crispier.)
- Heat oil and butter in large heavy skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, cook steak, then keep warn until ready to serve. (Remember to place freshly fried meat onto a paper towel lined plate to absorb the excess grease!)
- Serve with warmed sauce spooned over steak and rice. (For myself, I just tossed the beef in the sauce to coat every morsel of meaty goodness, and just serve on a plate family-style.)
Seems fairly easy right? I personally dislike frying. I've already got popped by burning oil multiple times while making this… and managed to get oil splatters all over the floor. It was a serious mess. But don't let my experience of frying deter you from trying this recipe. The sauce feels and tastes healthy because unlike most Chinese restaurants and Chinese fast-food chains, there is no MSG, extra salt, and extra oil in this dish, nor does the sauce have the weird gummy gooey texture that some places offer. Good luck everyone! I hope you'll enjoy this recipe!
No comments:
Post a Comment