Spicy Orange Beef & Broccoli Stir-Fry

From EatingWell: January/February 1997, The Essential EatingWell Cookbook (2004) — Subscribe Now!

Hints of orange and a touch of heat dress up a classic combination. Serve with rice.

READER'S COMMENT:

"We enjoyed this meal-very fresh tasting. I would have preferred chile pepper flakes in the sauce rather than whole chilies. "

Spicy Orange Beef & Broccoli Stir-Fry Recipe

6 servings, generous 1 cup each

Active Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

Nutrition Profile

Ingredients

3 oranges
3 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon Chinese rice wine, or dry sherry
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon sugar
3 teaspoons peanut oil, or canola oil, divided
1 pound beef sirloin, trimmed and sliced against the grain into 1/8-inch-thick slices
2 tablespoons minced garlic
2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger
6-8 small dried red chiles
2 pounds broccoli, cut into small florets (6 cups)
1/3 cup water
1 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
1/2 cup sliced scallion greens

Preparation

With a small sharp knife or vegetable peeler, carefully pare wide strips of zest from one of the oranges. Cut zest into 1-inch strips and set aside. Squeeze juice from all the oranges into a small bowl (for about 3/4 cup). Add soy sauce, rice wine (or sherry), cornstarch and sugar and stir to combine; set aside.
Heat 1 teaspoon oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat until almost smoking. Add beef and stir-fry just until no longer pink on the outside, about 1 minute. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels and set aside.
Add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil to the pan and heat until very hot. Add garlic, ginger, chiles and the reserved orange zest; stir-fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add broccoli and water. Cover and steam, stirring occasionally, until the water has evaporated and the broccoli sizzles, about 3 minutes. Add bell pepper and stir-fry for 1 minute more.
Stir the reserved orange sauce and pour it into the wok. Bring to a boil, stirring; cook until the sauce has thickened slightly, 1 to 2 minutes. Add scallion greens and the reserved beef and toss to coat with sauce; heat through.

Tips & Notes

Freezing the beef sirloin for 30 minutes makes it easier to cut into very thin slices.

Nutrition

Per serving: 232 calories; 8 g fat (2 g sat, 3 g mono); 36 mg cholesterol; 22 g carbohydrates; 23 g protein; 7 g fiber; 347 mg sodium; 941 mg potassium.

Nutrition Bonus: Vitamin C (400% daily value), Vitamin A (130% dv),

1 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 1/2 fruit, 2 vegetable, 2 lean meat, 1/2 fat