This recipe for beef with chilli and orange really hits the spot. Stir-frying is one of the best ways to cook meat as it uses little oil or fat. It is also one of the quickest ways to cook but you need to make sure you use the leanest beef. This is a delightful blend of sticky sweet from the orange and the warm undertone of the chilli. I’d say add as many chillies as you like to taste but that would overpower and negate the juice of the orange which adds a nice burst of vitamin c to this dish. If you want to add a vegetable to the stir-fry mix, use strips of carrots as they go well with the rest of the ingredients. This is really tasty with a side order of steamed broccoli.

Preparation time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 5 minutes

Serves: 4

Energy: 180 calories per serving

Equipment:
Bowl
Wok
Sharp vegetable knife

Ingredients:
450g lean beef strips
1 large orange
2 spring onions
2 large red or green chillies – mild/medium
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 teaspoon cornflour
25mm piece fresh root ginger
2 teaspoons groundnut oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 spring onions

Directions:
Remove the rind from the orange in long thin strips of large pieces that you can julienne

Juice the orange

Peel and finely chop or julienne the ginger

Finely slice the chillies after removing the seeds

Place the beef strips in a bowl and sprinkle over the orange rind and juice

Leave to marinate for at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hour

Drain the liquid from the meat and keep to one side

Mix the meat with the soy sauce, cornflour, ginger and chillies

Heat the groundnut oil in a wok and add the beef mix

Stir-fry for 3 minutes until lightly coloured

Add the spring onions and reserved liquid. Keep a few bits of spring onion for garnish

Cook, stirring until the liquid has thickened and is bubbling and the meat is cooked

Tip into a serving bowl/plate and sprinkle over the spring onions garnish and the teaspoon of sesame oil