If I were pressed to name a signature dish, orange beef would be it. It’s spicy, salty, citrusy, crispy, and sticky - all excellent qualities in a food. It is both my most requested dish and something I delight in making just for myself, so I don’t have to share it with anyone. It’s been lovingly described as meat candy.

This recipe was born out of an intense craving for the Chinese American takeout of my youth, the kind I always lobbied for after a day spent home sick from school. After too many disappointing rounds of take-out, I decided to learn how to make it myself. It took a lot of tinkering but I think I've finally landed on my platonic ideal of orange beef.

The Best Orange Beef (Adapted from Food and Wine)

3/4 pound flank steak, thinly sliced across the grain and cut into bite sized strips (freezing for 15 mins make it easier to slice thinly)

1 tsp baking soda

zest and juice from one large orange

3 tbsp soy sauce (its worth seeking out a Chinese soy sauce, I like Pearl River Bridge)

3 tbsp white vinegar

2 tbsp shaoxing wine (available at Asian markets, substitute dry sherry if needed)

1 tbsp sugar

1tbsp sambal

2 tsp plus 1/4 cup cornstarch

1 large egg white

3-4 scallions, thinly sliced

neutral oil for frying

Place flank steak in a large bowl. Sprinkle with baking soda and toss to coat. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Assemble sauce while beef chills. Combine orange zest and juice, soy sauce, vinegar, shaoxing wine, sugar, sambal and 2 tsp cornstarch in a small bowl or glass measuring cup. Whisk to combine and set aside.

After 30 minutes, remove beef from refrigerator. Toss beef in egg white then sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup cornstarch. Toss to evenly coat and let rest 10 minutes.

In a large cast-iron skillet or wok, heat oil for frying. I prefer to shallow fry over medium-high heat in roughly 1/2 inch of oil.

When oil is shimmering, add the beef in a single layer taking care not to overcrowd the pan or wok. Fry the beef in batches until it is browned and crisped, 1-2 minutes per side. Drain the beef on a baking sheet lined with paper towels as you work through remaining batches.

Pour all but 1 tbsp of oil from the pan and return to medium heat. Add the sauce and scallions to the pan and stir constantly until the sauce thickens to your desired consistency. This should take 1-2 minutes. Add the beef to the pan and toss quickly with the sauce. I find tongs helpful to quickly get an even coating of sauce on every slice of beef.

Transfer to a plate and enjoy! Any leftovers are great cold as a midnight or after-work snack.