Welcome to the very first Stir Fry Day Friday! Let me give you a little background as to how Stir Fry Day Friday was born:

We had just gotten back from a fabulous family vacation for Christmas. My in-laws joined us at my parent’s hosue down in SWFL for our son’s first Christmas. I’ll have a separate post in the future about our travel experience, but spoiler alert – my then almost-six-month-old did amazingly! It was fabulous to be in the warmth (I’m talking 80 degree weather) and sunshine. We went for walks and even took a dip in the pool. Not a jacket was to be seen.

But then we had to return to Ohio where the clouds are gray, the wind nippy, and the fridge empty. It was time to create that back-from-vacation grocery list. Normally I’d spend an hour surfing my Pinterest and foodgawker accounts but after a week of being spoiled by the grandparents, my son wasn’t about to be put down for more than ten minutes. While he was momentarily happy playing with his new toys on the floor I plopped down next to him and ate my bowl of cereal. We were conveniently situated next to the bookshelf with my cookbooks. The menu of our first week back actually came from recipes on paper!

I grabbed Tyler Florence’s Real Kitchen. My brother got me this cookbook a few years ago for my birthday. It’s embarrasing to admit that I’d only created one dish from it – but it was incredible. Tyler Florence is joining Anne Burrell this season on Worst Cooks in America. If you’ve never seen this show I highly encourage you to tune into Food Network Sunday nights for some great laughs. I figured now’s as good as any to put his skills to the test. 😉 I settled on his Stir Fried Beef with Tangerines, Green Beans, and Chiles. Planned it for Friday and alas, the idea of Stir Fry Day Friday was born. Tyler’s book has great informational tidbits about the recipes and tips on how best to prepare the dish. I have high hopes for him on this season of Worst Cooks.

This stir fry dish is full of flavor. The Chinese five spice powder has a subtle licorice smell and taste that I was afraid of but it lends itself beautifully to the ginger and balsamic vinegar. I loved having a fresh crunch of green beans and the pop of fried tangerines delectable. I was excited to try these tangerines as Tyler indicated that frying them would take out the bitterness of the rind and make it edible. He was right! I plan on experimenting with more fried citrus soon.

Stir Fried Beef with Tangerines

Ingredeints:

• 1 tsp Chinese five spice powder
• 3 tbsp cornstarch, divided use
• 1 egg white
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• salt
• white pepper
• 1 lb thinly sliced beef (Tyler calls for boneless top round, I used a pre sliced beef intended for stir fry from the meat counter)
• 1 tangerine, unpeeled, very thinly sliced
• 2-3 C oil (Tyler calls for peanut, I used vegetable)
• 1″ piece of ginger, grated
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced
• 2 scallions, sliced
• 3/4 lb fresh green beans, cut in 1″ pieces
• 1/4 C chicked stock
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes, or more to taste
• toasted sesame seeds, for garnish

Steps:

1. Whisk together Chinese five spice powder, 1 tbsp corn starch, egg white, sesame oil, salt, and white pepper. Toss beef in marinade and return to fridge for 30 minutes.
2. Heat 3 C oil over high heat in a wok. If you don’t have a wok use only 2 C in a large skillet. Bring oil to 350 degrees F.
3. Toss tangerine slices in 1 tbsp corn starch. Carefully add to the hot oil and fry for 4 minutes. It will splatter at first as there is moisture in the tangerines. Remove tangerines to a paper towel lined plate using a slotted spoon.
4. Bring oil back to 350 degrees F. Fry the beef in two batches, removing to a paper towel lined plate.
5. Remove oil to a glass measuring cup. Return 1/4 C of the oil to the wok/pan. Quickly stir-fry the ginger, garlic, and scallions until fragrant.
6. Add the green beans to the pan, seasoning with salt.
7. In a small bowl, whisk together the chicken stock with the reamining 1 tbsp corn starch. Add the slurry to the green beans. Tossing to coat. Add in the soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, and sugar. When the sauce is thickened and the green beans al dente add the beef and tangerines. Toss to coat. Add in the red pepper flakes – to taste.
8. Garnish with sesame seeds and serve with steamed rice.

*This recipe is adapted from Tyler Florence’s Real Kitchen*