On orange marmalade... If you don't have orange juice or oranges, you can replace them with orange marmalade. Use the measurement for orange juice - so a half of a cup for the recipe as written. You may want to reduce or cut out the sugar entirely if adding marmalade. 

On sauce thickness... You can adjust the consistency of the sauce by how much cornstarch slurry you add. As written, the sauce is on the thicker side, and perfect for dipping and glazing meat and vegetables. For a thinner sauce, use ½ to 1 tablespoon less cornstarch.

One-Pot Stir-Fry

If you stir-fry meat and vegetables in a pan or wok, you can cook the sauce in the same pot. Cook the garlic, ginger, and scallions with the meat and vegetables. Then add the sauce liquids, orange zest, red chili flakes, and cornstarch slurry at the end. Bring it all to boil while stirring constantly to thicken the sauce.

Dietary Variations

For Paleo or GAPS Diet. Serve the sauce over sliced, sautéed lean meats, shrimp, or a plateful of traditional Chinese vegetables like water chestnuts, bok choy, and snow peas. Swap out the brown sugar for coconut sugar, or half the amount in honey. And replace the soy sauce with coconut aminos.

For Keto, Low-Carb. If you follow a strict keto or grain-free diet, skip sugar in the sauce. While you will lose the sweetness factor, the tangy orange sauce without sugar is still delicious. And less guilt-inducing. Serve the orange sauce over fattier cuts of cooked beef, chicken, salmon, or shellfish. Riced cauliflower instead of rice is a great low-carb substitute for a copycat takeout dish.

On Nutrition Information

The amounts below are based on the sauce as prepared with the full ingredient list. If you omit the cornstarch and sugar for a low-carb or ketogenic diet or use honey, the carbohydrate amount will be much less.