Cumin Beef, or Ziran Niurou (孜然牛肉), is a daring and aromatic dish deeply rooted in Northern Chinese language delicacies. Tender strips of beef are coated in a crunchy cornstarch crust, then tossed in an fragrant mixture of toasted cumin, chili flakes, and Sichuan peppercorn. Every chunk delivers a crisp outer layer and a young inside, balanced by the deep nuttiness of cumin and the heat of dried chilies and garlic. I’ve shared my cumin lamb recipe up to now. In the event you prefer it, you may’t miss this beef model.

In contrast to saucy stir-fries, this model is all about “dry stir-frying”, a method the place meat is fried till dehydrated on the floor, forming a crispy shell. It’s the identical strategy utilized in my Sichuan Crispy Beef recipe, serving to to pay attention flavors and create addictively crispy textures with out deep frying.

Good as a foremost dish with steamed rice, or served with flatbread and snacks on a platter, this can be a crowd-pleaser for spice lovers and cumin followers alike.

Components

Cumin beef makes use of a number of widespread substances out of your pantry. 

• Beef: My favourite lower for stir frying is flank steak. 
• Baking soda and oil marinade: Tenderizes the meat whereas serving to lock in juices, guaranteeing every chunk is mushy and flavorful.
• Cumin, chili flakes, Sichuan peppercorn spice combine: A balanced spice combine that’s savory and spicy, with sugar as a hidden taste to steadiness out the saltiness. You’ll be able to regulate the warmth stage by growing the quantity of chili flakes.
• Cornstarch coating: Creates a crispy golden crust whereas holding the within moist.
• Ginger and garlic: Recent aromatics are the inspiration of the dish, infusing perfume into the oil.
• Dried chili peppers: These peppers add a smokiness to the oil. You’ll be able to lower them open to extend the warmth stage of the dish.
• Purple onion: Purple onion provides a pure sweetness to the dish, plus its crisp texture pairs completely with the meat.
• Cilantro and sesame seeds: To complete up the dish, each add colour and taste distinction. 

Vegetable choices

Cumin beef often solely incorporates onion for texture. However if you wish to add extra greens to your dish, think about using:

• Pepper – You’ll be able to both use bell pepper, or scorching chili pepper for some warmth.
• Celery – Slice the celery thinly on the bias. It provides an amazing texture to the dish and pairs effectively with the aromatics.
• Carrot – Thinly sliced, add it firstly of the cooking. It provides colour and a pure sweetness to the dish.

As you may see, it’s greatest to make use of arduous greens in cumin beef. Greens containing a variety of moisture may launch liquid throughout cooking and make the meat soggy.

How one can make

1. Marinate the meat. I wish to slice the meat a littler thicker for cumin beef, for the reason that beef will shrink and dehydrate throughout cooking. First, marinate the meat with baking soda to tenderize it, then coat it with cornstarch proper earlier than cooking. Use your arms to completely combine the meat, so it will get coated evenly.

2. Fry the meat till crispy. This step takes a bit longer than your traditional beef stir fry. As a substitute of searing the meat till simply cooked by way of, you wish to prepare dinner it lengthy sufficient that the floor will get very crispy. Since we use baking soda to tenderize the meat, it’s going to stay tender on the within. It’s best to prepare dinner the meat in batches so the meat may be unfold out with out overlapping.

3. Take out the meat so it cools off a bit. I additionally like to make use of tempura paper (folded paper towels additionally work) to additional take in extra oil from the meat, crisping up the feel much more.

4. Saute the onion, then the aromatics. I wish to prepare dinner the onion very briefly so it’s nonetheless crisp. In the event you like a extra tender texture, prepare dinner the onion longer.

5. Add again the meat and add the spice combine. Give the meat a great toss so each piece is coated evenly with the seasonings.

6. Lastly, end up the dish by including sesame seeds and cilantro.

How one can serve

Serve cumin beef with steamed rice or flatbread for a fast meal. For a full dinner, take into account including a easy inexperienced facet dish corresponding to garlic inexperienced beans or Chinese language coleslaw. Soup is all the time a great facet dish so as to add texture. Make some spinach egg drop soup or napa cabbage and tofu soup so as to add colour to your meal. In the summertime, ice chilly beer is all the time an amazing drink to serve on the facet to scrub down your meals.

Regularly requested questions

My cumin beef recipe makes use of a dry-stir-frying technique to create further crispy beef with out deep frying, coated with daring seasonings that ship true restaurant style.

Cook dinner ModeForestall your display from going darkish

• Minimize the flank steak alongside the grain into two even items, then slice it towards the grain into items which can be round 1/4” (5 mm) thick.

• Mix beef, salt, baking soda and vegetable oil in an enormous bowl. Combine effectively. Let marinate for half-hour at room temperature.

• Mix the substances for the spice combine in a small bowl.

• While you’re able to prepare dinner, drain the additional liquid from the bowl of beef. Add the cornstarch, a number of tablespoons at a time, and blend, till all items are coated.

• Warmth 2 tablespoons of oil in a wok or massive skillet over medium-high warmth till scorching. Cook dinner in batches, spreading the meat slices with out overlapping. Cook dinner till the underside turns golden and crispy, 2 to three minutes. Flip the slices to fry the opposite facet, till golden brown and crispy, one other 1 to 2 minutes. (*Footnote 1) Switch the meat to a big plate. Cook dinner the remainder of the batches. Add extra oil if the pan will get dry, and switch to medium warmth if the pan begins to smoke an excessive amount of.

• Add the remaining 1 tablespoon oil, the dried Chinese language chili peppers, ginger, and garlic. Stir a number of occasions to launch the perfume. Add the onion. Stir and prepare dinner for about 1 minute, till the onion simply begins to show tender. Add again the meat and sprinkle the spice combine throughout. Stir instantly to coat the meat with spice. Take away the pan from the range and thoroughly style a bit of beef. Sprinkle a bit extra salt on it, if wanted. Flip off the warmth. Add the sesame seeds and cilantro. Stir once more. Switch every thing to an enormous plate instantly. Serve scorching as a foremost dish.

Ingredient Substitution Information

1. When the meat is pan fried, the cornstarch will grow to be mild golden first. Then you’ll discover a number of the items turning darkish brown. Meaning the meat floor is absolutely dehydrated, and can kind a crispy chewy texture. Goal to create this texture on a number of the items, however not all of the surfaces. So the within of the meat will stay juicy and tender.

Serving: 1serving, Energy: 418kcal, Carbohydrates: 13.1g, Protein: 39.8g, Fats: 22.2g, Saturated Fats: 5.4g, Ldl cholesterol: 114mg, Sodium: 541mg, Potassium: 626mg, Fiber: 1.1g, Sugar: 1.7g, Calcium: 43mg, Iron: 26mg

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