You’ll like this flavorful, incredibly simple-to-make homemade cumin beef. Tender, thinly sliced steak abundantly fragrant with cumin and bursting with umami flavor, stir-fried with onion, garlic, chiles, scallions, and more. Serve this recipe with rice and/or vegetables for a luscious dinner that tastes better than takeout!
When winter gives way to spring, there’s that weird shift that makes you wonder, huh. Or am I the only one? We move from stews and soups to anything bright and lemony, you guys. Plese understand that I’m all for it; I just need a little time, you know. You know, this is actually just me quietly making a comeback after not posting a new recipe for a little while, hehe. The focus of today’s new dish is taste and sheer delight.
Cumin Beef Stir Fry
Yes, indeed, this is it! We’ve got flavorful, expertly marinated beef that’s been stir-fried with a ton of seasonings. The main ingredient in this dish is cumin, which gives it a flavorful, earthy, and nutty warmth. This homemade version of a cumin beef stir fry is really simple to prepare and has all the glamour of takeout! Combine with your preferred sides to create a satisfying supper that you will like.
Ingredients Needed For This Recipe
- meat: Without dat meat, we just can’t cook cumin beef stir fry. For this dish, I use flank steak, and I heartily suggest it. Sirloin or any other tender steak cut is an excellent substitute. Well, let’s focus on the tender steak cut.
- Shaoxing wine: This variety of rice wine from China is utilized in cooking and gives food a real taste with loads of depth. It is available online and in your neighborhood Chinese market. I am aware, though, that this substance might not be readily available. You may thus use ordinary rice wine or dry sherry.
- Cumin with pepper or salt: Salt/pepper, ground cumin, and the primary spice.
- Cornstarch: This thickens the stir-fry sauce and gives the beef an attractive, golden brown crisp on the outside. It also gives the meat a glossy shine. For those with gluten intolerances or other dietary requirements, other starches such as potato, arrowroot, and tapioca work well.
That’s all you need to prepare the steak and marinade it. Let’s now discuss the ingredients you’ll need to finish making this cumin beef stir fry.
- Oil: Stir-frying requires the presence of oil. Any high-heat oil, such as grapeseed, canola, avocado, or olive oil, is what I suggest.
- Additional flavorings and aromatics: ginger, brown sugar, soy sauce, fish sauce, rice wine, scallions, onion, garlic, ground cumin, fresh chilies (completely optional), and ground cumin.
How To Make Cumin Beef Stir Fry:
- Cut up meat. Thinly slice the meat into little pieces. Add the cornstarch, ground cumin, salt and pepper to taste, and shaoxing wine (or dry sherry/rice wine) to a large bowl with the steak. Mix everything together thoroughly by tossing. After that, leave the steak to marinade for a minimum of half an hour.
- Cook the meat. Heat two tablespoons of oil in a wok or big pan over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add the meat after it’s heated. Sear steak until it turns golden brown and begins to crisp up. After that, place the grilled steak on a fresh dish and reserve. If your skillet is getting dry between batches, add extra oil and repeat the process until all of the steak is seared.
- Construct the stir-fry. If necessary, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan after setting aside all of the seared meat. When the onion is tender and starting to caramelize, add it and simmer. Next, include the ground cumin, Szechuan peppercorns, garlic, and red chilies (if using). Keep heating until the spices are beautifully toasted and the garlic is aromatic. After that, thoroughly whisk in the ginger and brown sugar.
- Add the steak and stir-fry until done. After adding the soy sauce, fish sauce, rice wine, and scallions to the pan with the meat, stir-fry the mixture until it is thoroughly mixed and aromatic. Keep cooking until the sauce has become thicker and coats the steak in a coating.
- Assist. Take off the heat. For a fully substantial supper, you can choose to add your preferred rice to shallow bowls, top with cumin beef stir fry, or serve with steamed vegetables. Have fun!
Ingredient Highlight: Szechuan peppercorns and cumin
Sure thing, cumin. This spice is a common ingredient in a wide variety of international cuisines. We use freshly roasted whole cumin seeds to make the ground cumin we use here. A few more locations include China, Africa, the Mediterranean, South America, and the Caribbean.
On its own, cumin has a strong, spicy, nutty, savory, and somewhat bitter flavor. It takes on a more earthy and fragrant flavor when cooked, which gives this cumin beef stir fry a significant taste boost. One of my holy grail spices 🫶🏾 is this one! Additionally, Szechuan (Sichuan) peppercorns are needed for this dish.
These are actually the berries of the prickly ash tree, a citrus shrub, not really “peppercorns” at all. They smell pleasant and leave your mouth feeling tingling and numb. In Sichuan cuisine, this peppercorn is highly valued.
Cumin Beef Stir Fry Recipe Highlights
- Flavor Overload: Folks, this isn’t your typical stir-fry. This stir-fried beef with cumin has an enormous, robust flavor depth. In fact, we love to see it since it’s bursting with umami-packed flavor, aromatics, spices, garlic, and ginger.
- SO EASY, SO EASY: I assure you that the entire recipe is quite easy to follow and uncomplicated, so don’t be put off in the slightest by the ingredient list. The primary procedures involve preparing the beef, searing it, and then putting the stir fry together. Boom, boom, badda bing.
- WEEKNIGHT GOALS: I am aware of how busy you are and how many activities you are involved in. However, you still desire a delicious, home-cooked lunch, right? Correct. Proceed to prepare this dish in less than an hour and enjoy it.
- takeaway FAKEOUT: I do occasionally appreciate getting takeaway. But handmade will always be superior—don’t argue with me! You’ll adore this cumin beef stir fry’s restaurant-style flavor and more. 🤌🏍
Other delicious recipes to try:
- Caribbean Red Peas Soup
- Authentic Cajun Gumbo
- Lebanese Baked Chicken
- Classic French Chicken Stew
- Brown Butter Steak
- Mushroom and Brie Baked Eggs
Cumin Beef Stir Fry
Ingredients
For the beef:
- 1 1/2 lbs flank steak
- 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine or any dry sherry or rice wine
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
- kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch see notes for gluten-free needs
For the stir fry:
- 3 tablespoons olive oil divided, plus more as needed
- 1 medium-sized white onion sliced into half moons
- 6 cloves of garlic finely minced or pressed
- 2 fresh red chilies deseeded & chopped- optional
- 2 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon Szechuan peppercorns ground
- 1 teaspoon packed brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons fresh grated ginger
- 1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon rice wine
- 6 scallions green parts only, chopped
For serving cumin beef stir fry:
- white or brown rice steamed broccoli/other veggies- as desired
Instructions
- Clean and marinade the meat. After placing the steak onto a cutting board, cut it into thin, bite-sized pieces that are around 3–4 inches long by slicing it across the grain with a sharp knife. Take the steak and put it in a big dish or a big plastic baggie. Add the cornstarch, ground cumin, salt and pepper to taste, and shaoxing wine (or dry sherry/rice wine). Mix everything together thoroughly by tossing. After that, leave the steak to marinade for a minimum of half an hour.
- Cook the meat. Heat two tablespoons of oil in a wok or big pan over medium-high heat. Working in batches, add the meat to the oil until it is shimmering, being careful not to crowd the pan. Sear the beef for a good two to three minutes on each side, or until it is golden brown and beginning to crisp up. After that, move the cooked meat to a spotless platter using a slotted spoon and set it aside. If your skillet is getting dry between batches, add extra oil and repeat the process until all of the steak is seared.
- Construct the stir-fry. If necessary, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan after setting aside all of the seared meat. Add the onion and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes, or until softened and starting to caramelize. Next, include the minced garlic, ground cumin, and Szechuan peppercorns, and red chilies (if using). Cook for a further two minutes, or until the garlic is aromatic and the spices are thoroughly toasted. After that, thoroughly whisk in the ginger and brown sugar.
- Add the steak and stir-fry until done. Add soy sauce, fish sauce, rice wine, and scallions to the pan with the beef, along with any remaining fluids that have accumulated. Stir-fry the mixture until it is thoroughly mixed and aromatic. Cook for a further two to three minutes, or until the sauce has thickened and covered the steak with a glaze.
- Assist. Take off the heat. For a fully substantial supper, you can choose to add your preferred rice to shallow bowls, top with cumin beef stir fry, or serve with steamed vegetables. Have fun!
Notes
For further advice and tactics, please read the blog article in its full.