Stir-Fried Beef with Cumin & Chiles

Stir-Fried Beef with Cumin & Chiles

Beef
Chinese, Main Dish

Serves 4

This is an easy weeknight stir-fry made much more interesting with toasted cumin seeds and dried chilies.

Ingredients #

  • 1 lb chuck or sirloin, trimmed
  • 3 ½ tbsp soy sauce, divided
  • 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • ½ tsp ground black pepper
  • 6 tsp vegetable oil, divided
  • 12 small dried red chiles (such as Arbol), stemmed
  • 1 ½ tbsp whole cumin seeds, toasted
  • 5 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced lengthwise
  • 4 tsp unseasoned rice vinegar
  • 1 tsp white sugar
  • 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
  • 1 cup cilantro leaves, coarsely chopped

Instructions #

Cut the meat into 2-inch pieces, then thinly slice each piece against the grain. In a medium bowl, combine the beef, 1 tablespoon of the soy sauce, the baking powder, and the black pepper. Stir to evenly coat. Set aside at room temperature.

Meanwhile, break open about half of the chilies, then transfer all of them to a 12-inch nonstick skillet. Toast over medium, pressing the pods against the skillet, until fragrant and darkened in spots, 1 to 3 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl and add the cumin seeds. In a small bowl, stir together the garlic and 2 teaspoons of the vegetable oil to form a paste.

Add 2 teaspoons of the remaining vegetable oil to the empty skillet and heat over high until shimmering. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until charred in spots and partially softened, 3 to 5 minutes. Transfer to the bowl with the cumin seeds and chilies.

Return the skillet to high heat. Add 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil, then arrange half of the beef in a single layer in the skillet and cook, undisturbed, until deeply browned on the bottom, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir, scraping the bottom of the pan, and cook until no pink remains, 60 to 90 seconds. Transfer to the bowl with the onion. Repeat with the remaining vegetable oil and beef.

In the skillet over low heat, cook the garlic paste, mashing the mixture, for 1 minute. Add the beef, onion, chilies and cumin seeds. Stir in the remaining 2½ tablespoons of soy sauce, the vinegar and sugar. Increase the heat to medium-high and cook, stirring constantly and scraping up any browned bits, until the liquid is thickened, about 1 minute. Off heat, stir in the sesame oil and cilantro.

Serve immediately.