Ziranyang Niurou

Cumin beef stir-fry is the great aromatic stir-fry of China's northwest, beloved from Xinjiang to the Hunan pavement restaurants that adopted it. The defining spice is cumin (ziran), used with an assertiveness almost unknown in other Chinese cooking — its earthy fragrance is more reminiscent of Central Asian cuisine than coastal China. The beef is sliced very thin, velveted in a brief marinade, then flash-fried at extreme heat for mere minutes, producing edges that are crisp while the centres remain tender. Dried chillies and Sichuan peppercorns add heat and numbing complexity.

Serves: 4

Ingredients

Beef and marinade:

• 500 g (1.1 lb) beef sirloin or flank, sliced against the grain into strips 3 mm (⅛ in) thick
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce; 1 tablespoon Shaoxing rice wine
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch; ½ teaspoon baking soda; 1 teaspoon sesame oil

Stir-fry:

• 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons whole cumin seeds; 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 6–8 dried red chillies, halved, seeds removed
• 1 teaspoon Sichuan peppercorns, lightly crushed
• 5 garlic cloves, thinly sliced; 2 cm (¾ in) ginger, julienned
• 1 medium white onion, sliced into half-rings
• 1 green capsicum (bell pepper), sliced
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce; 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce; 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 spring onions, cut into 3 cm (1 in) lengths
• Fresh coriander, to serve

Instructions

1. Mix beef with soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, cornstarch, baking soda, and sesame oil. Marinate 20–30 minutes.
2. Heat a wok over the highest heat until smoking. Add 2 tablespoons oil. Spread beef in a single layer and leave undisturbed for 1 full minute to sear. Stir-fry vigorously 1–2 minutes until just cooked. Remove and set aside.
3. Wipe the wok and return to high heat with the remaining oil. Add cumin seeds; sizzle 20 seconds. Add dried chillies and Sichuan peppercorns, toss 20 seconds. Add garlic and ginger, stir 30 seconds. Add onion and capsicum, stir-fry 2 minutes until softened but still with bite.
4. Return beef to the wok. Add soy sauces, sugar, and ground cumin. Toss everything vigorously 1 minute until sauce coats and reduces slightly. Add spring onions and toss 30 seconds.
5. Serve immediately over steamed rice, scattered with fresh coriander.

Cook's Notes: Velveting with baking soda is the restaurant secret to silky tender stir-fried beef — do not skip it. Rinse the beef briefly if baking soda flavour seems strong. Fearless high heat and an uncrowded wok are the keys to this dish.