Chinese Beef and Cumin
The Story:
One night I was stuck in the office until late at night, and I got the urge to order Chinese takeout. The office is just a few blocks away from the local Chinatown, so I started scouring the internet to find a Chinese place nearby with a gluten free menu. Eventually I found a Szechuan style restaurant that could adapt almost any dish to be GF, so I ordered a few things. The fried rice was some of the best I've ever had. A few months later my friends and I were going to the movie theater in Chinatown, and I suggested we go to that restaurant for dinner beforehand. I was surprised to find it was relatively upscale and had a full bar, and I really enjoyed the vibe. I decided to order something I had never tried before, and was drawn to the Dry-Fried Spicy Steak with Cumin. The menu said it was spicy, but I have always thought I had a good spice tolerance. Well, this dish definitely put me in my place - but it was so delicious, even if I was pouring sweat and breathing fire the entire time. It consisted of thinly sliced beef, sliced peppers, a thin dark sauce, and so much chili flake that you could scoop it up with a spoon. I struggled to make it through, but I was determined. One might think I'd never order such a dish again, but it became my regular order at this restaurant. It’s gotten significantly less spicy, but just as flavorful - I suspect the waiters started telling the chef that it was a white guy ordering and to tone the heat down. I don’t care either way, it’s a phenomenal dish at any heat level. I started trying to deconstruct the flavors and did some research to see how seemingly similar recipes were made so I could recreate the dish at home, and a few days later went on a journey through Little Saigon to find the needed ingredients. I took a stab at it, and while it wasn’t identical to the original, it was pretty darn close, and quite delicious. I’ve made some tweaks to the recipe and gotten it about as close to that restaurant’s as it can possibly be. I am excited to share that recipe with you:
Tips and Tricks:
Go light on the chili crisp oil at first, different brands or regional variations can vary in intensity. you can add more at the end if you want it spicier or let your guests add it to their plates themselves. When I can’t make it to my local Vietnamese or Chinese grocery stores, I like to order this one: https://amzn.to/4vcYdKz
A wok is probably the ideal pan to cook this in, but any pan with deeper sides will work.
Gluten Free soy sauce has become harder to find in grocery stores, so I have started to order online. I like this one: https://amzn.to/4vc8TJ6
If you have a soy allergy, you’re probably already familiar with Coconut Aminos. It works, but mixing the Coconut Aminos with a bit of Worcestershire makes a much more complex flavor that better mimics the effect of a good-quality sauce.
Products:
Gluten Free Soy Sauce:
Chili Crisp Oil:
Ginger Paste:
Ingredients:
Marinade
¼ cup Sake
¼ cup soy sauce of choice (or equivalent, see tips and tricks above)
½ tbsp white vinegar
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp ginger paste or fresh minced ginger root
1 tsp salt
½-1 tbsp chili crisp oil
Stir Fry
1 lb stir-fry beef, flank steak, or sirloin, sliced to thin bite-sized chunks
1 red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
1 cup chopped white onion
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp cumin
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 green onion, finely chopped (garnish)
Chili crisp oil to taste
Directions:
Marinade
Combine all marinade ingredients in a bowl or bag
Add chopped beef to the marinade and massage into the liquid.
Marinade covered in the refrigerator for 2-24 hours
Stir Fry
Remove meat from marinade and pat dry with a paper towel. Reserve the marinade liquid.
Set marinade to simmer on low in a small pot.
Set a medium pan or wok to heat on high, about 2 minutes.
Add dried meat to pan and sear on all sides, about 5 minutes cook time. Turn heat to low and remove meat from pan. Set meat aside.
Deglaze pan with 1-2 tablespoons of the simmered marinade and scrape up the bits stuck to the pan.
Add vegetables to the pan and sautee on medium-low until onions are softened, about 10 minutes.
Deglaze pan again with 1-2 tablespoons of the marinade and scrape up the bits stuck to the pan.
Add meat back to pan and sautee until meat is cooked through, about 2-5 minutes.
If pan is dry, add a few more tablespoons of marinade and bring to a bubble; there should be a bit of thin sauce in the bottom of the pan.
Turn off the heat and fold in the seasonings, sesame oil, and soy sauce.
Taste test for salt and spice level, add salt and chili crisp oil to taste.
Serve and top with the chopped green onion. Spoon some of the simmered marinade over the dish if desired.
