Beef with Cumin and Scallion – Sybaritica

This Beef with Cumin and Scallion recipe is a Mongolian style dish in which Beef is flash-fried with Scallion, Cumin, Garlic and Red Chili.

Servings: 4 as part of a Chinese meal

• 10 oz Beef Steak
• 1 bunch of Scallions
• 1/2 tsp. Baking Soda
• 1 tbsp. Cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp. Black Cardamom Powder
• 2 tbsp. Sugar
• 4 large cloves of Garlic chopped finely.
• 1 – 2 tsp. Crushed Red Chili
• 1 – 1 ½ tbsp. Cumin Seed
• 1 tbsp. Black Peppercorns
• 1 tbsp. Rice wine
• 1 1/2 tbsp. Sesame Oil
• 1 tbsp. Soy sauce
• 2 tbsp. Sesame Seeds
• ¾ cup of oil for frying

• Slice the beef into strips approximately 2 x 5 cm in surface area and no more than a half-centimeter thick.
• Mix the strips in a bowl with the Black Cardamom and then stir in the baking soda, the cornstarch, one tablespoon of the sugar, and a half-tablespoon of the sesame oil.
• Cut the scallions into 4 – 5 cm lengths and keep the white and green sections separate.
• Mix the Rice wine, soy sauce and the remaining sugar and sesame oil in a little container and set aside.
• Crush the Black pepper with a pestle leaving some fairly coarse grains visible.
• Heat the Cooking Oil until almost smoking and deep-fry the Beef until just browned on the outside. Remove to a bowl and drain all but two Tablespoons of oil from the pan.
• Fry the Cumin and the Chili over high heat until the chili starts to darken, then add the white part of the Scallion and stir-fry vigorously. When the Scallion is soft, add the Garlic and the Black Pepper.
• Stir-fry until the Garlic is soft, then add the sauce ingredients, the green sections of Scallion and the Beef.
• Stir until the sauce forms a nice glaze then serve immediately.