Sanctuary from The Mad World
Ask not what you can do for your country. Ask what's for lunch. - Orson Welles

Chinese stir-fry with garlic and ginger? Yawn. But garlic, ginger, cumin and chili? That’s a different level all together: it’s fragrant, it’s warm, it’s spicy. 

I remember trying this dish in a Xinjiang restaurant in Shanghai and am keen to replicate this at home. I follow yet another recipe from The Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook by Fuschia Dunlop called Beef with Cumin.

The recipe here contains modifications as note to self the next time I make it. 

Ingredients:
For the marinade:
1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
2 tsp soy sauce
1 tbsp potato flour or corn starch
1 tbsp water

500 g lamb or beef steak, cut thinly across the grain.
2 tbsp finely chopped fresh ginger
1 tbsp finely chopped garlic
2 fresh chilies, finely chopped
2-4 tsp dried chili flakes
3 tsp ground cumin (more if you like it)
1 tsp sesame oil
Salt to taste
Oil for frying

Optional: 
2 scallion, green parts only, finely sliced.

Directions:

Marinade the meat and mix well.   Leave for about 30 minutes in the fridge.

Heat the oil, add the beef slices and stir gently. As soon as the pieces have separated, remove them from the oil and drain well. Set aside.

Pour off all but 3 tbsp of oil. Over high flame, add the ginger, garlic, fresh chilies, chili flakes, and cumin and stir-fry briefly until fragrant. Return the beef to the wok and stir well, seasoning with salt to taste.

When all the ingredients are sizzling fragrant and delicious, add the scallion greens and toss briefly. Remove from heat, stir in the sesame oil and serve.