Beef with Cumin

After being tempted by this cookbook for entirely too long, I finally caved and bought it. Dunlop's Land of Plenty is one of my favourite cookbooks, so I had high expectations going into it. The finished product was excellent, spicy with a lovely texture. Best of all, it comes together quickly. Instead of thinly slicing the meat myself, I followed my usual trick of buying fondue meat and just made the strips a little bit smaller. I also substituted corn starch for the potato flour as Land of Plenty frequently includes that substitution.

Beef with Cumin (from Revolutionary Chinese Cookbook)

Ingredients
340g beef steak
2 tsp finely chopped ginger
1 tbsp finely chopped garlic
2 fresh red chiles, seeds and stems discarded, finely chopped
2 - 4 tsp dried chili flakes
2 tsp ground cumin
2 scallions, green parts only, finely sliced
1 tsp sesame oil
1 3/4 cup peanut oil for frying (I used less)
Marinade
1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp light soy sauce
1 tsp dark soy sauce
1 tbsp potato flour
1 tbsp water

1. Cut beef across grain into thin slices, ideally 1.5"x1.25". Add marinade ingredients and mix well.
2. Heat peanut oil to about 275F. Add beef and stir gently. As soon as pieces have separated, remove from oil and drain well.
3. Pour off all but 3 tbsp oil. Over high flame, add ginger, garlic, fresh chiles, chili flakes, and cumin and stir-fry until fragrant.
4. Return beef to wok and stir well. Season with salt to taste.
5. When ingredients are fragrant, add scallion greens and toss briefly. Remove from heat.
6. Stir in sesame oil and serve.