Cumin Beef Stir-Fry with Roasted Butternut Squash
by Super addictive Cumin Beef Stir-Fry with roasted butternut squash is my new favorite way with butternut squash. Extra caramelization from the roasted squash combined with the kick of Xinjiang style cumin beef. Every bite is burst of flavor, plus it’s Paleo and Whole30. I’ll happily have this dish every evening!
Cumin Beef Stir-Fry (A Xinjiang Origin Dish)
Today’s cumin beef stir-fry with roasted butternut squash is inspired by the cumin lamb stir-fry recipe from my cookbook Asian Paleo. Cumin beef (or cumin lamb) is a dish originated in Xinjian province, China. The dish features savory and slightly charred beef stir fry with cumin, chili peppers, Sichuan peppercorns, and loads of fresh herbs.
Cumin beef is not a saucy stir-fry. It uses no stir-fry sauce and the flavor of the dish completely relies on the seasoning of the protein and loads of fresh herbs, and fiery/speedy Chinese stir-fry technique. If you aren’t quite sure what I meant by saucy stir-fry, my Chinese pepper steak and sweet and sour chicken are two great examples. Most of Chinese American dishes we enjoy in the west usually comes with a sauce. In China, a stir-fry dish without the sauce often highlights a crisp texture with an intense flavor. When this dish is done right, it’s super addictive.
I highly recommend that you read the blog post on how to make beef stir-fry first before making this dish. In the post, you’ll learn how to properly preheat your skillet for the perfect stir-fry.
Savory roasted butternut squash
This part is totally my own invention. My grandma probably will think it’s a bit odd since she’s a traditional cook who prefers to follow the traditions. So why adding the roasted butternut squash? Besides that I love savory butternut squash recipes, I found that the sweet flavor from the roasted squash actually works well with the sizzling hot beef stir-fry. It helps to tone down the heat a bit and adds an extra dimension.
The first time when I make this dish I actually sautéed the squash over a stovetop. The flavor was good but I didn’t enjoy the texture. The squash turns soft and a bit mushy by the time they are cooked and it doesn’t pair well with the crisp beef stir-fry so roasting the squash is definitely the way to go!
Tips on making the best Cumin Beef Stir-Fry
1. Thinly slice the beef and season it well
2. Don’t be shy away from using scallions, garlic, and shallots.
3. Read the notes section on how to use Sichuan peppercorns.
4. Prepare all the ingredients first before stir-frying. This dish comes together in minutes!
Notes on Sichuan peppercorns
Sichuan peppercorns aren’t peppers at all. They are the dried husks of the fruit of the Chinese prickly ash tree. The flavor is citrusy and piney. There’s no perfect substitute to reproduce its numbing and tingly effect. Use a combination of whole black peppercorns and coriander seeds to mimic its flavor. The tingling and numbing effect are the characteristics of Sichuan peppercorns, which are often mistaken as spicy. You can read more information here.
If this is your first time using Sichuan peppercorns, I personally prefer to use them in whole to fragrant the oil. Some recipes call for ground Sichuan peppercorns, if you use the ground version, the flavor will be more intense. Please reduce the quantity to ½ tsp – 1 tsp.
This Cumin Beef Stir-Fry with Roasted butternut squash is perfect for the fall and winter months. You can also swap butternut squash for pumpkin. To keep it low carb, skip incorporating the roasted squash. After all, that’s how cumin beef (or cumin lamb) is made!
More Chinese/Thai/Vietnamese Stir-Fries (Paleo, Whole30, and Low Carb)
- Paleo Mongolian Beef
- Paleo Hunan Beef Stir-Fry
- Paleo Thai Basil Beef Stir-Fry
- Thai Basil Chicken Recipe
- Vietnamese Easy Garlic Shrimp Recipe
- Paleo Chicken Stir-Fry
- Paleo Chicken and Broccoli Stir-Fry
What to pair with Cumin Beef?
- Thai Peanut Sauce Cucumber Noodles
- Easy Chinese Smashed Cucumber Salad
- Asian Carrot-Celery Slaw
- Snow Pea Leaves Stir-Fry
- Easy Chinese Broccoli Stir Fry with Garlic Sauce
- Lemon Garlic Paleo Broccoli Recipe
How to make Xinjiang-style Cumin Beef
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Cumin Beef Stir-Fry with Roasted Butternut Squash
Ingredients
- 1 lb. butternut squash, dice to ½ -inch cube shape
- ¼ tsp Coarse salt
- ⅛ tsp Ground black pepper
- 2 tbsp Olive oil
Cumin Beef Seasonings:
- 1 lb. skirt steak, beef flap/sirloin tips, or sirloin steak, thinly sliced against the grain
- 3 tsp cumin powder
- 1.5 tsp arrowroot powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1.5 tbsp coconut aminos
- ¾ tsp chili powder, optional
- ¾ tsp coarse salt
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Aromatics:
- 4 bulbs scallions, sliced in diagonal (reserve 1 bulb for garnish)
- 5 cloves garlic , sliced
- 1 large shallot, sliced to thin strips
- 3 tsp Sichuan peppercorns, whole, not grind. See notes
- 2-3 whole Chinese whole dry red chili peppers, optional. See notes
Other:
- Avocado or olive oil
- ½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Dice butternut squash to cube shape. Season and toss with salt, pepper, and olive oil. Roast them over a large sheet pan lined with parchment for 25 to 30 minutes until the squash is tender, turning once with a metal spatula.
- In the meantime, thinly slice the beef against the grain to ⅛-inch thin. Marinate the beef with ingredients from cumin to olive oil. Mix well and set aside in the fridge while preparing other ingredients. Prepare and gather the aromatics from scallions to chili peppers in one large bowl ready to use. Chop cilantro.
- When the butternut squash is about 5 minutes away from done in the oven. Preheat a large skillet over medium heat, when hot, add 1.5 tbsp oil.
- Spread the beef over the skillet in a single layer and pan sear over medium-high heat for about 3 minutes the first side without disturbing until the beef is crisp and brown. Cook the flip side about 1 minute. Pour the beef and the pan juices aside in one large bowl.
- Start the skillet dry and while it’s still hot, add 1.5 tbsp oil. Saute aromatics in the bowl with 2 pinches of salt until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add butternut squash and beef back to the skillet. Toss and taste to see if more salt is needed. Off heat, add cilantro and scallions. Toss everything together quickly while the skillet is still hot. Transfer to a large serving plate. Serve hot and immediately.
Video
Notes
- Sichuan peppercorns aren’t peppers at all. They are the dried husks of the fruit of the Chinese prickly ash tree. The flavor is citrusy and piney. There’s no perfect substitute to reproduce its numbing and tingly effect. Use a combination of whole black peppercorns and coriander seeds to mimic its flavor.
- If this is your first time using Sichuan peppercorns, I personally prefer to use them in whole to fragrant the oil. Some recipes call for grind Sichuan peppercorns, if you use grind version, the flavor will be more intense. Please reduce the quantity to ½ tsp – 1 tsp.
- You can substitute 2-3 Chinese whole dry red chili peppers with 1-2 fresh Fresno or serrano chili peppers. Remove the seeds and slice them into thin strips, lengthwise. For a non-spice version, thin slice half of one whole red bell pepper or skip the ingredient.
- If making this dish in the winter, wrap the seared beef with a foil in the oven (unheated) to keep warm while sautéing other ingredients.
- To keep this dish lower in carb, skip the butternut squash.
Nutrition
One of my favorite recipes from you! I’ve tried other people’s cumin beef but it either lacks of flavor or too complicated to make. This version is simple and the flavor is truly excellent!
Thanks so much!
We love this recipe! The cumin flavor is really bright and delicious. I love how the butternut squash compliments it too. All of the flavors come together so well! Thank you as always for another amazing recipe!
Thank you, Carlie!
This has become my absolute favorite recipe to make. It is so unbelievably flavorful (even without any sauce) and is relatively simple to prepare. Also, the roasted butternut squash makes such a necessary and delicious addition. It adds a little bit of sweetness and great flavor when roasted. Chihyu, you are a genius!!
Aww thanks, Angela. I appreciate you!
This cumin beef from I Heart Umami is on our meal rotation now! It’s so delicious and I love the flavor with roasted butternut squash. Be sure to use loads of aromatics like Chihyu said – it drives tons of flavor to the dish.
Thank you, Cynthia! You are so sweet!
One of the best recipes I’ve ever cooked in my life. That’s not an exaggeration. This is great for both a ready meal and for meal-prep (tastes great re-heated in a skillet a couple days later).
I’ll be making it for the fifth–count it–fifth time today!
Thank you so much, Mike! So great to hear from you again!
HI!
Can I substitute arrowroot powder with tapioca or maybe a gluten free flour like rice flower or coconut flour? And how important is to use coconut aminos? Here, where I live, don’t have them.. Can I substitute this engridient with something else? Thanks.
Yes you can use tapioca flour/starch/powder. Please use less quantity of soy sauce because it’s way more salty than coconut aminos. You might also need to balance the dish with a bit of sweet flavor because coconut aminos also tastes naturally sweeter than the real soy sauce. 🙂
Can you substutite ground beef for this recipe? If so, any particular tips on how to go about this? Thanks in advanced.
Hi Liz, I recommend using the type of cut I wrote in the recipe. Yes you can use ground beef if you feel confident in modifying my recipe instructions and make it your own. 🙂
This looks soooo delicious, can’t wait to try it — and I didn’t realized that little factoid about the peppercorns not being peppers!
Sounds tasty. Does this work with chicken or pork too? What can you substitute the arrowroot powder with? Thank you.
I made this the other day and it was really yummy! We couldn’t even use all the ingredients (because we’re not supposed to have them) and it still came out well. Thanks for the super specific directions and notes! They were really helpful. 🙂
Thank you, Erin! You are amazing!
I am so looking forward to trying this! I have been needing some new beef recipes! Thanks!!
I just got like 5 pumpkins from a friend of mine Ready to make use of them.
Loving the flavours in here – and the butternut squash! This is going on my menu in the weekend!
Wow, I just love the recipes & flavor combinations you come up with! Cumin is one of my favorite spices, so this one is a must-try.
Ooh, that cumin is a really interesting idea with these ingredients. And I love winter squash in almost any way possible, so I can’t wait to try this!
Yummy. I love cumin! I know this recipe is going to taste soo good.
Mmmm! I’ve never tried butternut in a stir-fry before. What a delicious idea!
This looks so wonderfully flavorful! What a delicious way to enjoy butternut squash.
Everyone in our house loves cumin and loves beef stir fries, especially my husband and teenage son. This will be a great hit, and so pretty and colorful.
I can hardly wait to try this! It looks and sounds amazing
So happy to hear. Thanks, Sharon!