孜然 (zīrán) · cumin

Meanings

1 cumin

About the ingredient

调料 Seasonings

Small, greyish-brown seeds with a strong, earthy smell, sold whole or ground. Cooks shake it with chili flakes over lamb skewers and stir-fry it with lamb, the way Xinjiang cooking does.

Used in 13 dishes

Characters

Examples

HSK 3

孜然羊肉是新疆名菜。

Zīrán yángròu shì Xīnjiāng míngcài.

Cumin lamb is a famous Xinjiang dish.

HSK 6

烤串上撒点孜然粉更香。

Kǎochuàn shàng sǎ diǎn zīrán fěn gèng xiāng.

Sprinkling cumin powder on grilled skewers makes them more fragrant.

Tips

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Loanword from Uyghur (zire). Defining flavor of Xinjiang and northwestern Chinese cuisine - almost any kǎo (烤, grilled) dish in northern China assumes cumin and chili. Both whole seed and powder forms are sold.