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Original video by @EthanChlebowski — all credit to the creator.

Ethan Chlebowski

Chipotle Cumin Steak Pita with Dill Ranch

Cubes of cheap steak seared hard and hit with cumin and chipotle off the heat, tucked into a warm pita with a tangy dill-yogurt ranch, pickled beets, shaved lettuce, and shallots. A ten-minute weeknight dinner built entirely on contrast — warm and smoky against cool, crunchy, and creamy.

⏱ 10 minsteakpitaweeknightchipotledill

Ingredients

For the dill ranch

  • 1 partGreek yogurt or low-fat sour cream
  • 1 partmayonnaise
  • —dried dill · a generous amount
  • —black pepper · optional, to taste
  • —garlic powder · optional, to taste
  • —red pepper flakes · optional, to taste
  • —lemon juice or pickling liquid · optional, to taste
  • —salt · optional, to taste

For the steak

  • —inexpensive steak · cut into small cubes
  • —neutral oil
  • —salt
  • —ground cumin seeds · added off the heat
  • 1 spoonfulchipotles in adobo · chopped, added off the heat

For assembly

  • —pita bread
  • —pickled beets · cut into slightly thick rings
  • —lettuce · sliced ultra thin
  • —shallot · sliced as thin as possible
  • —feta cheese · sheep's milk

Steps

  1. 1

    Make the sauce: stir together equal parts Greek yogurt (or low-fat sour cream) and mayonnaise with a heavy hand of dried dill. Season to taste with black pepper, garlic powder, red pepper flakes, and a squeeze of lemon juice or a splash of pickling liquid, plus salt if it needs it.

  2. 2

    Cut the steak into small cubes and salt it.

  3. 3

    Heat a little oil in a pan until ripping hot and cook the steak, focusing on hard browning, about 5 minutes until cooked through.

  4. 4

    Turn off the heat, then add the ground cumin and a spoonful of chopped chipotles in adobo, tossing to coat.

  5. 5

    Slice the lettuce into ultra-thin slivers and the shallot as thinly as possible so they meld together.

  6. 6

    Cut the pickled beets into slightly thicker rings so they stand out when you bite into them.

  7. 7

    Warm the pita, then lay the beet rings evenly across the bottom.

  8. 8

    Fill with the warm spiced steak, the lettuce and shallot, and crumbled feta, then finish with the dill ranch.

Creator's notes

Ethan builds this around a few ideas from the video: shallots as an all-purpose allium instead of onions, dried dill treated as its own spice rather than a stand-in for fresh, buying cheap steak for dishes where beef isn't the centerpiece, and adding spices after the heat is off so their aromatics stay bright. The dish is deliberately built for contrast rather than complexity — warm smoky steak against cool crunchy lettuce, sweet pickled beets, aromatic raw shallot, and creamy sauce. Every component is meant to be swapped for whatever you have: any seasoned protein, any vegetables, any sauce, and any carb (rice, a wrap, a salad) will work.

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