Sirloin Steak: Soy-Ginger beef with noodle salad and peanut

This is one of our favorite meals to entertain with.

Slicing the steak while still partially frozen (but not too much) makes it much easier; using a cast iron pan is the simplest way to cook the slices. This dish is easy to make, but has a lot of steps, so it takes a long time… Lots of ingredients, but the meal is really missing something if you skip on one…

Dressing

1 1/4 cups boiling water
3 tea bags of Chinese black tea
2/3 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 cup chopped watercress
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint

Beef

5 tablespoons unpasteurized soy sauce
2 tablespoons unseasoned rice vinegar
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin – much better if you toast whole cumin and grind yourself in a mortar and pestle.
1 1 1/4- to 1 1/2-pound sirloin steak, cut crosswise into 1/4- to 1/3-inch-thick slices; slices then cut into 3-inch strips -- we also use ground beef (shown), but this is where a dry aged steak really shines.

Salad

3/4 pound linguine
1 tablespoon oriental sesame oil
2 12-ounce cucumbers, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded
8 large green onions, halved lengthwise, cut on diagonal into 1-inch lengths
1 bunch fresh mint
1 bunch watercress
1/2 cup roasted salted peanuts (or cashew), coarsely chopped (It really is best to buy raw peanuts and roast them yourself)
Lime wedges

For dressing

Combine 1 1/4 cups boiling water and tea bags and steep 5 minutes. Place peanut butter in medium bowl. Add 3/4 cup tea, soy sauce, lime juice, and cayenne. Whisk dressing to blend well. (If made 1-2 days ahead, cover and refrigerate. Bring to room temperature before continuing.) The day you’d like to eat, mix in watercress and mint.

For beef

Combine soy sauce, vinegar, ginger, honey, crushed red pepper, and cumin in large bowl; whisk to blend. Add beef and toss to coat. Marinate at room temperature (or in the fridge if you’re uncomfortable)… at least one hour, but up to two or three hours, stirring occasionally.

For salad

Cook linguine in large pot of boiling salted water until tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Rinse with cold water; drain again. Transfer linguine to large bowl. Mix in sesame oil. Using vegetable peeler, slice the cucumber halves lengthwise into long thin ribbons; arrange on paper towels to drain.

Drain marinade from beef into medium saucepan; boil 2 minutes over high heat. Cool. Pre heat grill pan or large cast-iron skillet over high heat. Some oil may help here… Working in batches, grill beef until just brown outside but rare inside, about 1 minute per side. Transfer beef to bowl.

Add cucumbers, green onions, and cooled marinade to linguine. Add dressing and toss to coat. Season salad with salt and pepper. Arrange mint and watercress around edge of large platter. Mound noodle salad in center; top with beef. Garnish with toasted peanuts and lime wedges.

Wow – you deserve that glass of wine (or hoppy beer) after all of that!

Comments (1)

Karen:
Sep 20, 2019 at 02:35 PM

Delicious dish! I made it with thinly sliced rib cap steaks and brown rice fettucine. I love the cucumber strips in the salad. Thanks!