SOY MARINATED STEAK AND RICE BOWL
This steak marinade packs a punch and is the perfect addition to a colorful and unique rice bowl
4-6 servings, 45 minutes (plus marinating 2-3 hours)
Ingredients:
2 lbs good quality skirt steak - or whatever cut you desire but this dish works best with a thinner cut of meat
1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup rice wine vinegar
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp sriracha or gochujang
Rice Bowl:
2 cups rice (any)
1 cup mushrooms, sliced thinly (any mushroom preference)
Optional Toppings: kimchi, cucumber, edamame, scallions, sesame seeds, a fried egg!?
The Blistered Peppers Take:
We all tend to order in asian food when we’re not in the mood to cook, right? It just feels like we can never get those flavors right at home, so why not get a little help. But the reality is, it is actually really easy to create that asian flavor that we all know and love and give old classics a makeover, from home - I promise!
Don’t get me wrong, every now and again you’ll definitely find containers from Joe’s Shanghai in my fridge. They DO in fact make the best soup dumplings in Manhattan and I won’t pretend or try to replicate that. And don’t get me started on Mr. Chow. Of course I’m there whenever I’m in the area, or in Miami, or in Los Angeles. Yes, I understand it’s a scene, but there's a reason for it. I crave their Glazed Prawns with Walnuts on the daily and their Chicken Satay is ON POINT. Oh my gosh and their Ma Mignon (filet mignon with their signature sauce since 1975) this is stuff dreams are made of! See - get me started on these flavors and I might just book a trip back to Asia - PACK YOUR BAGS ANDREW!
OK, ok back to this rice bowl :). For me, the skirt steak MAKES this dish. The thing about skirt steak is that it’s by no means a premium cut of meat but in a recipe like this, I actually prefer a skirt or flank steak because the thinness of the meat allows for it to really sear and even creates a nice crisp. You wouldn’t go to skirt steak for a sit down high end steak dinner, but skirt steak has so many positives and uses in the kitchen, so do not count it out of your rotation. First and foremost, skirt steak is relatively inexpensive on the “cuts of steak” scale. Skirt steak is a definite yes for fajitas. Grill up some skirt steak with some veggies on a cool summer night. Throw some skirt steak in a salad. With simple good quality ingredients, the possibilities are endless.
There are some things to watch out for when you’re cooking with skirt steak. For instance, you have to make sure you watch the temp and the time when cooking. Overcooked skirt steak is rubber and worthless. You’ll want to make sure (like most steak) you let it rest after cooking (at minimum, 10 minutes - this lets the juices redistribute throughout the meat rather than pouring out when you first cut into it) and when you slice it you want to slice it against the grain. I know this is a “must do” for all cuts of beef, but it’s particularly important with this cut of meat because of how thin it is. And make sure when you marinate you do so for no less than an hour (this recipe calls for 2-3 hours). The skirt steak is more of a muscle-y cut of beef and the extra marinade helps break down the tissue so it’s much more tender.
And now to the rice bowl of it all. Is there anything better (or easier and more versatile - see what I did there???) than a meal with the word “bowl” in the title? You’re quite literally taking a bunch of ingredients and throwing them in a bowl. Which means it’s so easy a toddler can do it, so no excuses! You’ll find many “bowls” on Blistered Peppers and I won’t stop no matter how trendy or not trendy it becomes. I explain below how I like to build this dish, but you can swap out any ingredients for what I’ve got. I bet shaved carrot, cilantro, scallion, grilled asparagus or even wasabi peas would all work just fine in accompanying this steak.
Give this “better than takeout” meal a try. Let me know what you think. What did you add to it? Send me a pic! Can’t wait to hear what you think.
Steps:
Using a large ziploc bag or deep baking dish, marinate the steak with the soy, rice vinegar, garlic, honey, and sriracha for a minimum of 2-3 hours.
Before cooking the meat, make the rice. Following rice package instructions, bring the liquid and rice to a boil (should be a 2-1 ratio), lower the heat, cover and cook until liquid has evaporated and rice is tender.
Alternatively you can use a rice cooker, my go to is Zojirushi.
While the rice cooks, prep the veggies and toppings of choice. Thinly slice the mushrooms, then saute them over medium heat in a bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper, for about 8 minutes - stirring frequently. Cover the edamame with water in a heat proof bowl, place a kitchen towel over the top of the bowl to trap the air and steam in the microwave for 5-8 minutes. Slice the cucumbers and scallions. Maybe even fry an egg!
Heat a cast iron skillet or non-stick pan, over medium heat. Once the pan is hot, remove the steak from the marinade and allow it to cook for 2-4 minutes on either side. Remove the steak from the heat and allow it to cool for a few minutes before slicing and serving.
In a small saucepan, add the marinade and allow it to render down over low heat for about 5 minutes. It will thicken and taste beautifully drizzled over the rice bowls.
Assemble rice bowls and top with sesame seeds! See the video below for how I like to make mine :)
