Asian Flank Steak Recipe
Marinated Flank Steak Recipe with Orzo & Asparagus
My newest thrown together meal is an Asian flank steak recipe with whole wheat orzo and asparagus. This marinated flank steak makes a great meal!
Mouse over the slideshow to stop it and read the captions
So, one night recently, I had some flank steak in the freezer that needed using. Plugged flank steak into my favorite AllRecipes search engine and got an Asian-inspired flank steak marinade recipe that sounded good. And I was off and running...
I'd been craving orzo recently, so I hauled out a box of whole wheat orzo and decided to make it with the same basic flavor profile as the beef. Add to that some fresh asparagus just bought and I had a new thrown together meal... all Asian-inspired.
Use the link above to go and grab the marinade recipe from AllRecipes.com. The only changes I made were to use about 3 T. of ginger-garlic paste (equal amounts minced ginger and garlic blended with a small amount of canola oil) in place of the garlic, garlic powder and powdered ginger, used red wine vinegar instead of garlic vinegar and no green onions (because I didn't have any).
Asian Flank Steak, with Orzo & Asparagus
Ingredients:
Marinated flank steak (see above)
Olive oil spray
1 c. whole wheat orzo
1.75 cups beef stock or bouillon
2 T. soy sauce
1 tsp. sesame oil
1 T. sesame seeds
1 bunch fresh asparagus
1 T. olive oil
1 T. ginger-garlic paste
Dash soy sauce
1 tsp. lemon juice
1 tsp. sesame seeds
Salt/pepper to taste
Directions:
- At least 8 hours before dinner (overnight is fine), prepare the marinade and put the flank steak into it, refrigerating during the interim.
- When ready to prepare dinner, take the flank steak out and let it rest for about 20 minutes, while you heat up your grill or broiler. Put the marinade in a pan and warm it gently over medium-low heat meanwhile.
- Get the orzo boiling in the beef stock; then turn down to a low simmer, covered.
- Put the flank steak on the broiler or grill, brushing with a bit of the marinade. Cook about 5 minutes on each side, re-basting frequently.
- Meanwhile, heat the olive oil and ginger-garlic paste in a medium skillet. When hot (but not smoking), add the asparagus, with a bit of salt and pepper. Toss in the seasoned oil and let cook for about 5 minutes or so.
- Take the meat off the grill/broiler when it is nicely browned on the outside and still pink in the middle. Let it rest for at least 10 minutes while you finish up the orzo and asparagus.
- When the orzo is done cooking, remove it from the heat and add in the 2 T. soy sauce, 1 tsp. sesame oil and the 1 T. sesame seeds. Mix well.
- When the asparagus has turned bright green and is crisp tender, remove it from the heat. Add the dash of soy sauce and the 1 tsp. sesame seeds. I like to add a small amount of lemon juice too for freshness, but it's optional.
- Slice the flank steak in thin, diagonal slices against the grain. Baste with the marinade and serve with the orzo and asparagus.
Yield: 3 to 4 servings
I won't claim this Asian flank steak recipe as my greatest thrown together creation ever, but we did enjoy it. One thing I'd do differently is marinade it longer. I only did it for about an hour, and it wasn't enough. Our steak was a little tough and dry. A longer marinade would have produced a more tender and moist result, I'm certain.
What I did like is how the flavor profile carried through the whole meal. It all just went together very nicely! If you try this Asian flank steak recipe, I hope you enjoy it too.
Variations
- Substitute a different meat, if you don't like beef, such as chicken breast or even salmon (neither would need a long marinade, though).
- Use less sugar in the marinade if it's too sweet for you.
- Add some chopped toasted almonds or peanuts to the orzo and asparagus.
- Cut the asparagus into chunks and mix it with the orzo before serving.
- Cut up the meat into narrow strips and stir fry it with the asparagus and other veggies.
Looking for something?
Use the search box:
