Saturday, February 28, 2009

Flank steak and edamame with wasabi dressing

I own a lot of spices – everything from your basic chili powder to the more exotic fennel pollen. I currently have six kinds of salt and three types of peppercorns. For most spices, I have both the ground and whole versions. I’ve got four kinds of cinnamon. Six varieties of dried chiles. The list goes on and on.

Some spices get used all the time – I’m particularly fond of smoked paprika and I go through a lot of cumin. Lately, my bottles of allspice berries and juniper berries have been dwindling because of all the brines I’ve made for pork. However, there are some spices that I just don’t use very often. I love the flavor of Chinese five spice, but I don’t use it nearly enough. Along the same lines, I have a bottle of wasabi powder that’s been languishing in my drawer.

I got the opportunity to use my wasabi powder when I made this flank steak with edamame. The recipe actually called for wasabi paste, but wasabi powder with a touch of water did the trick for me.

This recipe was really fast and easy. Flank steak is seasoned with salt, pepper and soy sauce, then seared until done to your liking. The steak is thinly sliced and served on a bed of edamame that’s been cooked with garlic, ginger, sesame oil and soy sauce. A mixture of wasabi and rice vinegar is drizzled over the top.

As usual, I made a few changes. To save on dishes, I cooked the steak in a skillet instead of grilling it, then cooked the edamame in the same pan. I don’t keep bottled ginger and garlic in my fridge, so I substituted fresh for both. I also added a handful of chopped cilantro leaves to the edamame.

To dress this up a bit, I used some artisan soy sauce that I received as a gift once. I think it was a good move – since the recipe is so minimal, it really gave the complex flavors of the sauce a chance to shine. I served steamed jasmine rice on the side.


73 comments:

Sean said...

Mmm...I bet those edamame tasted brilliantly after being cooked in the same pan as the steak!

Jennifer said...

I want to live with YOU! You are such an exotic and creative cook!

Jaime said...

looks great! but do you find flank steak to be a bit tough in general? i can never slice it thin enough for it not to taste too tough!

Claudia said...

Love flank steak that's marinated in soy (and I add red wine and scallions), then grill and done. Now, the endame on the side in the same grill pan interests! Also the wasabi paste - never did the flank with that. Looks scrumptious - a little between winter and spring. Spring cannot come soon enough!

Leslie said...

ohhh..I love flank steak! Its the perfect fast cooking flavorful steak!

Anonymous said...

I swaer I have these types of spices I too need to find a use for! This sounds like it was delicious.

Anonymous said...

Love the idea of actually cooking/seasoning the edamame. Thank you!

Elyse said...

Ooo, I love wasabi. I've never seen the powder, but it sounds like a must-have! This recipe sounds absolutely delicious. (I'd love to know more about this fennel pollen!!)

Anonymous said...

looks lovely!!
love wasabi - it adds so much flavor

Unknown said...

That looks great! I love edemame, it a yummy, healthy snack!

Anonymous said...

I seriously could have written the same words - I also have a variety of spices and my wasabi powder has been sitting there unused :) This is a great recipe - the steaks look delicious and perfectly cooked!

Reeni said...

What a great dinner! I love edamame and the steak looks perfectly cooked. This is like the third time today I've seen fennel pollen and before this had never even heard of it!

Krista Dearden said...

Wow...what a great, quick fix dinner! Where do you find all those exotic spices? My local grocer can't compete!

Barbara Bakes said...

I think I really need to get more creative with spices. The dinner looks delicious!

Cakelaw said...

This looks delicious - I'd love to sink my teeth into one of those pink steaks. I have a lot of spices as well, many of which I rarely use.

Pearl said...

goodness - how creative to cook edamame in the same pan as the steak :)

Donna-FFW said...

Sara- too funny, same wavelength almost. Yours looks soooo much more lovelier.. Ive got to try this, I love everything tht goes into it!

CookingCourtney said...

so simple. so good.

Cathy said...

What a great looking meal! Edamame looks like a great side for the steak.

Unknown said...

Yum, that steak looks so delicious! I've seen so many recipes for flank steak but I can never find it at the grocery store.

Netts Nook said...

Sara- I knew you were doing something with all the edamame after your comment this week this look great I will have to try. Yum My favorite treat can be dinner.

Foodie with Little Thyme! said...

Looks so yummy. My kids love edamame I'll have to try it along side steak.

Alex said...

Edamame - mmmm! And I'm loving the sound of fennel pollen too. Please do a post soon about what you can do with it!

Sara said...

Jaime - I usually don't find flank steak to be tough. I cook it to medium and slice it against the grain, how are you cooking it?

Elyse, Reeni and Alex - I'll do a post on fennel pollen in the next week or so.

Mamakd - I buy almost all my spices from penzeys.com, the quality is great and prices are reasonable. Penzeys also has some retail outlets, so check online and see if they have one near you. They just opened a store in my area, so I'm excited about that.

Ana Powell said...

Hi Sarah
I really love your Blog`s new face, looks fantastic.
Your photos are getting better and better. Your work looks really good.
Wonderful meal x

Anonymous said...

I love simple, elegant recipes like this.

Cumin is a spice I tend to run through quickly, too.

grace said...

i'd like to know why edamame isn't all over the place--it's wonderful! this'd be a delightful and satisfying meal, no question.

Brindi said...

Sara - I lost you. I lost my whole favorites list. Thanks for stopping by and commenting - I've found you again.

Really, you should try the cake - it wasn't that bad.

La Cuisine d'Helene said...

I came back from a vacation and are discovering lot's of great recipes on your site. I love edamame.

Thistlemoon said...

I have the same problem with my spices! I love what you did with yours! Looks great!!!

Maris said...

I've been wanting to make flank steak but I have a fear of it not being tender enough..how do you get yours so perfect!?

Dewi said...

Sara, can you believe that I can't take the spiciness from wasabi? that's is pretty pathetic, don't you think so? I can eat very spicy from from Thai chilies though! Anyway, love the steaks idea with the edamame, maybe I have ti find the substitute for the wasabi. What do you think? Will it ruin your dish?
Cheers,
Elra

Sara said...

Maris - Honestly, I don't do anything special. I don't even use a meat thermometer, I just press on it to feel when it's done. I never cook it past medium and slice against the grain.

Elra - I think you could leave the wasabi dressing off altogether and the meal would still be great.

Olga said...

That steak is cooked to perfection!!! Yum.

Kat said...

The steak looks great. I don't cook beef much as I am not very good at doing so!

Anonymous said...

I love wasabi!! that Dinner looks outstanding!
petitfoodie.wordpress.com

Heidi said...

Thanks so much for visiting my blog. I think all your recipes look great!

Erica said...

This sounds awesome! Josh is a sucker for flank steak so I am putting it on the to make list! What a great selection of spices you have! Now that we're in the house, I know I will be building my collection up as well ;)

Passionate Eater said...

I have the same problem with my spice cabinet... But I just found a new use for the wasabi sitting in there! Thanks Sara!

Anonymous said...

Just perfect! Looks so good. I do have some wasabi powder my friend gave me and I did bring some smoked paprika back from the states last trip, but the rest sounds so exotic and fun! I mean, fennel pollen?

I am coming to dinner if and when I ever make it out your way!

Jennifer said...

I tihnk I can go ahead and make this sicne I acutally have some frozen edamame. Thanks.

Robin said...

I have been going craxy with my smoked paprika- I love it and have to buy some more as I have depleted my bottle. Fennel Pollen? I wonder who runs around collecting that and then trying to get it in a bottle!?! Does it taste like fennel?

Sarah said...

Yummy! We make flank steak all the time in the summer months here. It's fantastic on the grill! I completely lucked out with the photographers, they were friends with a friend of my husband who found out that I am a chef and wanted to feature me in a shoot! I truly was so much fun!

Sarah said...

Oh and the shrimp dish, I was totally inspired by your posting. Thanks! It was a big hit! Plus I love indian food and spices!

Cathy said...

Flank steak is one of my favorite cuts of meat. So versatile and flavorful. Love wasabi too. Your dinner looks wonderful

NKP said...

What a beautitful photo! So very delicious looking. I love wasabi.

Judy said...

My sister loves edamame. I'm going to have to give her this recipe.

stephchows said...

your steak looks like it's cooked perfectly!!! And I love the edamame on the side!

Debbie said...

Looks like an out of this world recipe! I will have to try this someime!

Anonymous said...

Yay edamame!

Pam said...

Simple and tasty - it looks like the perfect meal.

teresa said...

That looks fantastic! My hubby would love this dish too!
teresa
ablogaboutfood2.blogspot.com

Katherine Roberts Aucoin said...

What a wonderfully creative meal. It looks and sounds wonderful!

The Duo Dishes said...

We've never cooked flank steak before, but it always seems so easy. This could be the induction recipe right here!

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

Healthy and totally delicious!

Cheers,

Rosa

Diana said...

You totally nailed that flank steak -- it's the perfect shade of pink!

♥Rosie♥ said...

Looks like a recipe I NEED to try out very soon! Looks delicious!

Rosie x

Lyndas recipe box said...

The meat is cooked perfectly and looks so delicious.Looks like a perfectmeal!

La Bella Cooks said...

This looks really delicious! I am always up for a good flank steak.

Annie said...

That looks so good. I don't use even a quarter of the spices you named. I guess I just don't know which ones to put with what. You should do a post on common uses for certain spices (just for me, Hahaha).

Maria said...

Love the vibrant edamame!

Kiezie said...

These look wonderful and what a great use of wasabi! We eat flank steak and wasabi at least once every 2 weeks, just not together. I may have to rethink that!! :)

Colleen said...

Wow, what a great combo! I will have to convince my husband to try something like this!

Lori said...

I so love edamame! I love the colors, so vivid!

Jessica604 said...

lol - we were recently given a spice rack of fresh spices - it added a couple spices to our repetoire, however we already had lots and lots of spices - whole, ground, seeds . . . as far as condiments go too, don't get me started about our rack of mustard in the fridge!

We even have two tins of wasabi powder - perfect for making wasabi honey mayo for special tuna sandwiches / fish tacos (I find that wasabi powder keeps its flavour better anyways!). This sounds like a good meal! I definately think I will try the edamame with wasabi dressing sometime soon.

Anonymous said...

Would never have thought of a pairing like this but it looks great. I had an amazing soy wasabi dressing for a salad the other day - it tasted like sushi on my salad!

Amanda said...

Beautiful!

And try 5-spice powder sprinkled on sweet potatoes with salt and a good drizzle of honey or agave nectar. Roast in the oven--yum!

Yasmeen said...

Never tried the unique Wasabi spice,meal looks inviting.6 kinds of salt?,interesting:)

Jan said...

I've never tried wasabi, but your steak looks cooked to perfection.

Unknown said...

I was going through my pantry today and noticed that I have Chinese five spice and some wasabi powder, I even have some edamame in the freezer, this looks like a great recipe for the beef eaters in my house!

Chef E said...

Can you imagine if we got together for a dinner party what we would come up with! I love this idea...a great combination!

Rico said...

love steak and those beans great stuff. well done my mouth is watering nnow :D xx

Jeph said...

This looks, and sounds, great!!! I loooove flank steak, and I looooove edamame - what a great combo!