So as usual, I'm a few weeks overdue in posting this blog entry. On the Fourth of July, I made one of my favorite flank steak recipes - Durban-Style South African flank steak.
The recipe is actually from a restaurant at a Disney World resort. Becca is totally obsessed with all things Disney-related, and when her family goes to Disney World every year, she always comes home with more Disney souvenirs - blankets, pot holders, wine corks, and one year a cookbook entitled "Cooking With Mickey and the Disney Chefs". While amusement parks aren't generally known for having the best food, Disney World is the exception. This cookbook has a lot of variety and the recipes we've tried have been very tasty.
So a word about this flank steak. It takes a lot of ingredients and spices that you may not have readily available in your kitchen if you don't do a lot of Asian/Middle Eastern cooking. However, if you have the ingredients available or are willing to buy them, I promise you it is one of the tastiest steak marinades that I have ever eaten. It isn't overly spicy but it is so flavorful that my mouth is watering just thinking about it. Anyways, here goes:
South African Flank Steak
In a large bowl, combine 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
And 1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
And 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
And 1/2 cup malt vinegar
And 1/2 cup safflower oil
A note about Safflower Oil - Becca and I happened to have this from other recipes, it comes in a bottle like the one posted below and we were able to find it with the rest of the oil (vegetable, olive, canola, etc) in the store. It's a very mild-flavored oil, and it's just used in the marinade, so if you don't have it/can't find it, you can probably just use canola oil and it'll be fine.
Next, chop up a lot of garlic. You're going to need about 1/4 cup.
I think it's easiest just to throw it in the food processor.
Next, peel some fresh ginger and chop that up too. You'll need 1/4 cup. It's definitely easiest to chop ginger in a food processor.
Add the ginger and the garlic to the vinegar mixture, along with 1/4 cup sugar.
And 4 tablespoons of ground cardamom (I used a less because I didn't have that much cardamom!)
And 3 tablespoons of ground coriander
And 3 tablespoons of dried thyme
And 3 tablespoons of ground turmeric
And finally, 3 tablespoons of crushed red pepper.
Whisk everything together until well-combined.
Now, grab a 3-to-5 lb flank steak.
Put the flank steak into a gallon-sized ziplock bag.
And pour in the marinade. Marinate the flank steak in the refrigerator for at least 8 hours, and up to 24 hours.
When you're ready to eat, heat your grill or a grill pan over medium-high heat.
Sear the flank steak until the meat easily releases from the grill or pan.
Turn and sear the other side. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, or until desired doneness.
Remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Then, slice thinly across the grain of meat and serve.
Yum. I won't lie. Becca and I ate the whole thing.
It's so good.
Durban-Style South African Flank Steak and Marinade
1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
1/2 cup low-sodium soy sauce
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup malt vinegar
1/2 cup safflower oil
1/4 cup peeled and minced fresh ginger
1/4 cup minced garlic
1/4 cup sugar
4 tablespoons ground cardamom
3 tablespoons ground coriander
3 tablespoons ground turmeric
3 tablespoons dried thyme
3 tablespoons ground red pepper
1 flank steak (3 to 5 pounds)
1. In a large bowl, mix Worcestershire, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, malt vinegar, and safflower oil.
2. Whisk in ginger, garlic, suger, cardamom, coriander, turmeric, thyme, and red pepper.
3. Add flank steak and marinate for 24 hours.
4. Over medium-high heat, sear the flank steak until the meat easily releases from the grill or pan. Turn and sear the other side. Cook for 10 to 12 minutes, or until desired doneness. Remove form heat and let stand for 5 minutes.
5. Slice thinly across grain of meat and serve.
