Marinated Flank Steak with Asian Slaw

Looking for something to assault your taste buds?  This dish will more than do it.  Using Asian-inspired flavors in both the marinade and the slaw is sure to satisfy your need for something different.  Dark toasted sesame oil really shines through, as it provides much of the flavor in both segments of the dish.  This would be great as part of a summer barbecue or even on the coldest of winter nights.  Serve with a cold beer or a nice icy glass of lemonade to balance all the flavors.

Marinated Flank Steak with Asian Slaw

Steak:

1/4 cup rice wine vinegar

1/4 cup reduced sodium soy sauce

1 tbsp. minced fresh ginger

1 tbsp. dark toasted sesame oil

1 tbsp. brown sugar

1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

2 lb. flank steak

Slaw:

3 tbsp. peanut oil (or other neutral oil)

1 shallot, minced

2 small hot chilies, seeded and minced

1 tbsp. fresh lime juice

1 tsp. dark toasted sesame oil

3/4 tsp. kosher salt

3 cups very thinly sliced red cabbage

2 carrots, peeled & cut into fine julienne

2 scallions, thinly sliced

1 cup thinly sliced basil leaves

For the steak, whisk the vinegar, soy sauce, ginger, sesame oil, sugar and pepper flakes together in a small bowl.  Place the steak in a large plastic bag or a shallow baking dish.  Pour the marinade over the steak and refrigerate for at least 6 hours and up to 36 hours, turning occasionally (the longer, the better!).

To make the slaw, whisk together the oil, shallot, chilies, lime juice, sesame oil and salt in a medium bowl.  Add the cabbage, carrots and scallions - mix well.  Refrigerate for at least 1 hour.

When ready to cook, prepare a charcoal or gas grill or heat the broiler.  Grill or broil the steak, turning once, until it reaches the desired doneness, about 5 minutes per side for medium-rare.  Transfer to a cutting board and tent with foil, letting it rest for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, toss the slaw with the basil.  Place a mound of slaw on each of 4 plates.  Thinly slice the steak on the bias and drape over the slaw.

NOTE:  I didn't pay attention to the recipe and accidentally added the shallot and chilies (I used jalapenos) to the marinade - didn't matter, because it added a lot of flavor.  Although not listed in the recipe, I felt the marinade needed another typical ingredient found in Asian-themed dishes - garlic.  I minced two large cloves of garlic and added them into the marinade.

I would suggest making a double batch of the slaw, because the amount you get really is only enough to feed two hungry people.  The slaw itself is so good that you could make and serve it by itself as part of a barbecue spread or a buffet.  Feel free to add different vegetables to the slaw, like thinly sliced fancy bell peppers...or use a combination of red and green cabbages, but wait until about an hour before you serve it to toss in the green cabbage (will prevent "staining" by the red cabbage).