Summer twist on the grill: ginger beef 

Want a change in flavor for the steaks off the grill? Instead of BBQ why not try ginger beef?

Ginger beef can be served hot, warm or cold but is often eaten at room temperature. Any time you serve meat at room temperature, you need a sauce that makes people forget they could’ve eaten something right out of the oven. With only a few major ingredients, this sauce gets the job done. You can use this sauce on a lot of different proteins (I’ve yet to find something that doesn’t go with it), but it marries particularly well with steak. The bold, bright sauce perfectly complements the robust nature of beef. After all, who could ever argue with steak?

30 Minutes
1 Day Ahead
Fridge to Table

Makes 4 to 8 servings

• 1/3 cup finely chopped fresh ginger
• 2 cups finely chopped scallions
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 tablespoonextra-virgin olive oil
• Dash of salt
• 4 pounds sirloin steak
• 1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil

Make the sauce: Combine the ginger, scallions, soy sauce, vinegar, and olive oil. Set it aside. (I think the sauce gets better the longer it sits, but at least let it sit while you cook the steak so it has time to settle together.)

Then make the steaks: Generously salt the steaks on both sides. If grilling, cook as you normally would to your desired pinkness in the center.  If in the kitchen, place a cast-iron or nonstick pan on very high heat and add the oil (only use half if you are making the steaks in two batches to keep from crowding the pan). Let the oil get hot and cook each steak for 5 to 8 minutes, depending on the size of your steaks and the desired level of doneness. You will want to flip each steak every 30 seconds or so to ensure that it cooks evenly: it will cook better this way rather than flipping it only once—I promise.

Either from the stovetop or grill, remove the steaks and let them rest for at least 5 minutes. Slice off the fat and cut the steaks lengthwise into 1/4-inch-wide strips. Add the sauce on top and serve.

How to Bring It

This dish is great hot or cold. If you are serving it cold, you can keep both the sauce and the cooked meat in the fridge for a day before serving (the sauce can keep for 3 days). If you are going to refrigerate the meat for later, don’t slice it after cooking: Wait until you are about to serve it so the moisture in the meat stays intact. If you want to serve the meat hot, undercook it a bit when making it and then reheat it from room temperature in an oven at 350 degrees F for a few minutes to get it up to temperature. You can microwave the sauce to get it hot if you like.

The sauce is also good for leftovers. Just throw your beef, cut in pieces, over noodles with some oven-seared vegetables. It’s a great trick for leftovers that will leave the family asking for more!

–EpochTImes