THAI YELLOW CURRY FLANK STEAK
WITH BLACK RICE SALAD
(Serves 6)
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 cups black rice (see note below) 1
- 1½ pounds flank steak
- 4ounces (1 can) yellow curry paste
- 1 bunch fresh-chopped Italian parsley
- 6 medium tomatoes, peeled, seeded, chopped
- 1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
- 1 head freshly roasted garlic (see note below) 2
- 1 tablespoon malt vinegar
- 2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 3 lemons, juice only
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, or more, to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more, to
taste
- 2 bunches scallions, white and green parts, thinly
sliced
PREPARATION:
Soak the black rice in 6 cups of cold water for at least 4
hours or overnight.
Put the steak on a cutting board and using a sharp knife,
make shallow diagonal crisscross cuts on
both sides of the steak so that the steak is scored in a diamond
pattern. This scoring will both tenderize
the steak and prevent its curling during cooking.
Rub half of the curry paste into one side of the steak, turn
it over, and rub the remaining paste into the second side.
Place the rubbed steak onto a platter and let it stand at
room temperature for 1 hour.
While the steak is standing, rinse the soaked rice several
times under cold running water in a colander.
Fill a large pot less than half full of cold water.
Fit a small towel over the top of the pot, then insert a
shallow steamer basket on top of the towel - ensuring that it
does not go down into the water.
Add the drained rice and cover with the pot's lid.
Bring to a full boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and
steam the rice for 45 minutes, stirring frequently.
When tender, remove from heat and allow to cool to room
temperature.
In a large bowl combine the parsley, tomatoes, cucumber and
cooked rice, then set the bowl aside.
In another bowl combine the roasted garlic, malt vinegar,
fish sauce, lemon juice, olive oil, oregano, kosher salt and
black pepper and mix well.
Pour this dressing over the salad and toss to coat well.
Sprinkle the scallions over and set aside.
Preheat the broiler or barbecue grill, then broil or grill
the steak quickly about 2 inches from the heat source.
I recommend cooking the steak for 8 minutes on the first side
and 4 minutes on the second.
The real secret to tender flank steak is in the carving.
Position the steak on a carving board so that the
smallest end is angled slightly away from you. Secure the meat
with a fork or tongs and, with the blade of
your knife almost parallel to the surface of the steak, make
very thin slices diagonally across the grain of
the meat. Serve the carved meat strips over the Black Rice
Salad.
Indonesian Black Rice
This recipe is made with Indonesian Black Rice, also called
Black Sticky Rice or Black Sweet Rice.
It's usually easy to find it in 5 pound bags in Asian grocery
stores. Look for dark rice that resembles wild rice.
Roasting a Head of Garlic
To roast a head of garlic, cut just enough of the root end
off to expose some of the garlic meat inside.
Place on a greased sheet of heavy aluminum and securely wrap.
Put the garlic into a 350° F. oven and bake for about 1 hour
or until the head of garlic gives when lightly pressed.
Allow the garlic to cool, remove it from the foil, and
squeeze the garlic from the pulp.
Reserve the garlic, discarding the outer pulp.