RECIPE

Grilled Beef with Spicy Asian Dipping Sauce

  • ACTIVE: 20 MIN
  • TOTAL TIME: 45 MIN
  • SERVINGS: 4

This simple recipe is all about the beef, says Neil Perry, though he adds, "The sweet-salty Indonesian dipping sauce is sensational in its own right—I have been playing around with it recently in my test kitchen, so it is bound to pop up somewhere soon on one of my menus. It would be fantastic with a piece of poached chicken or grilled salmon. Here, it works incredibly well with the spicy, peppery crust on the sirloin."

  • ACTIVE: 20 MIN
  • TOTAL TIME: 45 MIN
  • SERVINGS: 4
  • FAST
  • HEALTHY

Ingredients

  • Ingredients
    1. 2 tablespoons peanut oil
    2. 1 tablespoon kecap manis (see Note)
    3. 1 pound sirloin steak, cut 3/4 inch thick
    4. Salt and freshly ground pepper
    5. 3 tablespoons Asian fish sauce
    6. 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
    7. 1 tablespoon Asian red pepper flakes or crushed red pepper
    8. 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar
    9. 2 teaspoons finely chopped cilantro
    10. 1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
    11. 1/2 head of green cabbage, finely shredded

Directions

  1. Light a grill. In a small glass baking dish, mix the peanut oil with the kecap manis. Season the steak with salt and pepper, add it to the dish and turn to coat. Let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes.
  2. In a small bowl, mix the fish sauce with the lime juice, red pepper flakes, brown sugar, cilantro and shallot.
  3. Grill the steak over moderately high heat, turning once, until medium-rare, about 6 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Thinly slice the steak across the grain. Mound the cabbage on plates, top with the sliced steak and serve the sauce on the side.

Notes

Kecap manis is a thick, slightly sweet Indonesian seasoning with a soybean base. Look for it at Asian markets or online at indomart.us.