Thai Grilled Steak with Basil Fried Rice
This tantalizing dish showcases a velvety and flavorful sauce with a subtle flavor transition. The perfectly seasoned and grilled steak pairs harmoniously with the vibrant basil fried rice. Topped with toasted coconut, this meal promises a delectable experience.
This tantalizing dish showcases a velvety and flavorful sauce with a subtle flavor transition. The perfectly seasoned and grilled steak pairs harmoniously with the vibrant basil fried rice. Topped with toasted coconut, this meal promises a delectable experience.
- 1/4 cup brown sugar packed
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 2 tablespoons water
- rice
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 eggs, beaten
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- 1 1/4 pounds flank steak
- 1/2 to 1 tsp kosher salt
- sauce
- 1 can coconut milk
- 1/4 cup peanut butter
- 2 teaspoons curry powder
- 1 tablespoon cilantro chopped
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 1 cayenne pepper finely diced (can substitute red bell pepper)
- 3 cups of cooked jasmine rice cooled
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 15-20 leaves basil halved and stemmed
- garnish: toasted coconut shavings and cilantro
- Carbohydrate 45.2498326531417 g
- Cholesterol 142.67166546875 mg
- Fat 42.2771876275581 g
- Fiber 2.22745106128077 g
- Protein 56.7271204686667 g
- Saturated Fat 29.8496302023097 g
- Serving Size 1 1 (641g)
- Sodium 10709.2891872961 mg
- Sugar 43.0223815918609 g
- Trans Fat 3.55872603123994 g
- Calories 761 calories
Step-by-step
- Set up your grill for direct heat cooking and start the fire to preheat the grill to 450-500f. I was using natural lump charcoal in the Big Green Egg, no wood chunks.
- While the grill is warming up, make your sauce by stirring all of the sauce ingredients over medium high heat until well blended and thickened. This took about 10 minutes, I think.
- Season your steak with the salt, pepper, and garlic powder. I used a hot blend of chilies that I dehydrated and ground up this summer. But cayenne would be a good substitute.
- Grill the steak for about 4 minutes a side until it hits an internal temperature of 125f. Remove to a cooling rack and rest, loosely covered with foil.
- While it is resting, put the wok on the grill and add about 1/2 TBSP of a high temp cooking oil such as safflower or peanut oil. If you are using a kamado style cooker like the Big Green Egg, go ahead and shut off your bottom vent. Your coals will get plenty of air as is.
- Cook the eggs first, watching it closely. This takes only about a minute or two compared to the stove top.
- Remove to a plate and chop.
- Add another 1/2 TBSP of oil and then stir fry the onions and cayenne for 2-3 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
- Add the cooked rice, stirring and flipping for about 1 to 2 minutes. Add the soy/water/sugar mix and stir together.
- When the rice looks done, at the last minute return the chopped egg to the wok and add the basil leaves. Toss together. The heat from the rice should wilt the basil leaves.
- Thinly slice the steak. Serve with the basil fried rice, ladle the sauce over the steak and garnish as you wish. The recommended toasted coconut definitely contributed to the taste, it didn't only look pretty.
Flank steak cooked over direct heat to precisely 125 degrees Fahrenheit benefits enormously from a rest on a wire rack rather than a cutting board, as air circulation prevents the bottom crust from steaming and losing its crispness while the internal juices redistribute.
- Cook jasmine rice a day in advance and store it uncovered in the refrigerator to dry out the surface starches, which prevents the grains from clumping into mush when subjected to the high heat of a wok.
- When freezing the coconut-peanut sauce, omit the fresh cilantro until after thawing and reheating over gentle medium-low heat, because delicate herbs turn grayish-brown and develop an unpleasant metallic flavor when subjected to frozen storage.
- Reheat leftover fried rice in a preheated cast iron skillet with half a teaspoon of high-smoke-point oil rather than a microwave to restore the distinct individual grains without overcooking the reincorporated eggs.
- Maintain a target grill temperature between 450 and 500 degrees Fahrenheit using natural lump charcoal to develop a proper external char on the meat before the interior overcooks past medium-rare.
Common pitfalls include crowding the wok with too much cold rice at once, which drops the cooking surface temperature and steams the grains instead of frying them, and slicing the flank steak with the grain instead of perpendicular to the muscle fibers. Cutting across the grain shortens the muscle strands, yielding a tender bite that pairs harmoniously with the aromatic components of the dish.
