Asian Steak Tacos

Marinated hanger steak w/ carrots, cabbage, and ginger-scallion sauce

I really like the steak tacos at Calafia Cafe in Palo Alto.  It's a great option for eating out, Paleo style.  Since they didn't look hard to make, I decided to try to make them at home.

Calafia is a decent restaurant to have a Paleo meal.  Organic, gluten-free, and/or dairy-free dishes... all clearly labeled.  They serve grass-fed beef and their meats are well-sourced.


I think we did a pretty good job duplicating the dish.  Check it out!

Tools:

• Mixing Bowl
• Food Processor
• Microplane Grater
• Cast Iron Skillet

Marinade:

• 1 Pear
• 1 Tbsp fresh Ginger, finely minced
• 3 cloves Garlic, finely chopped
• 1/4 Yellow Onion, finely chopped
• 5 stalks of Green Onion, finely chopped (just the stalks)
• 3 Tbsp Organic Wheat-free Tamari
• 1.5 Tbsp Sesame Oil
• 1/4 cup Red Wine (in this case the Duckhorn cab we were drinking while cooking this)
• 1 tsp White Sesame Seeds
• 1 tsp Sea Salt
• 2lb Grass-Fed Hanger Steak (or Petite Tenders, if you don't want it as fatty)

  
Ingredients:

• 1/2 head of Cabbage, shredded
• 1 large Carrot, shredded
• Remaining part of Green Onion from above, chopped
• 1.5 Tbsp fresh Ginger, grated
• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 2 Tbsp Sesame Oil
• 1/2 Tbsp Organic Wheat-free Tamari
• 1.5 Tbsp Grass-fed Butter 
• Black Sesame Seeds 
• White Sesame Seeds
• 1 Lime 
• 1 head Butter Lettuce
• fresh Cilantro, chopped for garnish

Instructions:

1. Trim excess fats from steak.
2. Peel the pear.  Put all marinade ingredients into the food processor to chop and mix.
3. Cover steak with the marinade mix and let it sit for at least 1 hour.  3 hours if possible.

   

   3. Marinating.
4. Meanwhile (or later on), gather all other ingredients.  Shred the cabbage and carrot (or buy the pre-shredded stuff at Trader Joe's).  Chop the remaining part of the green onion (the green part).  Grate the ginger.

   

   4. chopped carrots.
5. Make the Ginger-Scallion sauce: Add the 1/2 Tbsp olive oil and 1/2 Tbsp Sesame Oil to a pan over low heat.
6. Once the oil is hot, add the chopped green onion, grated ginger, and 1/2 Tbsp wheat-free Tamari.  Cook for a couple minutes and then add 2 Tbsp Sesame Oil.  Remove from heat and set aside.

   

   5. Making the sauce.
   
   
   

   

   6. mmm oil.
7. When you are ready to cook the steak, discard the marinade.
8. In a cast iron skillet, heat 1/2 Tbsp butter and 1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil over high heat.
9. When you see the butter foam begin to subside, add the hanger steaks.  Cook for about 4-5 minutes per side for a medium-rare, depending on how thick the cut is.  For more detailed instructions on how to cook a steak, see my Steak Au Poivre recipe.
10. Once the steak is done cooking, let it sit aside for a few minutes to finish cooking.

    

    6. chillin.
11. After a few minutes, use a sharp knife and cutting board to create small, bite-sized steak cubes.
12. Assemble the taco.  Layout some lettuce and put some steak bites on top.  Add some shredded cabbage and carrots.  Then the ginger-scallion sauce.  Sprinkle some freshly chopped cilantro, black sesame seeds, and white sesame seeds.  Top it off with some freshly squeezed lime juice.  Serve and enjoy!

7. Asian steak tacos for dinner!

I ran out of sauce and had left over meat.  So I chopped up some white onion and added the meat to make an omelette:

7. transformed to a kitchen sink omelette

Hope you enjoy!


Related Recipes: Beefy Lettuce Tacos | Chicken Cilantro Pesto Lettuce Wraps