Japanese Steak Salad

Photo: flickr user avlxyz

Ingredients

1 pound well-trimmed beef top sirloin 3 cups sliced napa cabbage

3 cups romaine lettuce, cut ¼ inch

1/2 cup thin diagonally sliced carrots

1/2 cup thin sliced cucumber

1/2 cup thin sliced radishes

1 cup cooked rice

24 pea pods, blanched

Sesame Marinade and Dressing (recipe follows)

3 tablespoons dry sherry

3 tablespoons light soy sauce

3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar

2 tablespoons hoisin sauce

1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

1/4 cup water

2 tablespoons chopped green onion

1 tablespoon sugar

1 tablespoon Oriental dark roasted sesame oil

Preparation

Prepare Sesame Marinade and Dressing. Place beef top sirloin steak in plastic bag; add reserved marinade, turning to coat. Close bag securely and marinate in refrigerator 2 hours, turning once. Remove from marinade; place on rack in broiler pan so surface of meat is 3 to 4 inches from heat. Broil 14 to 16 minutes to doneness desired (rare to medium-rare), turning once. Let stand 5 minutes. Carve steak into thin slices.

Meanwhile, combine napa cabbage, romaine, carrots and radishes; place an equal amount of each on 4 individual plates. Arrange an equal number of cucumber slices in circle at top of salad greens on each plate. Mound 1/4 cup rice on each cucumber circle. Fan pea pods around both sides of rice. Arrange steak slices as spokes on salad greens, radiating down from rice. Serve dressing with salad. Makes 4 servings.

Combine dry sherry, soy sauce, vinegar, hoisin sauce and ginger; mix well. Divide mixture in half; reserve half for steak marinade. To prepare dressing, combine remaining mixture with water, green onion, sugar and oil; mix well. Yield: 1/3 cup marinade; 3/4 cup dressing.