Steak with miso aubergine and crunchy salad
This is a different take on a traditional steak dinner, packed with fresh ginger, soy and peanut flavours. Don't be decieved by the long list of ingredients – it's really easy to cook.
Ingredients
For the marinade
- 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
- 2 tbsp treacle
- 2 tbsp teriyaki sauce
- 1 fresh red chilli, finely chopped
- 1 tbsp chilli garlic sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
For the steak
For the shredded salad
- 1 carrot, peeled and julienned or coarsely grated
- 1 courgette, coarsely grated
- ¼ cucumber, coarsely grated
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú sugar-snap peas, finely sliced
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú purple sprouting broccoli, finely sliced
- 1 small red pepper, finely sliced
- ½ red onion, finely sliced
- handful baby leaf spinach, washed and finely sliced
- ¼ small red cabbage, finely sliced
- 75²µ/2¾´Ç³ú beansprouts
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú bamboo shoots
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú water chestnuts, finely sliced
For the salad dressing
- 1 garlic clove
- 5cm/2in piece fresh root ginger, peeled
- 1 fresh red chilli, seeds removed and chopped
- 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp teriyaki sauce
- 1 tbsp sesame oil
- 1 tbsp palm sugar
- 1 tbsp crunchy peanut butter
- 1 tbsp mirin
- 2 limes, juice only
For the miso aubergine
- 50ml/2fl oz sesame oil
- 2 large aubergines, cut into chunks
- 2 tbsp sweet white miso
- 2 tbsp brown miso
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp honey
- 1 lime, juice only
- pinch dried chilli flakes
- 4 tbsp sake
- 3 tbsp mirin
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds, to garnish
- 2 tbsp chopped fresh coriander, to garnish
- 1 fresh red chilli, seeds removed and finely sliced, to garnish
For the salad garnish
- 1 small bunch fresh coriander, chopped
- 1 tsp black sesame seeds
- 1 tsp white sesame seeds
- 1 fresh red chilli, finely sliced
- 50²µ/1¾´Ç³ú salted cashew nuts
Method
For the marinade, mix all of the ingredients in a wide, shallow bowl to combine. Add the steak and coat evenly in the marinade. Leave in the fridge while you prepare the other elements.
For the salad, mix all of the ingredients together in a large bowl.
For the dressing, blitz all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth. Tip the dressing over the salad, mix to evenly coat and set aside.
Preheat the oven to 220C/200C Fan/Gas 7.
To cook the steak, heat the olive oil in a large non-stick frying pan over a high heat. Once the pan is very hot, lift the steak out of the marinade and fry quickly on all sides until evenly browned all over. Remove from the pan and transfer to a roasting tray. Pour any remaining marinade into the frying pan and deglaze, then pour this over the steak in the tray. Roast in the oven for 18–20 minutes (or for 8 minutes per 450g/1lb for medium–rare), until cooked to your liking. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for 10 minutes, before cutting into thick slices.
For the aubergine, heat a large non-stick frying pan and add the sesame oil. Once hot, fry the aubergines for a few minutes on each side, until golden and tender. Add the miso pastes, soy sauce, honey, lime juice, chilli flakes, sake and mirin. Stir well and continue to cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently until the liquid has reduced to a thick, sticky sauce. Remove from the heat and when ready to serve, garnish with sesame seeds, coriander and chilli.
Transfer the salad to a serving bowl and garnish with the coriander, black and white sesame seeds, chilli and cashew nuts. Serve with the steak and miso aubergine.