Recipe: Japanese Steak Salad with Sesame Dressing

JAPANESE STEAK SALAD WITH SESAME DRESSING

Sesame Marinade and Dressing (recipe follows)
1 pound beef top sirloin steak, boneless cut into 1-inch pieces*
3 cups Napa cabbage and romaine lettuce, sliced 1/4-inch thick
1/2 cup thin diagonally sliced carrots
1/2 cup thinly sliced radishes
1/2 cup thinly sliced cucumber
1 cup hot cooked rice
24 snow pea pods, blanched

Prepare Sesame Marinade and Dressing. Place beef top sirloin steak in plastic bag; add reserved 1/3 cup marinade from Sesame Marinade and Dressing, turning to coat. Close bag securely and marinate in refrigerator 2 hours, turning once.

WHEN READY TO COOK:
Remove steak from marinade; discard marinade. Place steak on rack in broiler pan so surface of meat is 3 to 4 inches from heat. Broil 16 to 21 minutes for rare to medium, turning once. Let stand 5 minutes.

Trim excess fat from steak; carve steak into thin slices.

Meanwhile combine Napa cabbage, lettuce, carrots and radishes; place equal amounts of salad mixture on 4 individual plates. Arrange equal amount of cucumber slices in circle at top of salad mixture. Mound 1/4 cup rice on top of each cucumber circle. Fan pea pods around both sides of rice. Arrange steak slices in spoke fashion on salad greens, radiating down from rice.

Serve salad with Sesame Dressing.

*A boneless beef top sirloin steak will yield four 3-ounce cooked, trimmed servings per pound.

SESAME MARINADE AND DRESSING
Makes 8 servings

3 tablespoons dry sherry
3 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
3 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoon 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

TO PREPARE THE MARINADE:
Combine dry sherry, soy sauce, wine vinegar, hoisin sauce and ginger; mix well. Reserve 1/3 cup sherry mixture for marinade in Japanese Steak Salad.

TO PREPARE THE DRESSING:
Combine remaining sherry mixture with water, green onion, sugar and sesame oil; mix well.

Makes 4 servings
Source: National Cattlemen's Beef Association and Susan Parenti