Despite health warnings advising that we should limit the amount of red meat we eat, this doesn't mean that it has to be cut out of our diets completely. Consumed in moderation and prepared in the right way, a lean piece of steak can be part of a healthy meal. It provides a concentrated source of protein, is iron rich and contains a number of other vitamins and minerals (zinc, selenium, niacin and phosphorus among them).
As always, it's the way you prepare the food and what you serve with it that makes the difference, so we're not talking about a well-marbled rib-eye, slathered in Béarnaise sauce with a side order of battered onion rings here.
For the recipe below, choose a lean cut of meat (fillet or sirloin) and trim off all the visible fat. The marinade will provide more than enough flavour. The radish adds crunch, the mango sweetness and the dressing gives it all a salty, sour tang.
The steak isn't supposed to be the focal point of the dish, it is merely one of the components that adds to it. For that reason, you don't need a huge amount of it - one medium-sized steak between two is more than enough.
The recipe could easily be doubled and the steak would taste great cooked on the barbecue.
Seared steak with mango and radish salad (Serves 2)
Ingredients
For the marinade 1 garlic clove, peeled and finely minced 1 tbsp sesame oil 2 tsp light soy sauce 1 tsp light brown sugar Juice of 1 lime 2cm by 2cm piece ginger, peeled and finely grated tsp freshly ground black pepper
For the salad 200g lean steak 1 ripe mango 5 small radishes 1 bunch coriander 150g rocket or baby spinach leaves
For the dressing 1 tbsp sesame oil 2 tsp soy sauce 1 lime, juice and zest 1 tsp Thai fish sauce tsp light brown sugar
To serve 2 tsp sesame seeds, toasted
Method
Whisk all the ingredients for the marinade together in a bowl. Add the steak and coat well, using your hands to rub the marinade into the meat. Leave to marinate for at least an hour or up to a day in the fridge. When you are almost ready to eat, remove the meat from the fridge so that it comes to room temperature. Peel the mango and cut into long, thin strips. Slice the radish into wafer-thin pieces and roughly chop the coriander leaves. Place a griddle or frying pan over a high heat. Add the steak and sear for 2-4 minutes on each side (depending on the thickness of the meat). Remove from the heat and leave to rest for five minutes, before slicing thinly. Whisk together all the ingredients for the dressing, adding any of the juices from the pan that you cooked the steak in. Mix the rocket or spinach, coriander, radish and mango together in a large bowl, drizzle over the dressing and toss well to coat. Divide between two serving plates, arrange the slices of beef on top and scatter over the sesame seeds. Serve immediately.
