Beef Bowls II

The miso marinade seared into bowls over quinoa, with an overcrowded pan and the leftover juices reduced into a sauce worth the mistake

· 22 minutes start to finish · experimental asian beef supper

The blended marinade from Marinating beef II finally cooked. Amounts for the marinade are in the recipe: Asian beef marinade. The pan got overcrowded and the beef steamed instead of searing, which turned out to be the best thing that happened. Findings at the bottom

The line-up

Beef out of the fridge and the cast iron on to heat. Quinoa already cooked, edamame and corn waiting, red cabbage and cucumber to cut

start Marinated beef next to the cold cast iron pan start Corn, edamame, cabbage, vinegar and sesame oil set out

Quinoa, seasoned warm

Rice vinegar, a splash of sesame oil and salt folded through while it is still warm. Plain quinoa under a rich bowl reads as filler; acid and salt make it part of the dish

+1 min Quinoa spooned into the bowls

Cabbage and cucumber

Red cabbage shredded fine, cucumber cut chunky. Both stay raw for crunch against the beef

+2 min Red cabbage under the knife, quinoa already in the bowls

Salt the water hard

Heavily, not lightly. Edamame are in the water for a couple of minutes and take on almost nothing unless the water is aggressive about it

+4 min Salt poured into the boiling water +4 min Edamame tipped in

Too much at once

The whole container went into the pan in one go. A cast iron pan holds a lot of heat but not that much: the temperature crashed, the beef released liquid faster than it could boil off, and it went grey

+5 min The first pieces already greying rather than browning +6 min The pan packed wall to wall, hob at full

Bowls built while it cooks

Quinoa down, then cucumber, cabbage, corn and edamame in wedges around the edge

+8 min Two bowls part-built on the counter

Steaming, not searing

Turned down and stirred, and eventually the lid went on to just cook it through. At this point the sear is not happening; the goal changes to getting the beef done without drying it

+9 min Beef stirred in its own liquid, heat backed off +12 min Lid on, the glass fogged with steam

Chili mayo

Mayonnaise, sesame oil, smoked paprika, cayenne, white miso, rice vinegar and maple syrup, whisked in the measuring cup. The miso does the same job it does in the marinade: salt plus depth, and it thickens as it goes

+14 min Paprika, cayenne, miso, vinegar and maple lined up on the scale +18 min Whisked to a smooth orange sauce

The salvage

The beef comes out and all that lost liquid stays behind. Left on the heat it tightens into something thick, dark and glossy, carrying the miso, garlic and ginger that came off the meat. The pan going wrong is what made this possible

+16 min Beef lifted out, the pan left full of liquid +20 min Reduced to a dark glaze on the spatula

Served

Beef back into the bowls, the reduction over it, chili mayo on top

+22 min Two finished bowls, beef over quinoa with corn, edamame, cucumber and red cabbage

Recipe

Quinoa seasoning

Good UnitsBad UnitsItemDirections
splashRice vinegarFold through the quinoa warm
splashSesame oilFold in
to tasteSaltFold in

Chili mayo, makes ~90 g

Good UnitsBad UnitsItemDirections
60 gMayonnaiseAdd to cup1
8 gSesame oilOr neutral oil, add to cup1
5 gSmoked paprikaSweet paprika works, to cup1
1 - 2 gCayenneTo taste, add to cup1
12 gWhite miso pasteAdd to cup1
10 gRice vinegarAdd to cup1
8 gMaple syrupAdd to cup1, whisk smooth

Commentary, extra notes