Peggy Lampman's Saturday dinnerFeed: Masala-spiced flank steak in a naan tandoori wrap
When I began my daily dinnerFeeds, I told my family I would not repeat a single recipe, at least not this year. After we tasted this easy variation on a beef hoagie, we decided to renig. The sandwich was just that good.
The secret to a successful flank steak is long marinating and quick cooking. Flank steak will toughen the longer it is cooked. Grass-fed flank steak is on sale at Arbor Farms through September for $6.99#--a great price for flank steak. Most groceries in town stock the addictive Tandoori Naan Flatbreads and stock ready-made Masala sauces in the ethnic aisle. I purchased my Masala Sauce at Trader Joe's and Naan down the street at Hiller's. Garam Masala is an Indian mix of ground spices that varies from kitchen to kitchen and region to region in India. It's basically composed of cumin, coriander,turmeric, cardamom, cinnamon, clove, ginger and pepper and available at most markets and Indian groceries in town.Yield: 2-4 sandwiches Cost: apx. $14.50 Marinate Time: 4-12 hours Active Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons Indian-style Masala Sauce 1 pound flank steak, fat trimmed 1 teaspoon garam masala 3 tablespoons plain yogurt 2 Tandoori Naan Flatbreads (4 ounces each) 1-2 tablespoons chopped cilantro Greens, frisee (pictured) or romaine, washed
Directions
1. Place meat in a large resealable plastic bag and cover with 1 cup masala sauce. Refrigerate at least 4 hours and up to 24 hours, turning occasionally. Make a sauce by combining remaining 2 tablespoons masala wiith garam masala and yogurt. Reserve. 2. Remove steak from marinade scraping off and discarding excess marinade. Prepare a charcoal or gas grill for very high heat. 3. Grill steak, covered, turning once, about 4-5 minutes for medium-rare. Tent loosely with foil. 4. Grill naan flatbread, turning once, until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. 5.Thinly slice steak across the grain. Season meat with kosher salt, freshly ground pepper and cilantro. Arrange meat and greens over half of each naan. Drizzle masala-yogurt sauce on top; fold flatbread in half to make a sandwich.
Comments
alabamacathy
Wed, Sep 23, 2009 : 6:58 p.m.
Giblet told me I must get this recipe and she is right.
Spencer Thomas
Mon, Sep 21, 2009 : 11:59 a.m.
I did this last night as a salad rather than a sandwich. I got all my ingredients at Arbor Farms, so was at a bit of a loss as to which Indian sauce to get. I ended up with "Tikka Masala sauce" from Seeds for Change. (As a side note, "masala sauce" sounds so generic, it's literally "spice mixture sauce".) For the salad, I made a mound of greens, sprinkled some little cherry and pear tomatoes around, added a mound of cooked and chilled green beans. I layered the sliced flank steak on top, drizzled a line of the dressing across the steak and put the naan on the side. It made for a really nice dinner on the deck.
Peggy Lampman
Sat, Sep 19, 2009 : 8:44 p.m.
Mary: I've spent hours over Indian recipes and this one takes minutes. Would be great w/chicken or grilled eggplant too, but that flank was really satisfying! Foodfiend: I think with this sandwich you may need two hands round the wrap. You were one of the ones who requested more tailgates, right? Wait till you see what I've cooked up tomorrow-you should have been at the tailgate I was at! Thanks for your comment and let me know how this turns out for you. Peggy
foodfiend
Sat, Sep 19, 2009 : 3:18 p.m.
so many awesome textures involved with this dish. One hand 'round the wrap leaves one hand for the beer--great tailgating idea.
Mary Bilyeu
Sat, Sep 19, 2009 : 7:01 a.m.
Peggy, I adore Indian food! This looks so fabulous, I wish I had time to make it for breakfast; I'm going to have cravings all day long now!