Thai Grilled Flank Steak With Forbidden Rice Salad

Thai Grilled Flank Steak with Forbidden Rice Salad

Because of its rarity, legend has it that back in the day, only Chinese royalty were allowed to eat this black rice so hence the name Forbidden Rice.

It is much more readily available today and can be found in any Asian grocery store. It is very common to mix black rice with other types of rice.

Black rice became very popular in the 80s throughout the culinary world in Europe. It seemed that every up-and-coming new chef had a black rice dish on their menu. Black rice actually turns a purplish color when cooked. It has a rich nutty flavor that goes well with fruit or vegetables. It is very commonly paired with mango as either a dessert (rice pudding) or a rice salad as in this recipe. Higher in fiber and iron with lower carbohydrates per serving than brown rice, I also like the texture of cooked black rice which holds its shape better than cooked brown rice which tends to get mushy.

I served this Forbidden rice salad with a Thai grilled flank steak and grilled Chinese eggplant. This flank steak is marinated overnight with Thai seasonings and then grilled it over a charcoal fire. The grilled Chinese eggplant has a light touch of olive oil, sesame oil and salt and pepper. This is a tasty healthy summer dinner that is sure to please everyone.

Thai Grilled Flank Steak

1.5 lbs. Flank Steak

¼ cup of sesame oil

¼ cup of soy sauce

1 Tablespoon of brown sugar

2 Tablespoons of minced garlic

2 Tablespoons of minced ginger

1 Tablespoon of lime juice

In a small bowl, whisk everything together except the steak. Place steak in a large Ziploc bag and pour in the marinade. Massage the bag until the steak is covered completely in the marinade.  Refrigerate overnight. Light a charcoal grill, when the coals are an ash color grill the steak about 5 minutes per side directly over the coals. Let it rest 5 minutes and sliced thinly against the grain at a 45 degree angle.

Grilled Chinese Eggplant

2 Chinese eggplants

3 Tablespoons of olive oil

1 Tablespoon of sesame oil

Kosher Salt & Pepper

Slice the Chinese eggplant at an angle into ½ inch pieces. Discard the top and the end pieces. Mix the olive oil and the sesame oil together. Paint both sides of the eggplant pieces with the oil mixture. Salt and pepper both sides. Grill the eggplant about 2-3 minutes per side or until grill marks appear.

Forbidden Rice Salad

1 cup of black rice

2 cups of water

Pinch of salt

½ teaspoon of olive oil

1 mango, peeled, stoned and diced

2 green onions, sliced at an angle in ½” pieces

1 cup of chopped cilantro

½ cup of unsalted roasted peanuts

1 jalapeno, seeded, ribs removed and finely diced

1 Tablespoon of soy sauce

1 Tablespoon of fish sauce

1 lime, juice and zest

1 teaspoon of sugar

Rinse the rice in several washes of cold water. In a medium saucepan, bring the water, pinch of salt and the ½ teaspoon of olive oil to a boil. Add the rice, reduce to simmer and cover with a lid. Cook for about 45 minutes or until all the liquid has been absorbed. Do not stir. Spread the cooked rice on a sheet pan to cool. In a small bowl whisk the soy sauce, fish sauce, lime juice, zest of 1 lime, sugar, and diced jalapeno together. In a large bowl, add the rice, mango, green onion, cilantro, and peanuts. Pour in the soy sauce mixture and toss.

Serves 6

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