Folded Chinese Buns with Kalbi Marinated Flat Iron Steak, Quick Pickled Carrots and Soy-n-Peanut Sauce (Food and Crafts for All Occasions)

Kalbi marinade is very versatile and works not only for short ribs. Yesterday, I used it to marinade a beef flat iron steak, which then was grilled and served in folded Chinese buns along with some relishes.

I buy Chinese folded buns in Asian supermarkets (HT market or Ranch 99) and stuff them with a variety of fillings. Kind of a cross between a hum bao and a sandwich.

These buns are sold frozen, so you can buy several packages at once to save you the trips back and forth and keep them in your freezer for quite a while. You just take them out right before serving and heat them either by steaming (traditional, but time consuming) or microwaving (modern, take seconds).

You will need:

1.2-1.5 flat iron steak

Kalbi Marinade:

½ cup soy sauce
1/3 cup Xiaoxing wine
½ tsp sesame oil
½ grated pear (optional), can be replaced with ½ tsp sugar or 1 tsp rice syrup
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
2 green onions, sliced

Pickled carrots:

1 large carrot, peeled
2-2.5 Tbsp neutral tasting oil (Canola or grape seed)
1 medium garlic clove, minced
2 tsp table vinegar (regular table or rice)
¼ - ½ tsp fish sauce
A pinch of salt
Red hot chili pepper flakes (optional), to taste

Soy-n-Peanut Sauce:

3 Tbsp unsweetened peanut butter
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1 medium garlic clove, minced
A bit of Sriracha sauce (optional)

Garnish:

Broccoli sprouts (check Central Market or Uwajimaya) or sliced green onions

For the steak, punch it on both sides with a needle meat tenderizer to break the tough tissue and let the marinade to penetrate better. If you don’t have any, just marinate it for a longer period of time.

Combine all the ingredients for the marinade and pour over the steak. Put into the refrigerator and let marinate, turning it over or basting with the marinade once in a while, for about 2 hours.

In the meantime, make the carrots and the sauce.

For the carrots, julienne the carrots thinly using a mandoline or a julienne peeler. If you don’t have any, buy julienned carrots in the store (check Trader Joe’s, for instance). Place them into a bowl and arrange garlic in a pile on top. Heat oil in a pot until hot, but not smoky hot, a pour it over the garlic. This will cook it slightly and soften its sharpness. Add the rest of the ingredients and toss well. Let marinate in the fridge until serving.

For the sauce, combine together garlic, peanut butter, soy sauce and Sriracha, if using. If it’s too thick or salty to your taste, dilute with a bit of water. Keep in the fridge.

Preheat the grill and cook the steak on both sides to your preferred doneness. For this dish, I prefer it medium well. When the steak is done, remove it from the grill and let rest about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, take the buns out of the freezer and arrange on a plate lined with thoroughly wet paper towel. Cover with another wet paper towel and heat in a microwave oven until warmed through. In my microwave, it takes about a minute.

Unfold the buns. Thinly slice the steak on the bias and arrange several slices inside each warmed bun. Top with the carrots, the sauce, broccoli sprouts or green onions. Serve immediately.

Or you can put all the ingredients on the table and your guests will make their own sandwiches. Which is more fun, as for me.