Miso Beef with Sweet and Sour Broccoli

I love ethnic foods. They are fun to make and to eat. I love going traditional and just being creative with the flavors. Another great thing about ethnic foods are that they are often gluten free to begin with. American food just seems so full of carbs and junk. There isn't much in our cultures cuisine that doesn't require some tweaking to make it work. It's fun to see what each store carries in their ethnic section, because they are hardly ever the same. I've found great quinoa and rice crackers at Target, but found great Mexican flavors at Kroger stores and cheep Asian fixings at the local health shop. Just taking the hint of those cultures and putting them in my cooking is always fun and exciting for the taste buds, as if my Mexican Lasagna didn't tell you that already.


I came up with this recipe after going on an Japanese easting frenzy. I was in the mood for real ramen and sushi. I bought some miso to put in my ramen and of course I have a lot of miso left over. So I thought I use some of it for a marinade and create something new. Growing up my mom made flank steak often and I would always have to make the marinade for it, because she was at work and I was at home. So by the time I left for college I had her recipe memorized, which I believe came from a Betty Crocker cookbook. So I took that traditional recipe and add in a few twists of my own to create something new, that my friends is the true joy of cooking.

Miso Beef
1-2 lbs of either flank steak, London broil or round steak
2 Tbs gluten free soy sauce
2 Tbs Worcestershire
1-2 cloves of garlic minced
1 Tbs miso paste
Juice from 1/2 a lemon
Salt and pepper to taste (I used red pepper flakes)

Poke holes in the steak with a fork all over the top. Mix soy sauce, Worcestershire, garlic, lemon, salt and pepper together and pour over steak. Take the miso paste and smear over the top of the steak. Let the meat marinate all day, covered, in the refrigerator or for at least 30 minutes before cooking. Grill either on an outdoor grill with the lid down or on an indoor grill with a foil tent on top. Cook until desired inside temperature, we like medium well. Let the meat rest for 10-15 minutes. Cut the meat in thin slices across the grain. Serves 5-6.

To go with my miso beef I wanted something that would really add to my meal. I started thinking of other Asian side dishes and for some reason broccoli came to mind. I was thinking about the broccoli you get when at a Chinese restaurant, but of course mine is nothing like that, but went very well with the beef.

Sweet and Sour Broccoli
Two medium/small heads of broccoli with the florets cut off
2 Tbs water
1Tbs soy sauce
1 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground mustard
1Tbs Mirin (Japanese cooking rice wine)*
2 Tbs lemon juice
1/2 tsp tapioca starch
1Tbs butter substitute
Salt and pepper to taste


Put the water in a frying pan heat on medium heat. Add broccoli and cook, this will steam the broccoli. Once broccoli is bright green add soy sauce, ginger, mustard, salt and pepper and mix well. Add lemon juice and mirin, cook till broccoli is tender. Whisk in the tapioca starch, a little bit at a time to avoid lumps. Stir in the butter. Serves 4.