Asian Inspired Cube Steak (Printable)
Pan-seared cube steak in a soy ginger glaze with crisp stir-fried vegetables, ready in 30 minutes.
# What You Need:
→ Meats
01 - 4 cube steaks (about 1.1 lb total)
→ Marinade
02 - 3 tbsp soy sauce
03 - 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
04 - 2 cloves garlic, minced
05 - 1 tbsp sesame oil
06 - 1 tbsp rice vinegar
07 - 1 tbsp honey
08 - 1 tsp cornstarch
→ Vegetables
09 - 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
10 - 1 cup sugar snap peas
11 - 1 small onion, thinly sliced
12 - 2 green onions, chopped
→ Garnish
13 - 1 tbsp toasted sesame seeds
14 - Fresh cilantro (optional)
# How To Make:
01 - In a mixing bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, grated ginger, minced garlic, sesame oil, rice vinegar, honey, and cornstarch until smooth and well combined.
02 - Place the cube steaks in a shallow dish and pour half of the marinade over them, turning to coat evenly. Set aside to marinate for at least 10 minutes, or up to 1 hour for deeper flavor. Reserve the remaining marinade for the stir-fry.
03 - Heat a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat and add a light drizzle of oil. Sear the marinated cube steaks for 2–3 minutes per side until browned and just cooked through. Remove from the skillet and keep warm.
04 - In the same skillet, add the sliced red bell pepper, sugar snap peas, and sliced onion. Stir-fry for 3–4 minutes until the vegetables are tender-crisp.
05 - Return the seared steaks to the skillet and pour in the reserved marinade. Toss everything together and cook for 1–2 minutes until heated through and the sauce becomes glossy.
06 - Serve immediately, garnished with toasted sesame seeds, chopped green onions, and fresh cilantro if desired. Pair with steamed rice or noodles.
# Expert Tips:
01 -
- Cube steak is one of the most affordable cuts at the grocery store, but the marinade makes it taste like you splurged on something fancy.
- Everything cooks in a single pan, which means dinner lands on the table in thirty minutes with barely any cleanup.
- The sweet and savory glaze coats every vegetable and piece of meat so perfectly that even picky eaters come back for seconds.
02 -
- The cornstarch in the marinade will settle quickly, so always give the reserved half a vigorous stir right before pouring it into the pan or you will end up with a thin watery sauce instead of a glossy glaze.
- If you let the steaks marinate longer than an hour the salt in the soy sauce will start breaking down the meat too much and the texture becomes mushy rather than tender.
- A wok is ideal but a large stainless steel or cast iron skillet holds heat beautifully and gives you an even better sear on the meat.
03 -
- Pat the cube steaks dry with a paper towel before adding the marinade so the moisture does not dilute the soy sauce and weaken the flavor.
- Toasting your own sesame seeds in a dry pan for two minutes takes almost no effort but produces a dramatically more fragrant and crunchy topping than the pale untoasted ones from the jar.