Slicing this rolled flank steak — stuffed with a rainbow of fresh cilantro, tomato and scallion — reveals its inner beauty. Paired with a tangy Thai-inspired rice noodle salad and crisp lettuce leaves, it’s perfect for a hot summer day.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr 30 min |
| Active: | 40 min |
| Yield: | 6 to 8 servings |
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons lime juice
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- One 1-inch piece ginger, peeled and minced
- 1 Fresno chile, chopped
- 1 serrano chile, thinly sliced
- 2 medium carrots, cut into 3-inch lengths and julienned
- 2 small cucumbers, cut into 3-inch lengths and julienned
- One 8-ounce package thin rice noodles
- One 1 1/2-pound flank steak
- 1 tablespoon Thai red curry paste
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup salted roasted peanuts, crushed, plus more for topping
- 1 bunch fresh cilantro leaves, plus more for topping
- 1 bunch scallions, white and green parts separated
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 2 heads Boston lettuce, leaves separated
Instructions
- For the rice noodles: In a large bowl, combine the rice vinegar, lime juice, fish sauce, sesame oil, garlic, ginger and Fresno and serrano chiles and stir together. Toss in the carrots and cucumbers and let stand for 15 minutes for the flavors to meld.
- Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Prepare the noodles according to package instructions. Drain and rinse the noodles with cold running water. Toss the noodles with the vegetables and dressing and refrigerate until serving.
- For the flank steak: Prepare a grill for direct and indirect heat: For gas grills (with 3 or more burners), turn all the burners to medium-high heat; after about 15 minutes, turn off one of the side burners and turn the remaining burners down to medium. For charcoal grills, bank one chimney starter-full of lit and ashed-over charcoal briquettes to one side of the grill. Set up a drip pan on the other side to avoid flare-ups. (Be sure to consult the grill manufacturer’s guide for best results.) If your grill has a thermometer, aim to keep the temperature at about 350 degrees F throughout grilling.
- Set the flank steak on a cutting board. Starting at the thin, narrow end of the steak, slice it in half horizontally to within 2 inches of the opposite wide end. Open it up like a book so you have 1 long piece. Pound the steak with a mallet to an even thickness of about 1/2 inch. Cover the steak with the curry paste and season with 1 teaspoon salt. Sprinkle with the peanuts, leaving a 1-inch border along the edges. Arrange half of the cilantro and scallion greens in a line, followed by half of the tomatoes and then half of the scallion whites. Repeat with the remaining ingredients. Roll up the steak like a jelly roll, starting at the short end. Tie the roll closed around the circumference with butcher’s twine at 2-inch intervals. Tie one more piece of twine lengthwise around the meat. Sprinkle the outside of the meat with salt and pepper.
- Put the steak on direct heat and cook, turning, to brown all 4 sides, about 2 minutes per side. Move the steak to indirect heat, cover and cook, turning occasionally, until the very center reads 115 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer for a steak that is well done on the outside and medium rare in the center, 25 to 30 minutes more. (Test frequently; the time will vary based on the temperature of your grill.) Let the steak rest 5 to 6 minutes.
- Untie the steak and cut it into thin slices. Garnish the noodles with chopped nuts and cilantro leaves. Serve with the lettuce leaves on the side.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 330 |
| Total Fat | 11 g |
| Saturated Fat | 4 g |
| Carbohydrates | 34 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Sugar | 4 g |
| Protein | 23 g |
| Cholesterol | 58 mg |
| Sodium | 739 mg |
| Serving Size | 1 of 8 servings |
| Calories | 330 |
| Total Fat | 11 g |
| Saturated Fat | 4 g |
| Carbohydrates | 34 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 4 g |
| Sugar | 4 g |
| Protein | 23 g |
| Cholesterol | 58 mg |
| Sodium | 739 mg |
Reviews
We followed others’ suggestions and marinated it for two hours, but otherwise followed the recipe and it was awesome! Very fresh flavors! Ours didn’t slice into thin pieces of the roll, it was more like chopped pieces, but did not affect the flavor at all.
A nice method that inspired a delicious alternative version:
Marinated a well trimmed, thoroughly pounded flank steak with homemade satay marinade for 24 hours. Filled with thinly sliced bell peppers and carrots, along with scallions and chopped peanuts as above. Rolled and tied, then lightly browned in a cast iron pan with peanut oil; finished in a 325°F oven. Served garnished with homemade peanut satay sauce and more chopped peanuts. Rice, and a Thai cucumber salad rounded out the meal. Have been asked already to make it again.
I made the meat and skipped the pasta and added veggies. It was delish! Wouldn’t change a thing!
We used turkey tenderloins because of the Alpha Gal 3 allergy some family members have. I would add some fresh lime zest (1T???) to the noodle salad which we served on top of the Boston lettuce. Tasted so fresh and would be a beautiful holiday dish with all the red and green ingredients!
I was a little concerned when the other reviews said you should marinade the flank steak. I had a thinner cut of flank and only had to pound it, no cutting in half necessary. The final product was super tender and so flavorful. I will probably add some fresh ginger and chilies to the steak next time for some added flavor. Excellent recipe.
Read the reviews!! You must marinade the flank steak. If you ever have grilled one you know this cut of meat needs to be marinaded for tenderizing and flavor. I did a seasoned rice vinegar, soy sauce, garlic and sesame oil to marinade the steak at room temp for 2 hours. Followed the rest of the recipe and combined with the cold noodles and vegies great flavors. Would make it again for sure
My first mistake was not reading the previous reviews. The presentation was beautiful; the Unami flavors weren’t there. We couldn’t taste the red curry. It needed more heat and salt. Perfect for a summer meal if you overhaul the flavors. Just edible.
We made this for dinner last night and it was amazing. I took some advice from one of the reviewers. I sprinkled kosher salt then pounded it in the my tenderizer, then put a little soy sauce on it. I let that sit while chopping veggies and making the noodles. It turned out amazing! So tender and full of flavors! We left out the lettuce because we didn’t have it, but didn’t miss it at all! I think next we might add some peppers into the meat to give it more spice. Good and fun to make!
I was nervous about the only review on this recipe being ho-hum, so I changed it up a bit by marinating the steak with soy sauce, garlic, rice vinegar and a beer for 2 hours. I let it sit at room temp while I prepped the tomatoes, scallions, chiles and cilantro. I also spiced it up by adding freshly grated ginger and garlic to the meat (on top of the curry paste). I also added some of the serrano chiles to the rollup. I grilled it on the BBQ for a dinner I was hosting and everyone went crazy for it. It’s been a week and my friends are still texting me about it asking for the recipe!
Not as much flavor as we hoped