These Steak Bites with Miso Ginger Dressing started as a “healthy” endeavor and ended up being a glorious exercise in flavor. Soy butter steak bites are seared to perfection, served with rice and a handful of veggies of your choice, and drizzled with wonderful creamy miso ginger dressing.
In short, it’s the best thing ever. And if you’re not drooling a little bit after reading that, maybe you’re a bot reading this. But yes, originally the white rice was quinoa, and the sauteed bok choy was a combination of raw greens. I will say, you definitely can still do that with this recipe and it would be great! But what can I say, baser instincts prevailed in this instance…I have included some notes in the recipe around where you can make adjustments, however.
The dish was inspired by our trip to Hawaii, where at one of the many food trucks, we had a simple platter of rice, salad, and steak bites served with a miso ginger dressing as a dipping sauce. It was a refreshing and perfectly satisfying combination of umami goodness. To make it a full meal, we made it a little bit more substantial with the sauteed greens, and upped the flavor with the addition of soy sauce and butter in the pan.
The key to this recipe is really knowing how to cook a perfect steak bite. I got some tips from Ree Drummond, cow-cooking queen of Pawhuska, and the results were perfect. A generous pat of butter browns in the skillet, a drizzle of dark soy sauce creates the start of an excellent sauce, and the steak bites get seared to medium rare perfection!
First, make the dressing by combining all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth and creamy.
Before you cook the beef, prepare your grains and veggies. The beef cooks quickly, so you’ll want everything ready to go. If you’d prefer to have raw veggies, this step is easy. If you’re cooking the veggies, I cooked mine in the pan drippings from the steak––no additional seasoning required!
Season the steak with a small pinch of salt and plenty of black pepper. The miso dressing is quite salty, and we’ll be using soy sauce, so use your judgment per your tastes.
Next, heat a skillet over medium-high to high heat. Add 2 tablespoons butter to the skillet.
Next, turn on your ventilation fan; you’ll need it! Brown the butter slightly (this will happen without a problem if your pan is as hot as it should be) and add 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce.
Place some of the meat in the pan in a single layer. It should sizzle loudly when it hits the pan. If it doesn’t, the pan isn’t hot enough. Don’t stir or disrupt the meat for 30 to 45 seconds.
You want it to sizzle and brown on one side. Scoop as many steak bites as you can with your spatula and flip them over. Repeat until all the meat is turned. Cook for an additional 30 to 45 seconds––just long enough to sear the outside and make sure you’re getting a perfect medium-rare interior.
Scoop the steak bites and pan drippings out, and then cook the greens in the same pan if desired. To serve, scoop the rice into a bowl, add a handful of steak bites and greens, and drizzle over the ginger miso dressing. Enjoy!
Steak Bites with Miso Ginger Dressing
Ingredients
For the dressing:
- 1 shallot (peeled and roughly chopped)
- 3 tablespoons fresh ginger (roughly chopped)
- 1 clove garlic
- ¼ cup white miso paste
- 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- ⅓ cup oil
- 2 tablespoons honey or agave
To assemble the bowls:
- Cooked rice (or other grain of choice--quinoa, couscous, or farro would all work great)
- A couple handfuls of bok choy or any leafy vegetable of choice (you can do this cooked or raw!)
- 1 pound steak (ribeye, sirloin, and skirt steak all work well)
- 2 tablespoons butter or oil
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- First, make the dressing by combining all of the ingredients in a blender or food processor until smooth and creamy.
- Before you cook the beef, prepare your grains and veggies. The beef cooks quickly, so you’ll want everything ready to go. If you’d prefer to have raw veggies, this step is easy. If you’re cooking the veggies, I cooked mine in the pan drippings from the steak––no additional seasoning required!
- Season the steak with a small pinch of salt and plenty of black pepper. The miso dressing is quite salty, and we’ll be using soy sauce, so use your judgment per your tastes.
- Next, heat a skillet over medium-high to high heat. Add 2 tablespoons butter to the skillet
- Next, turn on your ventilation fan; you'll need it! Brown the butter slightly (this will happen without a problem if your pan is as hot as it should be) and add 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce.
- Place some of the meat in the pan in a single layer. It should sizzle loudly when it hits the pan. If it doesn't, the pan isn't hot enough. Don't stir or disrupt the meat for 30 to 45 seconds. You want it to sizzle and brown on one side. Scoop as many steak bites as you can with your spatula and flip them over. Repeat until all the meat is turned. Cook for an additional 30 to 45 seconds––just long enough to sear the outside and make sure you’re getting a perfect medium-rare interior.
- Scoop the steak bites and pan drippings out, and then cook the greens in the same pan if desired. To serve, scoop the rice into a bowl, add a handful of steak bites and greens, and drizzle over the ginger miso dressing. Enjoy!
Nutrition
Elizabeth Higgins says
The photos look enticing enough for me to give it a try. Love to take a bite of it when I make it soon! I’ve read the recipe all over again so I hope it’ll help me a lot. Thank you for this, Kaitlin!
Kaitlin says
Thanks, Elizabeth! :)
Evelyn says
My husband and I loved this recipe. The key is to avoid overcooking the steak since they are in rather small chunks. Will definitely be using the miso dressing for other rice bowls! Thank you!
Kaitlin says
Thanks, Evelyn! That miso dressing is really everything. ;)
Noy says
Made this a couple of nights ago for a family of non-adventurous eaters and they loved it. It was the sauce. The kids were dipping everything in it, their veggies and rice. The sauce is a keeper in our house now. Thank you!
Really love all your family recipes. I look forward to all the new blogs.
Judy says
So glad you enjoyed it with your guests, Noy! Happy wokking!
Chris23235 says
I just tried this, what an amazing taste. I used butter instead of oil for the dressing, because I like how well butter and miso go together.
I never ever would have put honey in a dish with miso, so thank you for the introduction to this new delicious taste.
Kaitlin says
So glad you enjoyed it, Chris! I was also pretty blown away by the steak + miso combo. :)
Much yum. It’s almost dinner time, I may have to go make some…
Tamara says
Great Recipe! Made it for dinner – used steak AND chicken as my husband is a chicken person – turned out great! Super simple. The Sauce MAKES the dish! This recipe will go in my “keeper” file. TY!
Kaitlin says
Thank you, Tamara!!! The sauce truly is everything. <3
Agnes Ma says
Hi, Kaitlin; What is the size of each beef cube?
Kaitlin says
Hi Agnes, I cut mine slightly smaller than 1.5″ cubes. They’ll shrink up, and the smaller they are, the faster they cook (i.e., trickier to get right). Hope that helps!
Agnes Ma says
tks a million
Jeana says
Just made this for lunch. Amazing! Will be serving the steak bites as a party appetizer in the near future. I go easy on the salt; the dark soy sauce and miso provide sufficient salt. Thanks Kaitlin for a great recipe!
Kaitlin says
Thank you, Jeana! So happy you enjoyed it as much as we did :)
Alyce says
This looks AMAZING, and I will try it asap! One question: the photos appear to show red miso, but the recipe specifies white miso. Can we assume from this that any miso we have on hand will do?
Thanks for a terrific site!
Kaitlin says
Hi Alyce, the recipe actually does use white miso! Just so happens that that miso has really been languishing in the fridge for a while and has darkened and gotten firmer over time. :P #thedarksideoffoodblogging
lolamd says
Beginner cook here. Quick question: for the 1/3 cup oil can i use olive oil? I cannot wait to try this recipe.
Kaitlin says
Yes, definitely can use olive oil! But I wouldn’t use the good extra-virgin stuff as it will be overpowering. Good luck!
blue says
Just started a low carb diet so this recipe really
Resonates with me. I’ll try collards and quinoa. Can’t wait. Thank you for your wonderful site. I look forward to the emails.
Kaitlin says
Wonderful! Collards + quinoa sounds delicious. And thank you so much for reading and cooking!