Vietnamese Steak With Cucumber Salad and zucchini pancakes

Vietnamese Steak With Cucumber Salad

MELISSA CLARK  YIELD  4 to 6 servings  TIME  25 minutes, plus 30+ minutes'  marinating

Evan Sung for The New York Time   The marinade on this steak is based on a classic Vietnamese dipping sauce called nuoc cham. Since it consists mostly of pantry staples – Asian fish sauce, brown sugar and garlic – all you need to pick up on the way home are some fresh limes and jalapeño. Nuoc cham works as a salad dressing, too. Here we drizzle it on crisp cucumbers and radishes, but sliced ripe tomatoes work just as well. You could serve it as it is with the salad on the side, or put everything on top of a bed of rice noodles or rice for a more substantial meal.

Featured in: Vietnamese Marinated Flank Steak. 

• ½ cup fish sauce
• 1 tablespoon packed lime zest
• ⅓ cup fresh lime juice (from about 3 limes)
• 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 2 garlic cloves, grated or minced
• 1 large jalapeño, seeds and veins removed if desired, minced
• 1 flank steak, about 1 1/2 pounds
• 1 small seedless English cucumber, thinly sliced
• 1 large bunch of radishes, thinly sliced
• 4 scallions, thinly sliced
• 1 teaspoon vegetable, peanut or olive oil (optional)
• Cooked rice noodles or rice, for serving (optional)
• Sesame seeds or crushed roasted peanuts, for serving (optional)
• Fresh mint leaves or cilantro, for serving (optional)

1. In a small bowl, combine the fish sauce, lime zest, lime juice, brown sugar, garlic and jalapeño. Pour 1/2 of the mixture over the flank steak and let marinate at room temperature for at least 30 minutes (or refrigerate for up to 24 hours). Let meat come to room temperature before cooking if necessary.
2. Combine the cucumber, radishes and scallions. Pour in just enough of the marinade sauce to coat.
3. Light the grill or heat the broiler to high. Pat steak dry with paper towels.
4. If grilling, cook until done to taste, about 3 minutes per side for rare. If broiling, heat a 10-inch skillet over high heat for 5 minutes. Add oil to pan and sear the meat for 2 minutes. Flip meat and immediately transfer pan directly to top shelf of oven and broil for 2 to 3 minutes for rare, or longer for more well-done meat. Transfer steak to a cutting board and let rest for 10 minutes covered in foil.
5. Thinly slice steak and serve over cooked rice noodles or rice if desired, and top with the cucumber salad. Garnish with sesame seeds and plenty of herbs if using and serve with remaining marinade as a sauce.

Zucchini  Pancakes

ELAINE LOUIE YIELD 12 pancakes

• TIME 30 minutes

Mucver (pronounced moosh-vair) are delicate, crisp zucchini pancakes popular in Turkey. This version has not just shredded zucchini, but also tiny clouds of feta and a sprinkling of minced fresh dill and scallions. They are crisp on the outside, tender within and subtly herbaceous.The trick to making the pancakes crisp and not soggy is to squeeze all the water out of the zucchini before mixing it with the other ingredients. A little brute force is required.

Featured in: Zucchini Pancakes, Turkish Style. 

Vegetarian, Turkish, Dill, Feta, Zucchini

Ingredients for the pancakes

• 3 medium zucchini, shredded
• Salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 3 large eggs, beaten
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
• 1 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 3 scallions, finely chopped
• ⅓ cup finely chopped dill
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 4 to 6 tablespoons vegetable oil, more as needed

FOR THE YOGURT SAUCE

• ⅔ cup plain yogurt
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• ½ teaspoon salt
  Directions FOR THE PANCAKES

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Place zucchini in a colander over a bowl, and mix with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Allow to drain for five minutes. Transfer to a cloth kitchen towel, and squeeze hard to extract as much moisture as possible. Squeeze a second time; volume will shrink to about half the original.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine zucchini and eggs. Using a fork, mix well. Add flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, olive oil, feta, scallions, dill and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Mix well, add baking powder, and mix again.
3. Place a cast iron skillet or other heavy skillet over medium heat. Add 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and heat until shimmering. Place heaping tablespoons of zucchini batter in pan several inches apart, allowing room to spread. Flatten them with a spatula if necessary; pancakes should be about 3/8 inch thick and about 3 inches in diameter. Fry until golden on one side, then turn and fry again until golden on other side. Repeat once or twice, frying about 5 to 6 minutes total, so pancakes get quite crisp. Transfer to a plate lined with paper towels, and keep warm in oven. Continue frying remaining batter, adding more oil to pan as needed. Serve hot.
4. For yogurt sauce: In a small bowl, combine yogurt, garlic and salt. Mix well, and serve on the side or on pancakes.