Tandoori Style Steak

Submitted by threeovens

"A tandoor is a type of oven found in India that is sort of a cross between an oven and a grill. It cooks, usually, over high heat, like 500 degrees F. If you do not have a tandoor, you can use either the broiler of your oven or a grill. Bear in mind that this is called tandoori "style" because beef is not eaten in India because the cow is sacred. Adapted from Michael Ledwith, Hungry Heron Catering, Islamorada, Florida."

 

• Ready In: 30mins
• Ingredients: 9
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 2 tablespoons mustard seeds
• 2 tablespoons fennel seeds
• 2 tablespoons cracked black pepper
• 1 tablespoon grains of paradise (see note)
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons coarse sea salt
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1⁄4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 2 lbs New York strip steaks (about 1 1/4 inches thick)
• 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

directions

1. Heat a dry cast iron skillet over medium heat; add mustard seeds, fennel seeds, peppercorns, grains of paradise (of the substitute noted below), and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until fragrant and lightly toasted, about 1 to 3 minutes; transfer to a bowl to cool.
2. Grind cooled spices, in a spice grinder or use a mortar and pestle, to a coarse powder; add the salt, pepper flakes, and cayenne.
3. Cut steak into pieces that are bout 1 1/2 inches wide and 3 1/2 inches long; brush with olive oil and generously season with the spice rub.
4. Thread steaks onto skewers, through the narrow end, about 3 pieces per skewer.
5. Heat the tandoor to 500 degrees F (grill or broiler to high); cook kebabs until browned, about 5 minutes for medium rare (for grill or broiler, about 3 to 4 minutes per side).
6. NOTE: Grains of paradise look like small peppercorns, but taste like a combination of black pepper and allspice. The are sold at specialty markets, like thespicehouse.com. You can substitute 1 tablespoon cracked black pepper and 2 allspice berries (or 1/4 teaspoon ground allspice) to approximate the flavor.