Tandoori Flank Steak

Tandoori Flank Steak is no April Fool's joke.  Tandoori recipes usually involve chicken or lamb, but I bought flank steak, and the tandoori spices really sounded good to me so I made it with beef.  I found the recipe in The Joy of Cooking, and I would highly recommend it.  Matt claimed that the flavor wasn't a bold enough, but I think he was just bitter because I was giving him a hard time for his incessant need for extra condiments.  I thought the flavor was plenty noticeable, but if I use the marinade again for beef I might boost the amount of spices.  

Ingredients (I doubled the original recipe):

2 tsp ground coriander

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp ground red pepper

2 tsp Garam Masala or 1/2 tsp cinnamon

1 tsp turmeric 

2 cups plain yogurt

4 tsp minced garlic

4 tsp minced fresh ginger

1 tsp salt

1-1/2 lb. flank steak 

Combine the coriander, cumin, red pepper, Garam Masala, and turmeric a bowl.  I used crushed red pepper flakes because I didn't have ground red pepper.  I also used cinnamon instead of Garam Masala.  

Heat a few tablespoons of vegetable oil over medium heat, and add in the spice mixture.  Stir for 2-3 minutes, until fragrant.  It smells delicious.  

Pour the mixture into a bowl, and let it cool completely.  I stuck it in the refrigerator to speed up the process.  

Combine the yogurt, garlic, ginger, and salt.  I didn't have fresh ginger, so I used about a tablespoon of ground ginger.  

Whisk until combined.  

Once the spice mixture has cooled, add it to the yogurt.  

The spice mixture made everything a mustard yellow color.  It was glowing.  Almost as exciting as Ecto Cooler.  

Mix well.  I would recommend using a larger bowl that this.  It was a struggle to not spill anything.  I was actually surprised that I didn't spill anything, but I think my fear of creating mustard colored stains on the counter held my super muscular arm to a more gentle whisking speed.  

Here's my lovely flank steak, all rinsed and dried.  

Pour the marinade into a large Zip-Loc bag, and then add the meat.  Toss it all around to make sure every bit of the meat is covered in marinade. 

Once the meat is completely coated, refrigerate it for a couple hours or so.  The recipe warns you not to marinate it for over 4 hours because the acidity of the yogurt tenderizes the meat, and it can become over-tenderized if marinated for too long.  I let it marinate for about 2 hours.  

Remove the steak from the refrigerator and let the meat come to room temperature before cooking.  Preheat your broiler (or a grill if you live somewhere that isn't getting snow in late March/early April).

Cook for about 5 minutes on each side for a medium-rare steak.

Slice and serve.  We ate ours with mini baked potatoes and a veggie salad, but it would also be great served with rice or naan and cucumber raita.