Cooking with Anna Kotova

Black Bean Skirt Steak and Asparagus

Salted fermented black beans, available online, bring an ultra-concentrated savory quality. Here, they’re mashed with garlic, ginger, and scallions, then cooked gently with soy sauce, Shaoxing wine, and piloncillo until thick and lacquered. A spoonful transforms the asparagus stir-fry into something complex and multidimensional. The recipe makes more sauce than you need for this dish — an intentional gift to future meals. 

Black Bean-Garlic Sauce 

4 scallions 1/2 cup salted fermented black beans, rinsed 

8 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled 

3 tablespoons minced fresh ginger

 3 tablespoons water

3 tablespoons grapeseed oil or other neutral cooking oil

3 dried chiles de árbol, stemmed,

1/3 cup ground or grated piloncillo or dark brown sugar (about 1 ounce)

3 tablespoons Shaoxing cooking wine,

3 tablespoons soy sauce 

Skirt Steak

 1 (2-pound) outside skirt steak (1/2 inch thick

2 tablespoons olive oil 

1 tablespoon minced garlic 

1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger 

1 1/2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt 

Asparagus Stir-Fry

2 tablespoons grapeseed oil or other neutral cooking oil 

1 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed and cut crosswise into thirds (3 cups) 

2/3 cup thinly sliced red onion 

5 tablespoons Black Bean–Garlic Sauce

3 tablespoons water 

Fresh cilantro leaves, for garnish 

Lime wedges and steamed rice,

Directions

Make the black bean–garlic sauce: Separate white parts from green parts of scallions; refrigerate scallion greens until ready to use. Coarsely chop white parts of scallions, and place in a mini food processor; add fermented black beans, garlic, ginger, and 3 tablespoons water. Pulse until you have a rough, minced paste (not a smooth puree), 8 to 10 pulses, stopping to scrape down sides of container as needed. Heat grapeseed oil in a large skillet or wok over medium-high until oil is shimmering. Add chiles; fry, stirring often, until chiles turn a dark burgundy color, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer chiles to a small bowl using a slotted spoon; reserve for garnish. Add black bean mixture to oil in skillet; fry over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is fragrant and just begins to stick to bottom of skillet, about 2 minutes. Whisk in wine, soy sauce, and piloncillo, combining thoroughly. Cook over medium, stirring constantly, until mixture thickens, is dark and glossy, and can almost be mistaken for a chocolate sauce, about 1 minute and 30 seconds. Scrape sauce into a small heatproof bowl. Reserve 5 tablespoons for this recipe; store remaining sauce (about 1/2 cup). 

Make the skirt steak: Place steak in a 13- x 9-inch baking dish. (Halve steak crosswise, if needed, to fit in dish.) Rub steak with olive oil, garlic, ginger, and salt, massaging thoroughly. Cover baking dish using plastic wrap, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours or up to overnight. Preheat grill to high (450°F to 500°F). Place steak on oiled grates; grill, uncovered and undisturbed, until a hard sear is achieved, 3 to 4 minutes. Flip steak; sear until a thermometer inserted into thickest portion of steak registers 120°F to 125°F for medium-rare, about 3 minutes, or until desired degree of doneness. Remove steak from grill, and let steak rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing. 

Make the asparagus stir-fry: Heat grapeseed oil in a large wok or heavy skillet over high until oil starts lightly smoking. Quickly add asparagus and onion; cook, stirring constantly, until asparagus is crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Add black bean–garlic sauce and 3 tablespoons water to wok; cook, stirring often, until asparagus is just done and coated in sauce, about 1 minute. Remove from heat. Slice reserved green parts of scallions; finely chop fried chiles de árbol. Slice steak against the grain into thin strips; arrange on a large platter. Spoon asparagus mixture over steak. Garnish with cilantro leaves, scallion greens, and chile de árbol. Serve with lime wedges and rice.

Anna Kotova has been cooking and baking European and American dishes for more than 40 years.

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