This recipe has been on my list to make for a while and I wish I had made it sooner. I guess winter was holding me back...that and I just learned how to use our grill. I know, that sounds insane for somebody who loves cooking as much as I do but the hubby always handled that. We had the grill 2 years before I found out I couldn't eat gluten anymore. I never wanted to use the grill anymore because of all the grilled buns, beer brats, and gluten-containing sauces it had been contaminated with. After that, we only grilled when we had a lot of people over and I would either cook my own food inside or wrap my food in aluminum foil so it couldn't touch the grill directly. I don't know if any reading this has experienced this but being afraid of food is a horrible, sickening feeling...especially when we're trying to not draw attention to our "special" diets and just enjoy ourselves like everyone else. Last year, I got really sick of feeling that way and having to take those precautions in my own home. So I took my grill back. I spent two days cleaning it until it looked new again and I was certain no burned-on gluten was left (gluten is insanely sticky). Since then, we've been using the grill only for food that's safe for me and I haven't gotten sick at all. Which is the way it should be at home.
Back to the recipe...I love tamarind! I first picked it up as an impulse buy at the grocery store. I loved how sticky and sour it was. It was like a naughty candy that grows in nature. I never have any uses for it though! I know it's an ingredient in barbecue sauce and some Chinese dishes but I still don't really have any recipes for it and in foods like barbecue sauce, it's more of a background flavor. The tamarind in this dish definitely stands out amongst the other ingredients and I think the lime complements the tamarind really well. I used a tamarind concentrate that you can order off Amazon. Aside from tamarind, I'm also a little obsessed with limes. I had never grilled any sort of fruit before and I'm so glad I tried this. These limes are rubbed with coconut sugar before they are grilled. After grilling, they have such a unique flavor and become very soft. I just sliced the rind open with a knife and ate the inside.
Recipe
Tamarind Lime Beef Skewers
- Prep Time: 20 mins
- Cook Time: 20 mins
- Total Time: 40 mins
- Yield: 2 servings 1x
Ingredients
- 1 lb skirt steak
- 3 small limes
- 3 Tbsp coconut sugar
- salt and black pepper
- sesame seeds to garnish, optional
Marinade:
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- ¼ C lime juice
- ¼ C coconut aminos
Tamarind lime sauce:
- 1 Tbsp coconut oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ½ Tbsp tamarind concentrate
- 2 Tbsp lime juice
- ¼ C coconut aminos
- 2 Tbsp honey
- ½ Tbsp tapioca starch
- ½ Tbsp cold water
Instructions
- Preheat your grill.
- If you're using wooden skewers, soak them in water for 20 minutes.
- Slice steak into ¼ inch slices.
- Whisk together the marinade ingredients (4 cloves garlic, lime juice, and coconut aminos). Place marinade and sliced steak together in a shallow bowl and transfer to the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile start on the sauce. In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt the coconut oil. Add garlic and cook until fragrant.
- Whisk in ginger, then coconut aminos, tamarind, lime juice, and honey. Increase heat to medium-high.
- Dissolve tapioca starch in the cold water. When the sauce starts to boil, mix in the starch. Remove from heat, once thickened.
- Once the steak has marinated a full 20 minutes, skewer the meat lengthwise. Sprinkle with salt and a very generous amount of black pepper then brush on a coating of the sauce (reserve some sauce for later).
- Cut up your limes into equal-sized slices. Thicker slices are easier to skewer. Skewer the limes and rub coconut sugar on each side.
- Place both the steak and limes on the hot grill and cook 3-5 minutes per side, depending on how done you prefer your steak.
- Once the steak is done, brush with more sauce and garnish with sesame seeds. Serve with the grilled lime slices.
- Don't eat the sticks :P
Darcie
OMG! Yum!!!! I love grilled food and have no idea how to cook on a grill. You need to make these for me please!! That along with the key lime cheesecake creme brûlée bites!
Meagan
sounds like a good plan for a (much needed) girls weekend!!!!
JoAnn
I need you for my personal cook and photographer, great food and great photos.
Meagan
haha thanks! :)