I recently spotted a recipe in Bon Appetit which seemed to be an East African cousin to Thai Beef Salad (Yam Neau) , which is one of our favorite dishes, so we decided to give it a try.  A key change which I made was to double the kachumber relative to the steak.  It was very good.

I think this would be a good dish for sous-vide with a reverse sear.  That should make the marinade for the steak more pronounced.

Here is how we made it for 2 servings.

For the Steak

3 garlic cloves

2 Thai red chili or 2/3 Red Fresno chili

¾ inch piece of ginger, peeled

¾ tsp. sugar

5/8 tsp. Morton kosher salt (or 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal kosher salt0

½ Tbs. tomato paste

¾ tsp. garam masala (since I could not find in my pantry I substituted ¾ tsp. Caribbean-style curry powder)

1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

12 oz. NY strip or sirloin steak

1 Tbs. vegetable oil

For the Kachumber

1 Thai red chili or 1/3 Red Fresno chili, thinly sliced

1 Persian cucumber, thinly sliced

3 Tbs. onion, finely chopped

½ tsp. Morton kosher salt (or 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal kosher salt)

2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

Make the steak marinade first.  In a food processor or motar turn the garlic, chili, ginger, sugar and salt into a paste.  Mix on the tomato paste, garam masala, and lemon juice.  Coat both sides of the steak and let it marinade for 15 minutes.

In a small bowl, mix together the Kachumber ingredients.  Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

When the steak has marinaded, scrape off the marinade paste.  In a large cast iron skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat.  Add the steak.  Cook first for 2 minutes a side, and then flip every minute until it reaches an internal temperature of 130 degrees.  Remove to a plate to rest for 10 minutes.  Slice and serve with the kachumber.

Note.  The next time I do this I will experiment with my sous-vide equipment.  I will make the marinade, coat the sides of the steak, and put it into a gallon zip-lock baggie with the air squeezed out.  I will put it in a 130 degree water bath for 45-60 minutes.  Then I will remove it from the bath and pat it dry.  Then I will heat the tablespoon of oil in a large cast iron skillet, and I will cook it about 2 minutes a side to get a nice crust.  Then I will let it rest before slicing it and serving it with the kachumber.