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6-ingredients and 30-minutes (20 of which are hands off) are all you need to create this amazingly flavorful steak dish that can be served with anything from rice to being wrapped in a fresh homemade corn tortilla for a truly tasty fusion of Asian and Mexican flavors!
💕 Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
- It is clean eating, dairy-free, and keto friendly.
- It requires just 6 simple and wholesome ingredients to make.
- It comes together in under an hour (and that includes the time it takes to marinade!)
- It pairs well with any carb or veggie of your choice.
Ingredients
- Beef: sliced into thin strips. You can honestly use any cut or type preferred.
- Pineapple juice: I recommend using fresh pineapple juice since it contains an enzyme called “bromelain” that helps to break down proteins which results in it being a natural tenderizer for meats (this is the same enzyme that makes your tongue tingle when you eat fresh pineapple!). With canned or bottled pineapple juice you’ll often find that it’s been pasteurized to increase the shelf-life which kills bromelain, meaning that you lose the tenderizing quality. Either way the option of which you prefer to use (or which you happen to have on hand) is yours and the flavor quality remains the same. Just be sure to use plain pineapple juice that contains no added sugars or preservatives.
- Soy Sauce: Whether you use regular or low sodium, the choice is yours. If you’re aiming to keep this recipe gluten-free, opt to use Tamari.
- Garlic: Fresh cloves of grated garlic works best.
- Ginger: Freshly grated ginger root works best but in a pinch you can use ginger powder.
- Oil: You’ll need a small touch of oil to cook our beef in. Opt to use a neutral flavored, clean-eating oil with a high smoke point such as peanut, light olive oil or extra light olive oil.
Here’s How to Make this Easy Dish
Add all ingredients in and mix together to evenly combine. Set your beef and marinade in the refrigerator for a minimum of 20 minutes to as long as overnight to allow the flavors to really permeate the meat. However if you’re using fresh pineapple juice, I recommend a marinade time of 20-30 minutes.
After allowing your beef to sit in the pineapple-soy-ginger-garlic marinade, it’s time to cook it. To do this we’ll need a small touch (about a tbsp) of oil.
Heat the oil in a skillet and once the oil is hot, add the beef (drained of it’s marinade – but don’t yet discard the marinade) to the skillet and begin to cook it, turning the pieces every so often.
Continue cooking the beef and as the natural oils and liquids are released drain it off.
Once the beef is cooked and is no longer pink, lower the heat and add the marinade you set aside a tbsp at a time, tossing to coat the beef strips. It’s important for the beef to be somewhat dry at this stage which is why we drained off any liquids from the pan. We want the beef to not only be coated in the marinade but also to caramelize and brown. Once your strips are nicely caramelized, remove the pan from the heat and serve.
The flavors of this steak and its marinade is undoubtedly Asian influenced and as a result it can be served with anything from steamed brown rice to my 10-minute sesame noodles. However, in my view it pairs PERFECTLY with a fresh and warm homemade corn tortilla (topped with a scoop of my simple 5-minute guacamole and this easy corn salsa) for decadent and delicious steak tacos that are on repeat request in our household 😍
Pineapple Soy Marinated Beef Strips
Ingredients
- 1 lb beef (sliced thinly)
- 1 cup pineapple juice
- 3 tbsp soy sauce (low sodium)
- ½ tbsp fresh ginger (grated)
- 1 clove fresh garlic (grated)
- 1 tbsp extra light olive oil
Instructions
- Combine the pineapple juice, soy sauce, grated garlic and ginger together.
- Pour the marinade over the thinly sliced beef and turn all pieces to ensure an even coating. Set aside to marinate for 20 minutes.
- In a large skillet on high heat, add the oil. When the oil is hot, add in the beef drained of it's marinade. (Do not discard excess marinade)
- Cook the beef. If any liquid is released, drain it off into a heat resistant bowl and set aside. Continue cooking the beef strips and allow them to begin to brown. Once browned, lower the heat to med and add in some of the leftover marinade a tbsp at a time and toss to coat for 1-2 minutes.
- Remove the beef from the heat and set aside. If the beef appears to be drying out, add in more of the leftover marinade.
- Serve immediately and store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to three days.
