Portuguese Peri-Peri BBQ Steak with Zesty Rice

This recipe is from the folks at Nando's Chickenland Restaurants, and features their exotic and delicious Peri Peri BBQ Marinade, which is based on an old colonial Portuguese recipe and gets its touch of heat from the South African peri-peri pepper. This recipe feeds 2 but you can multiply it as needed to feed more. You can cook the steak on the stove, or grill it outdoors.

Ingredients
2 sirloin steaks
4 to 6 Tbs Nando's Peri Peri Barbecue Marinade
1 cup brown rice
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 lemon, juice & zest
2 scallions or green onions, chopped (including some of the green part)
Canola oil (or other oil with a high smoke point)

Cook the rice according to package instructions. While the rice is cooking, mix together the cilantro, lemon juice, zest and scallions. When rice is done cooking, stir this mixture into the rice, cover and keep warm while you cook the steaks.

Slice the steaks into finger-width strips. I like to marinate the strips in the Nando's Marinade for 30 minutes in the refrigerator, but the original recipe doesn't call for this.

If cooking on the stove, heat a little bit of oil in a saute pan until very hot but not smoking. Add the meat and brown on all sides. Add the Nando's marinade and allow to bubble and sizzle for a couple of minutes until the meat is cooked to your preferred doneness.

If grilling the steak, make sure the grill grate is clean and then brush it with oil. Sear the steak strips on all sides over high heat, then finish cooking over indirect heat, brushing frequently with the Nando's marinade, until the meat is cooked to your preferred doneness.

Serve the steak strips over the seasoned rice, and keep the bottle of Nando's BBQ Marinade handy in case anyone wants more sauce on their steak. A green salad completes the meal.

Zestfully yours,
Gloria