Citric Acid Free Asian Beef Salad with Ginger-Coconut Dressing
Bright, crunchy, and packed with bold flavor, this Asian-inspired beef salad delivers everything you want from a restaurant-style dish — without a single ingredient that could trigger a citric acid reaction. That's a bigger deal than it sounds, because so many bottled dressings, marinades, and even packaged salad mixes sneak in citric acid as a preservative or flavor enhancer. Here, the dressing is built entirely from scratch using coconut aminos, apple cider vinegar, fresh ginger, raw honey, turmeric, and garlic — real ingredients you can actually verify. The flank steak gets a quick coconut aminos and ginger rub before hitting a hot skillet, developing a deeply browned crust that makes the whole dish feel genuinely satisfying and special. Shredded green and purple cabbage, julienned carrot, cucumber, scallion greens, fresh cilantro, and torn mint create a salad that's as vibrant to look at as it is to eat. Slicing the rested steak thinly against the grain keeps every bite tender, and that ginger-coconut dressing ties everything together with warmth and a gentle sweetness. It's the kind of meal that feels indulgent and clean at the same time — proof that cooking around a restriction doesn't mean cooking without personality.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
For the beef
- 1 lb flank steak
- 1 tbsp coconut aminos
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
For the dressing
- 3 tbsp coconut aminos
- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
- 1 tsp raw honey
- ½ tsp ground turmeric
- 1 clove garlic, minced
For the salad
- 3 cups green cabbage, thinly shredded
- 1 cup purple cabbage, thinly shredded
- 1 large carrot, julienned or coarsely grated
- 1 english cucumber, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
- 4 scallions (green tops only), thinly sliced
- ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves
- ¼ cup fresh mint leaves, torn
For serving
- 1 lime, cut into wedges (optional)
Instructions
- 1
In a small bowl, combine 1 tbsp coconut aminos and 1 tsp grated ginger. Pat the flank steak dry with paper towels, then rub the marinade evenly over both sides. Let the steak rest at room temperature for 15 minutes.
- 2
While the steak marinates, whisk together the 3 tbsp coconut aminos, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, 1 tbsp grated ginger, honey, turmeric, and minced garlic in a small bowl until the honey is fully dissolved and the dressing is uniform. Set aside.
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