Asian Inspired Cube Steak
An Economical Meaty Treat
Asian Inspired Cube Steak is a great, affordable meaty option for dinner that can be made in the oven or in a slow cooker and is delicious served over rice. This cut of meat cooks up low and slow yielding a tender, fall apart texture with an Asian inspired glaze made from salty soy sauce and sweet honey.
I love a good cube steak recipe, though cube steak is notoriously tough if not cooked correctly. The only real tricks to cooking this Asian Inspired Cube Steak is to make sure it’s cooked low and slow and with a salty, slightly acidic sauce to help tenderize the meat.
This is a great option for those who crave the meat and do not want to break their food budget. Add some fluffy cooked white rice to the plate for a way to soak up the amazing sauce.
Cube Steak
Cube steak is in the meat department of any grocery store I have ever been in. Most of the time you will find it looking like it does in the picture above.
The meat is tenderized and that is why it has those marks. If it is not tenderized, you can ask the butcher to put it through the meat tenderizer that they have in the meat department.
If they give you a hard time, which they should not, you can come home and just poke holes in the meat slices with a fork. There can not be too many holes in this meat so have at it.
One thing I also want to note is that the cube steak may look gray in some spots when you take it out of the package. This does not mean the meat is bad.
When meat hits the air or touches other meat, some kind of science thing happens that I think is called oxidation and the meat will not be bright red. A lot of people think gray meat means bad and that is “mostly” not the case.
What Is Cube Steak?
Cube steak is basically sirloin that has been tenderized. You may also know it as “minute steak.”
I use cube steak in many recipes, not just this Asian Inspired Cube Steak. One of my very favorite recipes on my site is this Baked Steak with Savory Mushroom Gravy.
It is SO good with corn and mashed potatoes. Total fall comfort food!
Chinese Five Spice
Chinese Five Spice is an ingredient some of you will ask about. It is a very pungent spice, so use it sparingly if it is new to you.
It has an earthy flavor with clove and sort of cinnamon. I use it in many recipes on my site.
You can scroll through all the recipes that use it by typing in Chinese Five Spice into the search bar here on the recipe site.
The spice does not have heat that will burn your mouth, but it does carry a lot of warm spices with the taste. I know a lot of you will really enjoy this flavor.
Below are my favorite recipes that use the five spice:
Worcestershire Powder
One other unfamiliar ingredient to some is this powder. I use this power in so many recipes!
The powder is just more intense than the sauce and I love the layer of flavor it adds. If you want to use the sauce and see the powder measurements listed, just double the measurement if subbing the sauce,
You can search Worcestershire Powder on the site to see all the recipes I use it in. It is available on Amazon.
Bead Molasses
This may be the only other ingredient that some are not familiar with. This adds flavors that are sort of like soy sauce without the salt.
It is also a thickening agent. This is an old fashioned ingredient that my family uses in our American Chop Suey recipe.
A jar of this keeps for years in your fridge.
Asian Inspired Cube Steak Recipe
Cube steak is an affordable protein option that, when cooked correctly, is tender and delicious. This Asian Inspired Cube Steak is baked up low and slow with a delicious marinade made from soy sauce, rice vinegar, and a few other ingredients. Perfect over rice and can also be made in the slow cooker.
Ingredients
- 2 to 2.5 lbs. of tenderized Cube Steak *pictured in post
- 1 medium sized Sweet Onion
- 2 teaspoons of Garlic Powder
- 2 teaspoons of Onion Powder
- 1 teaspoon of Black Pepper
- 1 teaspoon of Chinese Five Spice *pictured in post
- 1 teaspoon of White Pepper
- 1/4 cup seasoned Rice Vinegar
- 1/4 cup of Soy Sauce
- 2 tablespoons of Bead Molasses *pictured in post
- 2 teaspoons of Worcestershire Powder *pictured in post
- 2 tablespoons of Honey
- 1 can of Campbell's French Onion Soup
Instructions
- Lay the cube steak slices in a baking dish. I prefer to use my speckled cover roaster. Season on all sides with the garlic and onion powders and the black pepper. You do not have to use the amount I listed in the ingredients, feel free to use more or less.
- Slice up the onion and place the onion slices all over the top of the seasoned cubed steak.
- In a bowl add the Chinese Five Spice (this is a strong spice, not spicy but spiced up, so you may want to use sparingly if it is your first time) and the white pepper, vinegar, soy sauce, Worcestershire powder (can sub liquid but double the amount if doing so), and the can of soup, plus the honey. Whisk this all together until really well combined.
- Pour the sauce over the meat in the baking pan, cover with the lid or foil.
- Bake at 325° for 1.5 to 2 hours. At the 1.5 hour mark, take it out and the meat should be fork tender and falling apart. If it is not, back into the oven for another 30 minutes. *You can also put this in a slow cooker on low for 6 to 8 hours.
- Serve over rice with sauce spooned over. You can also top with sliced chives or sliced green onions.
- **If you like you can add broccoli or any other vegetables to the pan for the last 30 to 45 minutes of cooking.
1 Comments
Cathy Marry Walton
August 26, 2025 at 11:24 am
This sounds so yummy! I have Chinese 5 spice and can double up on the soy sauce but i know ive never seen bead molasses in my grocery store.
.What can I substitute for bead molasses? Any suggestions?