Description
Quick & Easy Crying Tiger Beef is a juicy, tender marinated steak served with a sweet, tangy, and spicy Thai dipping sauce. This classic Thai dish is ready in just 30 minutes and offers a better-than-takeout experience perfect for a family meal, featuring vibrant flavors and an easy cooking process.
Ingredients
Steak
- 1 lb rib eye steak or strip sirloin, flat iron steak, flank steak at 1-inch thick
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil or any neutral oil
Steak Marinade
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce or vegetarian stir fry sauce
- 1 tablespoon palm sugar finely chopped (or brown sugar or coconut sugar)
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon regular soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons vegetable oil or any neutral oil
Dipping Sauce
- 1 tablespoon tamarind pulp
- 3 tablespoons hot boiling water to make tamarind paste
- 1 teaspoon uncooked glutinous rice or jasmine rice
- 1 tablespoon palm sugar finely chopped (or brown sugar or coconut sugar)
- 1 tablespoon shallots finely diced
- 1 tablespoon cilantro or coriander, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- ½ teaspoon Thai chili flakes or Korean red pepper flakes
Instructions
- Prepare Marinade: In a large bowl, mix together oyster sauce, palm sugar, lime juice, soy sauce, minced garlic, and vegetable oil. Add the steak and coat evenly with the marinade. Let it marinate for 15 minutes at room temperature.
- Make Tamarind Paste: In a small bowl, combine tamarind pulp with hot boiling water and dissolve with a fork. Once cooled, use clean hands to rub the pulp around the seeds, then strain through a fine sieve to remove pulp and seeds. Set the tamarind paste aside.
- Toast Rice: Heat a dry pan on medium heat and toast the uncooked glutinous or jasmine rice until golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a mortar and pestle, spice grinder, or high-power blender and grind into a toasted rice powder.
- Prepare Dipping Sauce: In a small bowl, combine tamarind paste, toasted rice powder, palm sugar, diced shallots, chopped cilantro, fish sauce, lime juice, and chili flakes. Mix well and set aside.
- Cook Steak: Heat vegetable oil in a heavy-bottom frying pan or cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the steaks 3-4 minutes per side for rare to medium-rare (internal temp 131-139°F). For medium-well, cook an additional minute per side (150-158°F). For well done, cook an additional 2-3 minutes per side (158-212°F).
- Rest and Slice: Remove the steak from the pan and let it rest on a cutting board for 10 minutes to retain juiciness. Slice the steak thinly on a bias.
- Serve: Plate the sliced steak alongside the dipping sauce and enjoy immediately.
Notes
- Use a digital meat thermometer to check steak doneness accurately.
- Palm sugar can be substituted with brown or coconut sugar.
- Ensure the pan is very hot before adding the steak to get a good sear.
- Adjust the amount of chili flakes in the dipping sauce to control spiciness.
- Resting the steak helps retain its juices for a tender bite.
