A Thai grilled beef salad dressed with lime, fish sauce, toasted rice powder, and fresh herbs. The name means waterfall, referring to the juices that drip from the meat as it grills over charcoal.
Ingredients
500g beef sirloin steak
3 tablespoons fish sauce
3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon toasted rice powder
1 teaspoon dried chili flakes
4 shallots, thinly sliced
3 green onions, sliced
1/2 cup fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
1 tablespoon sugar
Cabbage leaves and long beans for serving
Instructions
1Grill the beef steak over very high heat or charcoal for three to four minutes per side until it has a deep char on the outside but remains medium-rare in the center.
2Let the grilled beef rest for five minutes to allow the juices to redistribute, then slice it against the grain into thin bite-sized strips.
3Make the toasted rice powder by dry-roasting raw sticky rice in a skillet until deeply golden and fragrant, then grinding it to a coarse powder in a mortar.
4Toss the sliced beef with fish sauce, lime juice, sugar, chili flakes, and toasted rice powder in a large bowl, mixing until every piece is well dressed.
5Add the sliced shallots, green onions, mint, and cilantro to the dressed beef, toss gently, and serve immediately on a platter lined with cabbage leaves and long beans.
Did You Know?
The toasted rice powder called khao khua is the secret ingredient that gives nam tok its distinctive nutty flavor and slightly gritty texture that Thai people consider essential to the dish.