This easy beef recipe is known in Thailand as "Weeping Tiger Beef". I've heard various stories to back up the name, one that the chilies in the sauce made a tiger weep; the other is that a tiger cried when a hunter killed and took away his cow. The recipe calls for sirloin steak which is marinated and then quickly broiled and sliced, leaving it extremely tender. It is served with rice and a deliciously fresh sauce that is simply stirred together. You can also grill the steak outside on your barbecue for equally delicious results, weather permitting.
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Ingredients:
- SERVES 2-4
- 2-3 good-quality sirloin steaks (I used organic bison steaks)
- MARINADE:
- 3 Tbsp. fish sauce (available in tall bottles at Asian/Chinese food stores)
- 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
- 2 tsp. sugar
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 tsp. ground coriander
- 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
- SAUCE:
- 6 Tbsp. fish sauce
- 5 Tbsp. lemon juice
- 2 tsp. sugar
- 1-2 dried bird's eye chilies, ground, OR 1-2 tsp. dried chili flakes
- 1/4 cup finely chopped tomato
- handful of fresh coriander leaves and stems, chopped
Preparation:
- Stir marinade ingredients together and pour over the steaks. Turn the steaks several times to ensure they are covered with the marinade. Place in the refrigerator for 15-30 minutes.
- While steak is marinating, make the accompanying sauce. Place all sauce ingredients together in a bowl and stir. Taste-test for a balance of spicy, sour, and sweet. Add more fish sauce if you'd like it saltier, or more sugar if too sour for your taste. Set aside.
- Preheat oven to "broil" setting ("high" if you have a choice between high and low). Place oven rack on the second-to-highest rung.
- Take steak out of the refrigerator and place either on a broiling pan, or on a regular baking sheet (I used a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper).
- Broil steak approximately 3-5 minutes, then turn and boil another 3-5 minutes on the other side, depending on thickness. For this recipe, the steak should still be pink in the middle. The same goes if you are grilling instead of broiling.
- Remove steak from oven and slice as thinly as you can. Place on a plate together with the accompanying sauce and a little fresh coriander sprinkled over. ENJOY!
