This grilled steak recipe has two names in Thailand, either "Weeping Tiger" or "Waterfall Beef". The steak is easily marinated, then barbequed over a hot grill. Although you can enjoy this steak whole, in Thailand it is traditionally sliced up thinly and served with the very flavorful accompanying sauce. This sauce includes a rather strange ingredient to most North Americans: ground toasted rice (this is classic Thai!). For an easier substitution, use ground peanuts. Note that in Thailand the fat is left on the steak, as it adds more flavor to the meat. ENJOY!
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- SERVES 2
- 2 beef or bison steaks (fat left on)
- MARINADE:
- 4 Tbsp. oyster sauce (I used Golden Dragon brand)
- 4-5 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp. brown sugar
- SAUCE:
- 6 Tbsp. fish sauce
- 5 Tbps. lemon juice
- 1/4 cup shallot OR purple onion OR green onion, minced
- 1 medium tomato, sliced up into very small pieces
- 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tsp. brown sugar (or more to taste)
- handful fresh coriander/cilantro, chopped
- 1 red chili, minced OR 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper OR 1/2 tsp. crushed chili flakes (or more to taste)
- 1/2 tsp. chili powder
- 3 Tbsp. ground toasted sticky rice (see instructions) OR ground roasted peanuts
Preparation:
- Stir marinade ingredients together and pour over steaks. Turn steaks in the marinade to coat. Cover and set in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes, or up to 24 hours.
- Combine all the SAUCE ingredients - except the sticky rice or peanuts - together in a small bowl. Stir well to combine.
- If using ground sticky rice (instead of peanuts), place the uncooked rice in a dry frying pan over medium-high heat. Stirring continuously, dry fry the rice until toasted (it will turn light golden-brown). Tip the toasted rice into a bowl to cool a few minutes.
- Grind the toasted rice using a coffee grinder or a pestle & mortar (it should be quite powdery). Add the ground rice to the sauce and stir well.
- If substituting peanuts, add them at the last minute before serving, sprinkling them over the sauce.
- Taste-test the sauce (it should be very flavorful - a balance of salty, sour, and spicy). Add more sugar if too sour for your taste, or more chili if not spicy enough. If too salty, add more lemon juice.
- Grill the marinated steak until medium-rare to semi-well done (in Thailand the meat is normally still pink in the middle). Thinly slice the steak and place on a serving plate.
- Serve the hot sliced steak together with the sauce (the sauce is usually served at room temperature, but you can warm it very briefly if desired).
- To eat, place slices of the steak over plain steamed rice and top with a generous amount of the sauce. ENJOY!
A Note About the Picture: I thought I was being smart by grilling the tomatoes and shallots before adding them to the sauce. However, although it was good this way, my husband and I found that the sauce is actually better when made from uncooked tomatoes and shallots. In fact, it's the freshness of the vegetables that make this sauce sing.
