Every food blogger starts their post with “This is my favorite XYZ.” Well, guess what. This actually is my favorite salad. Of all time. 2nd place isn’t even close. The flavor of this Thai beef salad is unmatched and perfectly balanced without adding any cooking oils.
Vase | Peach Stems | Bay Leaf Branch | Bowls | Copper Canisters | Marble Bowl | Ginger Jar
To me, this salad is the perfect blend of everything. Sweet, sour, spicy, savory, bitter – every flavor is represented in the perfect combination and it sings.
High in protein, low in fat, lots of vegetables and a variety of carbs – it’s the perfect fuel, and I’ve never enjoyed anything more. Even if you aren’t familiar with fish sauce or some of the ingredients, you just gotta trust me and give it a go. It’s phenomenal, and I really think you’ll like it.
Grilled Thai Beef Salad Recipe
Grilled Thai Beef Salad (Weeping Tiger Salad)
Ingredients:
For the marinated beef
- 1 large skirt steak cut into 3in wide sections
- 3 tbsp fish sauce
- 3 tbsp soy sauce low sodium
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 3 tbsp coconut sugar
- 3-4 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 1 tsp coriander seed toasted in a dry pan, ground
- 1 tsp white pepper (black works too) toasted in a dry pan, ground
For the dressing
- 2 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 1/2 tsp lime zest
- 1/4 cup lime juice
- 3 tbsp coconut sugar or more to taste
- 1 thai chili finely sliced, optional but encouraged
For the salad
- 1 head iceberg lettuce hand torn into smallish pieces
- 6 cups leafy greens any preferred salad greens, chopped
- 1/2 cup purple onion thinly sliced
- 1 medium tomato cut into small wedges
- 1/2 cup cilantro just the leaves
- 1 tbsp mint finely chopped
- 1/4 cup peanuts roughly chopped
- 1/2 tsp uncooked rice grains (Jasmine preferred) toasted in a dry pan, ground
Directions:
Marinate the beef
- Whisk together all the marinade ingredients in a medium sized bowl, and toss with the skirt steak. Set aside for at least 15 minutes, but it can hold overnight if needed.
Make the dressing
- Add the chili, lime juice and zest in a mortar and pestle, and grind gently. Add the other ingredients, whisk together, and set aside.
Grill the beef
- Grill the beef on both sides until preferred doneness and charring occurs. Since we don't rinse off the marinade, medium temperature is best. I'm typically a medium-rare man, but for this I go medium-well, and the thin pieces cook quickly.
Assemble the salad
- Place the lettuce into your bowl, topped first with the cilantro, then mint, then purple onion, tomato, peanuts, and ground toasted rice. Drizzle a few tablespoons of the dressing over top. Slice the beef against the grain, add on top of the salad and finish with more of the dressing. Serve within 30 minutes.
This was a hit in our house. Great flavors, and I felt so virtuous eating it. Plenty of leftover dressing, so we’ll probably be having it again soon. Thanks!
I made this tonight for dinner. It was delicious, but my meat did not look like yours at all. Did you cook it on an outside grill? I’d love to know the cooking deets so I can get that lovely charred crust.
I actually used our indoor grill on our stove, which gets very hot, but the main thing with these thin cuts is to get the heat as high as possible.
This recipe looks delicious – excited to try it. If you’re new to a gluten free diet or for anyone making this for someone who is Celiac or has a gluten sensitivity, use a gluten free soy sauce. Not all soy sauces are gluten free and the only way to be safe is to use one that specifically says gluten free…. (Soy sauce is typically made by combining soy and crushed wheat and allowing the two to ferment for several days in a salty brine containing mold cultures. Therefore, most soy sauces contain gluten from the wheat.)
Possibly an unusual adaptation, but how might you make this with ground turkey for the meat? We pretty much just eat chicken thighs and various ground meats around here due to costs. I’m thinking mix the marinade in, sit 15 min, drain extra liquid and cook till browned. If I don’t hear back I’ll let you know how it goes ;-)
For a ground turkey adaptation you could always try another Thai salad called laab. Its tasty with ground turkey not just pork! Its similar in the aspect it uses the toasted rice powder dressing. Id say you could probably make a ground turkey seasoned with this recipe as well. :)
This came to mind last night as I happened to have some skirt steak marinating in fish sauce, garlic, and coconut aminos, and it was too hot here in Georgia to turn on the grill. I had to make a few subs based on what I had on hand (cashews for peanuts, basil for cilantro, red pepper flake for thai chili) and this still turned out exceptionally well. Truly a flavor explosion that will become an instant add to our usual salad rotation. Did not miss there being no oil in the salad dressing whatsoever! Excellent dish, thank you for sharing