Thai Crying Tiger Steak

Name: Thai Crying Tiger Steak
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Cuisine: Thai
Ingredients: 2 sirloin steaks (7 ounces / 200g each; most other cuts of steak are fine); Cooked sticky rice, for serving; 2 tablespoons soy sauce; 1 tablespoon fish sauce; 1 tablespoon lime juice, freshly squeezed; 1 tablespoon vegetable oil; 1 tablespoon palm sugar; 1 clove garlic, minced; 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; 2 tablespoons fish sauce; 2 tablespoons lime juice, freshly squeezed; 1 tablespoon palm sugar; 2 teaspoons tamarind concentrate; 2 teaspoons crushed red chilli flakes (or, to taste); 1/2 teaspoon toasted rice powder *; 1 tablespoon shallots, finely chopped; 1 tablespoon cilantro, finely chopped; 1 tablespoon green onion, finely chopped

Nov 8, 2019 · Modified: Apr 21, 2022 by Asha · This post may contain affiliate links · 66 Comments

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This amazing steak dish called Thai crying tiger steak (seua rong haï / เสือร้องไห้), also known as weeping tiger beef, comes from northeastern Thailand. It has a wonderful flavour balance of spicy, sweet, and sour, with a very distinct flavour of its own thanks to the crying tiger sauce. This is one of the most popular recipes on this site for a reason.

Slices of Thai crying tiger steak on a bowl of sticky rice.

The amount of spice in this Thai crying tiger steak is completely adjustable. I've toned it down so that it is still spicy but not overpowering. You can adjust it more to suit your preferences as well.

I've heard many explanations of the origin of the name of this dish, however, it seems that no one really knows for sure. One story is that the dish is so tasty that it can bring a tiger to tears. Another is that it is so spicy that it will make you yowl like a tiger. Disclaimer: No tigers were brought to tears in the making of this recipe.

Chopsticks dipping a slice of Thai crying tiger steak into sauce.

Make sure to check out Thai basil beef stir fry for another delicious Thai beef dish. Also, there is the condiment traditional Thai sauce that tastes amazing on almost everything.

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What is Crying Tiger Sauce
Ingredients
Instructions
Substitutions
Equipment
Storage
📖 Recipe

Chopsticks lifting a slice of Thai crying tiger steak from a bowl of sticky rice.

What is Crying Tiger Sauce

Thai crying tiger sauce (nam jim jaew) is an amazing combination of spicy, sweet, and sour. The tender, marinated and grilled steak slices taste so amazing dipped in it. Key components in this sauce are fish sauce, lime juice, chilli flakes, palm sugar, tamarind, and toasted rice powder. I brighten it with the addition of freshly chopped shallots, coriander, and green onion.

Ingredients

Sirloin Steaks - For this dish, sirloin is often used. However, you can use most kinds of steaks (sirloin, skirt, flank, etc.). What's important is that you find cuts that have minimal 'interruptions' of gristle in the meat.
Soy sauce
Fish sauce - Made from salt fermented small fish, such as anchovies, it brings a special umami flavour to Southeast Asian dishes. There is no substitution for fish sauce.
Freshly squeezed lime juice
Vegetable oil
Palm sugar
Garlic
Black pepper
Tamarind concentrate - Tamarind is a popular ingredient in southeast Asian cuisine. The sauce and concentrate are made from the sticky fruit pods that grow on the tamarind tree. It adds a sweet, tart and tangy flavour.
Crushed red chilli flakes
Toasted rice powder - A dry, Thai sticky rice that was toasted and then ground down into a powder. It adds a nutty flavour and also serves to thicken the sauce. See the note below for instructions on how to make your own. If you buy a coarse version I recommend using a mortar and pestle to grind it down into a fine powder for this recipe.
Shallots
Cilantro
Scallions
Cooked sticky rice, for serving - Also known as sweet rice or glutinous rice, this is the traditional and most popular accompaniment for crying tiger steak.

See the recipe card below for quantities.

How to make toasted rice powder

I usually buy this ingredient to save time, but if you want to make your own, here is how.

Add some dry Thai sticky rice to a stainless steel skillet and heat it over medium heat. Shake frequently to move the rice around, all the while keeping it in an even layer on the bottom of the pan. If the rice begins to burn, reduce heat to medium-low.

The rice should turn a golden brown after about 10 minutes. If you want a more intense nutty flavour and popcorn smell in your toasted rice powder, continue cooking while shaking frequently for another 15 minutes.

Transfer the rice into a baking pan and allow it to cool to room temperature. Then grind it with a mortar and pestle, a spice grinder, or a food processor. Sift it through a fine mesh strainer to remove everything but the powder.

You can store it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 months.

toasted rice powder

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fish sauce

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Instructions

Marinating

Trim gristle and fat off of the side of the steaks (try to use steaks with minimal gristle 'interruptions' on the inside).

Steaks with and without the gristle trimmed.

Next, prepare the marinade by mixing all of the marinade ingredients together in a bowl until the sugar has dissolved.

Place both marinade and the steaks (in one layer) in large ziplock bag. Remove as much air as possible, and massage the bag to coat the steaks. Marinate in the fridge for 3 hours, flipping the bag over at the halfway point.

Remove the bag from the fridge and set it out to rest at room temperature for 1 hour. Dispose of the leftover marinade.

Grilling

Oil and heat your grill or grill pan to high heat (450°F/230°C). As soon as it starts to smoke, add the steaks and reduce the heat to medium (350°F/177°C). Cook the steaks to medium-rare. Remove the steaks from the grill when your meat thermometer reads an internal temperature of about 135-140°F (57-60°C), as they will continue to cook a bit more.

Set them aside and allow them to rest for 10 minutes. This resting time will make your steaks juicier.

While the steaks are resting, make the crying tiger sauce. Mix the fish sauce, lime juice, palm sugar, tamarind paste, and chilli flakes together and stir well until the sugar dissolves. Wait to stir in the toasted rice powder, shallots, cilantro, and green onion until just before you are ready to serve.

Serving

Once the steaks have rested, cut them into very thin slices against the grain (cutting this way will tenderize the meat). Assemble them onto a serving plate, and serve Thai crying tiger steak with individual servings bowls of sticky rice and crying tiger sauce.

Sticky rice should be soaked for 12 hours before cooking for best results. However, if you don't have time for that you can just soak it for a minimum of 30 minutes.

Wash the rice thoroughly, then let it soak in cold water and covered to soften the hard shells on the rice grains. Then rinsed the rice again and cook it. I prepare it in my Zojirushi rice cooker on the setting for 'sweet rice.'

Thai crying tiger steak served with crying tiger sauce and sticky rice.

Substitutions

Palm sugar - Can be substituted with brown sugar or raw sugar.

Tamarind concentrate - Can be substituted with tamarind paste, but the paste is more intense so start with a much smaller amount and add more if needed.

Toasted rice powder - Toasted, ground cashews are sometimes used as a substitute.

Cilantro - This can be omitted from the recipe, if desired.

Equipment

I prepared the sticky rice in my Zojirushi rice cooker; I really like this brand. The quality of their products is wonderful and my rice turns out perfectly every time. And I used my trusty Griddler to grill my steaks.

You will also need a very sharp knife for slicing the steaks thinly. I highly recommend looking into purchasing a high quality Japanese knife. There is nothing better in the kitchen.

rice cooker

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Griddler

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Storage

If you have any leftover steak, you can store it an in airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. The leftovers make an absolutely delicious addition to the next day's lunch salad.

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Thai Crying Tiger Steak

What is Crying Tiger Sauce