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

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.

Sticky rice: If you are serving with sticky rice, at this point it will have already been washed and soaked for 12 hours (or as little as 30 minutes, if you are short on time), and can now be cooked while the steak sits at room temperature.

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.

Crying tiger sauce: 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.

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 with individual servings bowls of sticky rice and crying tiger sauce.