Juicy tender marinated steak served with a sweet, tangy, spicy Thai dipping sauce. This quick and easy crying tiger beef is ready in 30 minutes. A classic main Thai dish that you will forever crave! Better-than-takeout and great for the family!
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Crying Tiger Beef ("Crying Tiger Steak" or "Suea Rong Hai" in Thai) features rib eye or sirlon steak marinated oyster sauce, soy sauce, garlic, palm sugar, garlic and lime juice. This marinade gives it that unique umami-flavor!
The beef is served with a spicy, sweet, tangy sauce called "Nam Jim Jaew". The sauce is made of tamarind paste, toasted rice flour, palm sugar, shallots, cilantro, fish sauce, lime juice, and Thai red pepper flakes.
This meat dish goes very well with a refreshing salad, fresh cucumbers, tomatoes and steamed rice but I also share a list of pairing suggestions below!
It's a very popular Asian beef dish that originates from the Northeastern part of Thailand served at Thai restaurants and loved by many!
The best part about this easy steak recipe is that you can make it at home in little time and save yourself at least $20 in takeout! The sauce is very versatile and can be used with other meats too.
So why is it called "Crying Tiger Beef"? The most popular story behind the name is as the grilled beef cooks, the dripping fat looks like tears, hence the name. To be clear, there is NO tiger meat in this recipe!
Ingredients & Substitutes
Please scroll down to below recipe card for exact measurements.
- Rib-Eye Steaks or Sirloin Steaks: about 1 inch thick. Or substitute with flat iron steak, strip steak, sirloin cap, flank steak, or chuck eye steaks. Since this is the main ingredient, make sure it's fresh and the meat is vibrant in color.
- Neutral oil: like avocado oil, sunflower oil, grapeseed oil, peanut oil, vegetable oil or canola oil with a high smoke point. Avoid olive oil that has a low smoke point.
Marinade
- Oyster sauce: or substitute with vegetarian stir fry sauce if you don't like oysters. If you're gluten-free: substitute with a gluten-free version.
- Palm Sugar: or substitute with brown sugar or coconut sugar
- Fresh Lime juice: I don't recommend substituting with lemon juice as it's a bit too tart. Make sure it's freshly-squeezed from ripe limes and not the artificial stuff.
- Regular soy sauce: or substitute with low sodium soy sauce or light soy sauce. If you’re gluten-free, substitute with tamari sauce, coconut aminos or a gluten-free soy sauce.
- Garlic
- Neutral oil
Dipping Sauce
- Tamarind pulp: to make our tamarind sauce. As a last resort, you may use tamarind concentrate but make sure it's high quality and add this last to the sauce to taste.
- Hot boiling water: to make dissolve the tamarind pulp to make our tamarind paste.
- Uncooked Glutinous Rice (aka Sticky Rice): or substitute with jasmine white rice as a last resort to make our roasted rice powder.
- Palm Sugar: or substitute with brown sugar or coconut sugar
- Shallots: or substitute with onion as a last resort
- Cilantro or Coriander
- Fish Sauce: a common ingredient used in Southeast Asian cooking made of fish oils and salt that lends a very deep umami flavor! Or substitute with regular soy sauce to taste.
- Fresh Lime Juice: I don't recommend substituting with lemon juice as it's a bit too tart.
- Thai Chili Flakes: or substitute with red pepper flakes like gochugaru.
Note: Most Asian grocers will carry these ingredients. You may find some at your select grocery store or online, like on Amazon.
Expert Tips
- Use fresh beef steaks that are vibrant in color and has some fat marbling through it for best taste.
- Use tamarind pulp for the most authentic taste and for best flavor.
- Make sure the steaks are at room temperature before frying or grilling.
- Let the steaks marinate for 15 minutes at least for best flavor.
- Don't burn the rice when you toast it for the dipping sauce.
- Determine how rare you'd like the steaks to be before cooking so you don't over cook them.
- Let the cooked steaks rest for 10 minutes before slicing so the meat juices can redistribute.
- Slice steak with a sharp knife on an angle against the grain for a tender cut.
Instructions
Below are step-by-step instructions on how to make crying tiger beef:
- In a large bowl, mix together marinade ingredients as listed above until combined. Add steaks to marinade and coat evenly. Marinate for 15 minutes at room temperature.
- In a small bowl, add tamarind pulp and hot boiling water. Dissolve the pulp with a fork. Once it's cool, use clean hands to dissolve the pulp around the seeds. Run the paste through a fine sieve to remove any pulp or seeds. This is tamarind paste. Set aside.
- In an oil-less pan on medium heat, toast rice until brown, about 3-4 minutes.
- Transfer toasted rice into a mortar and pestle, spice grinder or a high power blender. Grind the rice until it becomes toasted rice powder.
- In a small bowl, combine tamarind paste, rice powder and remaining dipping sauce ingredients as listed.
- Heat vegetable oil in a heavy bottom frying pan or cast iron skillet on medium-high heat. Sear steaks on each side for 3-4 minutes for rare steak to medium rare with internal temperature of 131-139 F with a digital thermometer. For medium well, cook for another 1 minute on each side on medium-heat until an internal temperature of 150-158 F. For well done, cook for another 2-3 minutes on medium heat on each side until an internal temperature of 158 - 212 F.
- Remove steaks from pan and let them rest on a cutting board for 10 minutes before slicing on a bias.
- Serve steak and enjoy with dipping sauce!
Storage
- Leftovers will last up to 4 days stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat: microwave the steak for 2-3 minutes until hot or reheat in a pan on medium heat.
- Freezer friendly? Crying tiger beef can be frozen for up to 3 months without the dipping sauce. To freeze: wrap each piece of steak in plastic wrap and stored in a freezer friendly bag. To reheat, defrost overnight in the fridge and reheat in the microwave or on the stovetop in a pan. I don't recommend freezing the sauce as the aromatics will become mushy.
Pairing Suggestions
Crying tiger steak serves well with:
- starters like egg rolls or fresh spring rolls
- steamed jasmine rice, sticky rice, or brown rice
- fresh raw vegetables like shredded cabbage, chopped lettuce or thinly sliced cucumbers
- cooked vegetables like bok choy, spicy garlic bok choy, choy sum, gai lan, garlic green beans or stir fried snow pea leaves.
- cooked protein like bang bang shrimp, crying tiger beef, Thai garlic shrimp, or pad kra pao
- rice or noodle dishes like Thai Spicy Basil Fried Rice, Thai Drunken Noodles, Pad See Ew, Chicken Pad Thai, or Pad Woon Sen
FAQ
Crying tiger beef can be made in advance and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. I recommend making the dipping sauce on the day of serving for best taste. To enjoy, reheat the steak in the microwave or in a pan on the stovetop on medium heat until hot.
The beef can be cooked in a grill pan or on a barbecue grill. If you're grilling, the ideal temperature is around 450-500 degrees F for 2-3 minutes and closely monitor it.
Yes, the marinade is very versatile and you can substitute with chicken thighs, pork chops or boneless pork shoulder.
📖 Recipe
Quick & Easy Crying Tiger Beef
Ingredients
- 1 lb rib eye steak or strip sirloin, flat iron steak, flank steak at 1-inch thick
- 2 teaspoon vegetable oil or any neutral oil
Steak Marinade
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce or vegetarian stir fry sauce
- 1 tablespoon palm sugar finely chopped (or brown sugar or coconut sugar)
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon regular soy sauce
- 2 teaspoon garlic minced
- 2 teaspoon vegetable oil or any neutral oil
Dipping Sauce
- 1 tablespoon tamarind pulp
- 3 tablespoon hot boiling water to make tamarind paste
- 1 teaspoon uncooked glutinous rice or jasmine rice
- 1 tablespoon palm sugar finely chopped (or brown sugar or coconut sugar)
- 1 tablespoon shallots finely diced
- 1 tablespoon cilantro or coriander, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- ½ teaspoon Thai chili flakes or Korean red pepper flakes
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together marinade ingredients as listed above until combined. Add steaks to marinade and coat evenly. Marinate for 15 minutes at room temperature.
- In a small bowl, add tamarind pulp and hot boiling water. Dissolve the pulp with a fork. Once it's cool, use clean hands to dissolve the pulp around the seeds. Run the paste through a fine sieve to remove any pulp or seeds. This is tamarind paste. Set aside.
- In an oil-less pan on medium heat, toast rice until brown, about 3-4 minutes.
- Transfer toasted rice into a mortar and pestle, spice grinder or a high power blender. Grind the rice until it becomes toasted rice powder.
- In a small bowl, combine tamarind paste, rice powder and remaining dipping sauce ingredients as listed.
- Heat vegetable oil in a heavy bottom frying pan or cast iron skillet on medium-high heat. Sear steaks on each side for 3-4 minutes for rare steak to medium rare with internal temperature of 131-139 F with a digital thermometer. For medium well, cook for another 1 minute on each side on medium-heat until an internal temperature of 150-158 F. For well done, cook for another 2-3 minutes on medium heat on each side until an internal temperature of 158 - 212 F.
- Remove steaks from pan and let them rest on a cutting board for 10 minutes before slicing on a bias.
- Serve steak and enjoy with dipping sauce!
Bunnee
My favorite crying tiger recipe ! For the dipping sauce I used a lot of cilantro, extra lime juice and kept everything else the same , then purée/blended everything together! For the steak I used Costcos prime rib eye steaks, let it sit in the marinade for 1-2 hrs, then searing it in a heated cast iron pan for 1-2 min per sides , added some butter and finished it off in the oven at 400f for 10-12mi. For medium well ….and it came out perfectly —tender and juicy! I also replaced half the lime juice for lemon juice since I was out of limes and it was still delicious!
Christie Lai
Thank you so much for making my recipe and for sharing your process with us! Glad it came out perfectly! Have a wonderful day!
Jon H
I had this dish at a local restaurant and fell in love. This recipe was very close in flavor and totally amazing. Thanks for sharing this gem!
Christie Lai
I am so glad to hear this Jon! Thanks so much for making my recipe and hope you continue to enjoy it for years to come.
Colleen
Oh..I'm Canadian as well, so please name the stores I may find it, as I may just have one in my area. I'm in Ontario!
Colleen
I’m quite excited to make this! Have been in Thailand for 2 months. I was wondering, have you been able to find palm sugar at home? If so, where?
christieathome
Hi Colleen, I am excited for you to make it as well and I hope you enjoy it! I found my palm sugar in an Asian grocer called T&T Supermarket 🙂 They come in circular dome pucks. Good luck!