Crying Tiger Beef (Suea Rong Hai). Juicy thin strips of marinated steak served with a delicious spicy Thai dipping sauce that is sweet and tangy.
A delicious 30-minute classic Thai dish that you will forever crave! This is by far my all-time favorite way to cook beef steak. It is served at many Thai restaurants with a spicy sauce made with fresh herbs.
The Thai Name is Suea Rong Hai. This Thai food originates from the Northeastern part of Thailand. The catchy name of this delicious dish is what caught my eye. I always wondered why this popular Thai dish is about making a tiger cry. But after a quick google, I learned why:
Why is it called Crying Tiger Beef?
There are various stories for the curious name of this dish. The most popular version is as the grilled beef cooks, the melting fat from the muscle fibers causes the dripping fat to look like tears. Therefore, the Thai people call it "Crying Tiger Beef". To be clear, there is NO tiger meat in this recipe!
What sauce is on crying tiger beef?
A hot dipping sauce that gives the steak extra flavors! A sweet sour sauce with a spicy kick - the best part!
The crying tiger sauce recipe consists of the key ingredients: tamarind paste, toasted rice flour (both of which we will make), palm sugar or brown sugar, shallots, cilantro or coriander, fish sauce, lime juice, and Thai red pepper flakes or Thai chilli flakes.
Ingredients
The main ingredients are needed for Thai Crying Tiger Steak and the Nam Jim Jeaw spicy dipping sauce. Please scroll down to recipe card for full measurements.
Note: The Asian market will carry most of these ingredients. You may also find them at your select local grocery store or online, like on Amazon, depending on your country.
- Rib eye steaks or sirloin steaks, about 1 inch thick at room temperature
- Neutral oil
Simple Marinade:
- Oyster sauce
- Palm sugar, or brown sugar or coconut sugar
- Lime juice
- Regular soy sauce
- Garlic
- Neutral oil
Nam Jim Jaew Dipping Sauce:
- Tamarind pulp to make our tamarind sauce. You may use tamarind concentrate but please add this last to the sauce and add to taste since this is different from tamarind paste.
- Hot boiling water, to make tamarind paste
- Uncooked sticky rice aka glutinous rice, or jasmine white rice (for roasted rice powder)
- Palm sugar, or brown sugar or coconut sugar
- Shallots
- Cilantro, aka coriander leaves
- Fish sauce
- Fresh lime juice
- Thai chili flakes
Recommended equipment:
- heavy bottom frying pan, non-stick recommended
- mortar and pestle or spice grinder
How to Make Crying Tiger Beef
In a large bowl, mix together Marinade ingredients (as listed) until combined. Mix marinade into steaks and let them marinate as you prepare the sauce.
In a small bowl with tamarind pulp, add hot boiling water.
With a fork, dissolve the pulp. Once water is cool enough to touch, use hands to further dissolve the pulp around the seeds. Run the paste through a fine sieve. Scrape the back of the sieve. This is tamarind paste.
In an oil-less pan on medium heat, toast rice until brown - 3-4 minutes.
Transfer toasted rice into a mortar and pestle. Grind the rice until it becomes toasted rice powder.
Add in tamarind paste and remaining Dipping Sauce ingredients into the mortar and mix well.
In a heavy bottom frying pan or cast iron skillet on medium-high heat, add oil. Once oil is hot, sear steaks on each side for 3-4 minutes for a rare steak to medium rare. Cook until each side is charred and an internal temperature of 131-139 F.
Note:
- For medium well, after searing for 3-4 minutes on each side, reduce to medium heat and cook for another 1 minute on each side until you reach an internal temperature of 150-158 F.
- For well done, after searing for 3-4 minutes on each side, reduce to medium heat and cook for another 2-3 minutes on each side until you reach an internal temperature of 158 - 212 F.
Remove steaks from pan and let them rest on a cutting board for 10 minutes before slicing.
Serve and enjoy with dipping sauce!
FAQ
What to serve with Crying Tiger Beef?
This dish is usually served with cabbage or lettuce with cucumbers and sticky rice or jasmine rice.
What cuts of beef steak can I use?
Rib eye, sirloin, New York striploin are the better cuts recommended. You may use beef brisket, but it will be more tough to chew so I highly suggest sticking with the aforementioned cuts for this recipe.
Can I use a griddle pan or grill for this recipe?
Yes!
Other Thai Recipes You May Enjoy!
- Thai Garlic Fried Shrimp
- Pad Woon Sen
- Chicken Pad Thai
- Thai Spicy Basil Fried Rice
- Thai Drunken Noodles
The Juiciest Crying Tiger Beef
Ingredients
- 1 lb rib eye steak or sirloin (1-inch thick)
- 2 teaspoon avocado oil or any neutral oil for cooking
Marinade:
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon palm sugar finely chopped (or brown sugar)
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon regular soy sauce all-purpose kind (not light soy sauce or dark soy sauce)
- 2 teaspoon garlic minced
- 2 teaspoon avocado oil or any neutral oil for cooking
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)
- 1 tablespoon shallots finely diced
- 1 tablespoon cilantro finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- ½ teaspoon Thai chili flakes or red chili flakes/red pepper flakes
Instructions
- In a large bowl, mix together Marinade ingredients (as listed) until combined. Mix marinade into steaks and let them marinate as you prepare the sauce.
- In a small bowl with tamarind pulp, add hot boiling water.
- With a fork, dissolve the pulp. Once water is cool enough to touch, use hands to further dissolve the pulp around the seeds. Run the paste through a fine sieve. Scrape the back of the sieve. This is tamarind paste.
- In an oil-less pan on medium heat, toast rice until brown - 3-4 minutes.
- Transfer toasted rice into a mortar and pestle. Grind the rice until it becomes toasted rice powder.
- Add in tamarind paste and remaining Dipping Sauce ingredients into the mortar and mix well.
- In a heavy bottom frying pan or cast iron skillet on medium-high heat, add oil. Once oil is hot, sear steaks on each side for 3-4 minutes for a rare steak to medium rare. Cook until each side is charred and an internal temperature of 131-139 F. See Notes for Medium Well and Well Done.
- Remove steaks from pan and let them rest on a cutting board for 10 minutes before slicing.
- Serve and enjoy with dipping sauce!
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!
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!