Thai Crying Tiger Steak (Suea Rong Hai)

I’m making a Thai Crying Tiger Steak for a Thai-themed dinner with my sister and brother-in-law. Seared to a perfectly charred medium rare, this marinated ribeye steak is just the right amount of sweet and savory. But, the real star of the dish is the Nam Jim Jaew, the spicy-sour, super umami-packed toasted rice dipping sauce. Definitely make this for the next time you have guests over, or for date night, because it steals the show every single time!

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Sua Rong Hai: Seared Steak with Crying Tiger Sauce

Crying Tiger Steak, or Suea Rong Hai เสือร้องไห้ is a grilled dish from Northeastern Thailand. This Issan dish has yummy savory-sweet marinated seared steak paired with a bold and spicy toasted rice dipping sauce called Nam Jim Jaew. Often served grilled over a blazing fire at Thai night markets and restaurants, this dish looks, smells, and tastes incredibly addicting!

I’m hosting a Thai-Inspired dinner spread for my sister and her husband tonight. It’s honestly a super chill football night dinner, but our menu might be one of my new favorites to make for guest. Our dinner includes this delightfully tangy Seared Crying Tiger Steak, super creamy Thai Coconut Red Curry Chicken, and my 5 minute cherry tomato salad with some extra pickled red onions.

Crying Tiger Steak Ingredients

Thai Salty-Sweet Steak

For today’s steak, we’re using these beautiful ribeye steaks. Other cuts that are also great for this recipe are flank steaks or skirt steaks. They’re marinated first in a Thai Salty-Sweet, or เค็มหวาน, marinade made with soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, sugar, black pepper, and olive oil. This is a classic grilled meat marinade they use for almost everything, and it’s absolutely delicious. Then, the steaks are seared on a hot pan to perfection, with a beautiful char!

Thai Crying Tiger Sauce น้ำจิ้มแจ่ว

To pair with our marinated steak, we’re making the Thai Crying Tiger Sauce, or Nam Jim Jaew (น้ำจิ้มแจ่ว). This sauce is seriously unreal: tangy, savory, spicy, and absolutely addictive. This sauce starts with super umami fish sauce, sweetened with both tamarind and brown sugar. Then, we’re addingfresh lime juice and red chili flakes for acidity and heat.

The most iconic part of this sauce is that toasted glutinous rice powder. Toasted until golden then ground into a powder, it adds texture and a nutty flavor that balances all the acidity, heat, and sweetness. Mixed with chopped shallots and tons of cilantro, it become a super fresh sauce that might just go with everything.

Instructions

1. Combine soy sauce, oyster sauce, fish sauce, sugar, black pepper, and olive oil. Then, mix well.
2. Add in the steak and mix to make sure it really soaks up all that savory umami rich marinade. Then let it sit for a little.
3. While the steak is marinating, toast up some glutinous rice for about 5 minutes until golden and fragrant. Then, grind it into a fine powder.
4. For the sauce, mix together fish sauce, tamarind, brown sugar, and fresh lime juice. Stir everything until well balanced. Then add in the toasted rice powder, red chili flakes, chopped shallots, and lots of fresh cilantro.
5. In a hot pan on medium-high, sear the steaks for about 2 minutes per side for medium-rare, or until perfectly charred.
6. After searing, rest for 3-5 minutes before slicing. Serve with dipping sauce.

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