It’s full-on grilling season at the Forge To Table Test Kitchen, and we are excited to follow up from the previous Izakaya grilling guide with this delicious Thai Beef Salad, also known as Nam Tok. The name Nam Tok literally translates to “Waterfall” in Thai, which comes from the juice falling from steak while it’s grilling! Sounds too delicious to be true, so let's get cooking.
This salad comes together in just about an hour, and many of the ingredients like the herbs and shallots can be prepared ahead of time so that once the meat is grilled and rested, it’s as simple as mixing any other salad!
For those unfamiliar, Thai cuisine places emphasis on lightly prepared dishes with strong aromatic components and a spicy kick. Traditional Thai cuisine loosely falls into four categories: tom (boiled dishes), yam (spicy salads), tam (pounded foods), and gaeng (curries). Deep-fries, stir-fries, and steamed dishes derive from Chinese cooking.
According to the Thai monk Venerable Buddhadasa Bhikku's writing, ‘India's Benevolence to Thailand’, Thai cuisine was influenced heavily by Indian cuisine. He wrote that Thai people learned how to use spices in their food in various ways from Indians. Thais also obtained the methods of making herbal medicines from the Indians.
Unlike many other cuisines that might focus on the simplicity of ingredients and preparation, Thai cooking is about the juggling of separate elements to create a harmonious finish. Like a complex musical chord that sounds good on the ear, even though sometimes the notes between don’t make a lot of sense. Balance is everything.
Renowned Thai chef McDang describes Thai food as demonstrating "intricacy; attention to detail; texture; color; taste; and the use of ingredients with medicinal benefits, as well as good flavor", as well as care being given to the food's appearance, smell, and cultural context. It should taste good and feel good!
This dish starts with an important Thai condiment: toasted rice powder. This is a very simple yet flavorful addition to the salad and separates the authentic dishes from the intimation. It’s made by toasting the rice in a skillet over medium heat until toasty and brown before cooling and grinding. A spice grinder or a mortar and pestle work great to get it down to a fine meal texture. The final product has a nutty popcorn-like aroma and a deep toasty flavor that is great to balance out the other intense flavors in the dish.
Next is the dish’s main component, a beautiful and tender flank steak from Dole & Bailey. This is the best choice for this dish since it will cook quickly and can be sliced thin against the grain for the best adherence to the dressing. Flank steak comes from the lower abdominal muscles of the cow, and only needs minimal trimming when you get it from a great butcher!
When grilling the steak, it’s super important to make sure that the grill is preheated all the way up, so that the steak sears on the grill. If the grill isn’t hot enough, the steak will stick to the grates, it will not get the char desired, and it is more likely to overcook since it will need more time on the grill. Also, even though there's plenty of salty fish sauce in the dressing, a conservative seasoning of kosher salt and pepper always helps the meat concentrate its delicious flavor. Finally, always let your steak rest! Minimum of 15 minutes and up to an
hour since this dish can be served at room temperature.
Once the steak is resting, you can assemble the dressing for the salad, made from fish sauce, lime juice, water, sugar, and cayenne pepper. The cayenne adds a fruity spiciness, which will balance with the fresh spiciness of the sliced Thai chili added later.
One of the integral parts of the dressing is the addition of fish sauce, a seasoning sauce made from salted fish and fermented between a few weeks and up to 2 years. It has an incredible umami flavor due to its high glutamate content, a protein also found in seared meat or grilled mushrooms that give off a rich savory flavor.
Fish sauce can be produced from different species of fish and shellfish and contain primarily fish like anchovy, shrimp, mackerel, or other strong-flavored fish. Some varieties do contain herbs and spices for more flavor! Fish sauce that has been fermented for only a few weeks has a pronounced fishy taste by itself, in comparison to the long-fermented fish sauce that develops a nuttier, richer, and more savory flavor.
Using your favorite Forge To Table Classic Cleaver or 10” Slicer, slice the flank steak on a bias against the grain into tender and succulent bites. Add the steak to the bowl with the dressing, along with crunchy sliced shallots, sliced Thai chili, and a medley of fresh-picked herbs including mint, basil, and cilantro. Add some of the toasted rice powder and mix to finish the salad!
When serving, place the salad on a platter lined with cucumber slices. Place remaining toasted rice powder in a small bowl and use it as a nutty condiment on the salad. Serve with chili oil or fermented hot sauce, lettuce leaves, and steamed rice on the side for the complete experience. Enjoy!
Grilled Thai Beef Salad (Nam Tok)
Crunchy shallots, bright herbs, and tender flank steak are paired with a savory lime dressing to create a dish worthy of a lettuce cup or rice bowl extravaganza. It must be healthy since it’s a salad, right? Thanks to @doleandbailey for the meat!
Recipe & Photography by Sam Burgess
Forge To Table Knives
Prep time: 40
Cook time: 20
Servings: 4-6
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon uncooked white rice
1 (1-½ - 2 pound) flank steak, trimmed
Kosher salt, to taste
Freshly cracked black pepper
3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice (~2 limes)
3 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons water
2 teaspoons white sugar or brown sugar
¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
4 each shallot, peeled, sliced thin
3 cups mixed fresh mint leaves, torn; fresh basil leaves, torn; and fresh cilantro leaves
1 Thai chili, sliced thin
1 each English cucumber, sliced ¼” on a bias
Chili oil or fermented hot sauce, for serving (optional)
Butter lettuce or Bibb lettuce, for serving (optional)
Steamed rice, for serving (optional)
Directions:
(TOASTED RICE POWDER) In a medium skillet over medium-high heat, add white rice and toast, stirring constantly, until a deep golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a small bowl and let cool for a few minutes before transferring to a spice grinder or mortar and pestle until a fine meal. Reserve.
(GRILL STEAK) Heat a charcoal or gas grill on high heat for about 10 minutes. Clean and oil the grill grates. Season both sides of the flank steak with salt and freshly cracked pepper before placing over the hot grates, and cook until beginning to char, about 5 to 6 minutes. Flip the steak and continue to cook over high heat until medium-rare (125F degrees internally) another 3 to 4 minutes. Transfer to a clean cutting board and tent with aluminum foil for at least 10 minutes, and up to an hour.
(DRESSING) While the steak is resting, combine lime juice, fish sauce, water, sugar, and cayenne pepper in a large bowl and set aside. Prepare the shallots, herbs, and Thai chili but keep them separate from the dressing.
(MIX SALAD) Line a large platter with cucumber slices. Slice the steak, against the grain, on a bias, into ¼ -inch thick slices. Transfer sliced steak into the bowl with the fish sauce mixture, and add sliced shallots, torn mint, torn basil, cilantro leaves, Thai chilis, and half of the toasted rice powder, tossing to combine.
(SERVE) Serve the steak on the platter with the cucumber slices. Place the remaining toasted rice powder in a small bowl and use it as a nutty condiment on the salad. Serve with chili oil or fermented hot sauce, lettuce leaves, and steamed rice on the side for the complete experience. Enjoy!
Chef’s Notes:
The toasted rice powder is a traditional condiment that adds a unique nuttiness that balances out the intense savoriness of the dish. Well worth the extra effort!
If desired, the steak can be cut into smaller pieces so you won't have long pieces of meat. It’s up to your preference!
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