Nam tok น้ำตก is a grilled meat Thai salad that hails from the northeast of Thailand. This version made with beef is a "steak salad," but this isn't your average bowl of leafy greens with a sliced steak on top. Nam tok is made almost entirely of steak; no vegetables, just lots of fresh herbs and a spicy, tart dressing. Served with sticky rice, it's one of the best dishes the Northeast has to offer, and is so easy to make at home!
What is "Nam Tok"?
Nam tok literally means "falling water" or "waterfall," so you might have seen this steak called "waterfall salad" on some menus. The name refers to the dripping (i.e., falling) of meat juices as it’s being grilled; so the one requirement for this dish is that the meat has to be grilled. There are two common types of nam tok: one made with pork, usually grilled pork jowl, and the other made with beef.
Ingredients
Ingredients for the Steak Marinade
This marinade is a simplified version of my ultimate steak marinade recipe because the steaks are going to get even more flavour from the salad.
- Grilling steaks. Pictured are picanha steaks, also known as "top sirloin cap," but any other grilling steaks can be used. In Thailand, tri-tip is quite common.
- Oyster sauce. Check out this post for how to choose the best oyster sauce.
- Soy sauce. Watch this video for a soy sauce 101.
- Sugar
- Water
- Neutral oil
- Black pepper
Ingredients for the Salad
- Uncooked jasmine or glutinous rice for making toasted rice powder
- Makrut lime leaf (optional, not pictured). This is for adding fragrance to the toasted rice powder.
- Cilantro
- Mint
- Shallots
- Lemongrass
- Shallots
- Sawtooth coriander (optional, not pictured)
- Roasted chili flakes - You can simply toast some plain chili flakes in a dry skillet over low heat for just a minute or so, until it darkens slightly and smells smoky. Or toast whole chilies, then grind.
- Fish sauce. Learn more about choosing the best fish sauce here.
- Lime juice
- Water
- Sugar
- Thai sticky rice, for serving. This salad is always paired with sticky rice and I highly recommend it. Check out this post for how to make sticky rice.
How to Make Thai Grilled Steak Salad
Here's a bird's eye view of how to make neua yang nam tok, but be sure to watch the video tutorial first to ensure success!
- Make the marinade by combining all ingredients.
- Marinade steaks for at least 2 hours.
- Grill the steaks, flipping at least twice for more even cooking.
- I recommend medium to medium-well doneness for this recipe. Rare steaks don't hold up as well in this salad.
- Toast the rice with a makrut lime leaf in a dry skillet or wok until browned.
- Grind into a powder.
- Slice the steak and place into a mixing bowl, adding any juices collected during resting.
- Add all dressing ingredients and the toasted rice powder and toss.
- Toss in all the fresh herbs.
- Serve immediately with sticky rice!
PS. If you love beef, also try this shaking beef recipe that's even quicker to make than this salad!
A Tool for Navigating Beef Cuts
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