Spicy grilled steak or beef salad : Num Tok

         

             Num Tok is a northeastern Thailand food.  It means waterfall.  The name came from the juice of meat when it grills it drips onto charcoal hence like a waterfall.

Actually Spicy grilled steak or beef salad when we translate in Thai can mean two different dishes.  One in Thai is called yum-nuea which is grilled beef spicy salad with Thai eggplant and use fresh chili(I’ll tell you the recipe later), but the one I talking about Num Tok has one special ingredient that makes the dish different.  It is a rice powder.  The rice powder is very easy to make, just toast the rice and pound it to make it fine like powder.  I use the mortar for this.  If you don’t have one use a Ziplog bag and pound it until it is fine or use a blender for coffee that works also.

  Also, we use dried red chili to season it.  So be careful when you order it in a Thai restaurant and make sure you know which one you order (best way ask server).

Ingredients

1 pound top sirloin.

1-3 tsp. Dried ground Thai Chili (If you don’t like, because it’s too hot use chili flack)

2-3 shallots or ½ red onion, slice very thin (If you din't have red onion use white onion it's OK)

5 tbsp. fresh squeezed Lime juice

5 tbsp. fish sauce

3 tbsp. rice powder

½ cup mint leave

¼ cup thin slice green onion

Cooking Instructions

1.       Grill or broil the steak until medium-rare (about 5 minute per side).  Slice thin, into pieces approx. 2 inches across and 1/8 inch thick.

2.       Mix chili, fish sauce, lime juice, roasted rice in a medium bowl. Add the sliced meat and toss with the shallots, mints and green onion until it is mixed well

3.       Make a bed of the lettuce on a serving plate. Place the salad on top.

4.       Server with Carrot stick, cucumber and cabbage for garnish (and cool down the heat during eating it !!! )