Crying Tiger (Thai-Style Grilled Steak With Dry Chile Dipping Sauce) Recipe (2024)

Thai
Grilled Beef
Strip Steaks
Beef Mains
Memorial Day

The grilled aroma of the steak and the smokiness of the piquant dipping sauce contribute to the appeal of this classic dish.

Leela Punyaratabandhu

Leela Punyaratabanhu is a food writer, recipe developer, and award-winning author specializing in Thai cooking. She has written three cookbooks: Simple Thai Food, Flavors of the Southeast Asian Grill, and Bangkok, which won the 2018 Art of Eating Prize.

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Updated September 19, 2022

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Why It Works

The smoky aroma achieved from grilling is what makes this classic version special, far superior to deep-fried or sautéed renditions of Crying Tiger.
Serving the steak with the dry chile dipping sauce (Jaew) on the side as opposed to dressing it like a salad retains the steak's smoky aroma and flavors.
Using the piquant Jaew as a dipping sauce instead of a dressing also allows its clean, crisp flavor to shine.

Here we are again, a classic Thai dish with a name of dubious origin and meaning. Is it Tiger's Tear? Tiger Cry? Crying Tiger? Weeping Tiger? Why Tiger? Why cry? How? Who? What?

Let me enlighten you with my answer: I don't know.

Some say the dish is called such because, in the old days, it was made out of a cheap cut of beef so tough that even a tiger can't chew it (then, apparently, it gets all sad and weepy). Some say that it's the opposite: the steak comes from the most tender, the most marbled part of the cow leaving a tiger nothing but the tough parts. A much less convincing theory says the dipping sauce is so hot it makes a tiger cry.

Regardless of which is correct, the tiger doesn't come off looking particularly good.

But we'll let the animal mourn in its own way while we enjoy this delicious grilled steak with a dipping sauce that goes so well with it.

Crying Tiger is sometimes reinterpreted by Thai restaurants stateside as a grilled beef salad. I personally don't believe that this represents the classic version. But no harm done; in most cases, that's just the same grilled steak with the dipping sauce re-purposed as a dressing. The smoky grill aroma which makes this dish special is, in my opinion, lost when the dish is served as a salad. But that's still far better than when some restaurants deep-fry or sauté the beef instead of grilling it.

For this recipe, I've added some tomatoes to the dried chile dipping sauce (Jaew) as that is what my favorite Isan joint in Bangkok does. You certainly don't need to.

July 2012

Recipe Details

Crying Tiger (Thai-Style Grilled Steak With Dry Chili Dipping Sauce) Recipe

Prep15 mins

Cook35 mins

Active30 mins

Total50 mins

Serves4 servings

Ingredients

Steak:

2 tablespoons (30ml) dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon (15ml) oyster sauce
1 tablespoon (14g) light or dark brown sugar
1 tablespoon (15ml) plain vegetable oil
4 rib eye or New York strip steaks, about 1 1/2-inches thick (about 12 ounces or 342g each)

Dry Chile Dipping Sauce (Jaew):

1/2 cup (120ml) fresh lime juice (about 6 to 10 limes)
1/2 cup (120ml) Thai fish sauce
1 teaspoon (4g) sugar
2 tablespoons (8g) finely-chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons (11g) finely-chopped green onions
1 1/2 tablespoons(12g) toasted rice powder(see notes)
1 tablespoon (8g) dried red pepper powder
2 plum tomatoes (optional)

For Serving:

Warm sticky rice

Directions

Mix together the soy sauce, oyster sauce, brown sugar, and vegetable oil in a medium mixing bowl. Coat the steaks with the soy sauce mixture and let them marinate while you work on the dipping sauce.
Combine all ingredients for the dipping sauce in a small bowl and mix. If using, peel and deseed the tomatoes. Chop the pulp finely, and add it to prepared dried chile dipping sauce; set aside.
Light one chimney full of charcoal. When all the charcoal is lit and covered with gray ash, pour out and spread the coals evenly over entire surface of coal grate. Set cooking grate in place, cover grill and allow to preheat for 5 minutes. Alternatively, set all the burners on a gas grill to high heat. Clean and oil the grilling grate.
Grill the steaks, turning frequently, until desired doneness is reached (medium-rare is recommended—steaks should register 125°F on an instant read thermometer when removed from grill). Remove from grill and let rest for 5 minutes. (See the importance of resting meat).
Cut the steaks into 1/4-inch slices and serve with the dipping sauce. Warm sticky rice on the side is highly recommended.

Notes

Although any cut of beef that is well suited for grilling will work for this recipe, rib eye and New York strip are recommended.

Serious Entertaining: A Summer Thai Feast

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
1105	Calories
76g	Fat
10g	Carbs
91g	Protein

Show Full Nutrition Label

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories	1105
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 76g	98%
Saturated Fat 30g	152%
Cholesterol 269mg	90%
Sodium 3140mg	137%
Total Carbohydrate 10g	3%
Dietary Fiber 1g	3%
Total Sugars 4g
Protein 91g
Vitamin C 11mg	57%
Calcium 57mg	4%
Iron 8mg	46%
Potassium 1398mg	30%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Crying Tiger (Thai-Style Grilled Steak With Dry Chile Dipping Sauce) Recipe (2024)

Why It Works

July 2012

Crying Tiger (Thai-Style Grilled Steak With Dry Chili Dipping Sauce) Recipe

Notes

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