It’s interesting how a road can hold so many memories. A drive in a city nearby flooded my mind with thoughts of people, places, and events of long ago. Familiar places still existed and yet others were gone or replaced. Where I had my first job was unchanged. What was a bakery is now a check cashing store. I arrived at my destination to purchase rice and dried chili peppers in a store that stands on what used to be an open field where I played many times. It was difficult to concentrate on the task at hand with all the memories going through my head. I managed to finish shopping and was soon on my way home with the supplies to make Spicy Thai Beef Salad.
This salad is one I’ve enjoyed for years. It is the dish I will order in a Thai restaurant to compare it with the rest. I’ve seen it on menus as Nam Tok, Nam Tuk, Num Tok and Num Tuk. Perhaps one day I’ll learn why it is spelled so many similar yet different ways. It’s a simple salad of thinly sliced cooked steak with onion and a light dressing of lime juice and fish sauce. Mint leaves add coolness and chili peppers bring on the heat. There is one special ingredient that cannot be left out. Toasted rice powder gives it a subtle nutty flavor and gives body to the dressing.
Spicy Thai Beef Salad can be mild to uber hot. It all depends on how much of the minced dried chili peppers you use. I do not use the seeds as they can put it into a 911 heat category. You can use any cooked steak for this salad, however I prefer filet mignon. Leftover cold steak works wonderfully so throw on extra next time you fire up the grill. Serve the salad with a wedge of cabbage. Place some of the salad on a cabbage leaf and roll it up to eat as you would a lettuce wrap. The cabbage also has a cooling effect which balances the heat of the peppers.
A note about the toasted rice powder. Go to an Asian market and look for sweet or glutinous rice. It is a type of rice that is very sticky when cooked. It is soaked and then steamed. You can roll it up into a ball and use it like a bread for dipping into sauces. Since you only need a small amount to make the rice powder you might as well cook some and enjoy it as an alternative to regular rice. I sometimes have it with Spicy Thai Beef Salad along with cabbage.
Do you like spicy food? Or spiced food? I certainly do. Spicy grilled corn salad and cheddar jalapeno sourdough bread are a couple of things I’m made lately with a kick of heat. Also check out recipes by Sunday Supper bloggers for the “Spice It Up!” event hosted by Amy of Kimchi MOM. Scroll down to see the list and join me in visiting each one.
Spicy Thai Beef Salad
Ingredients
For the toasted rice powder:
- 1 to 2 tablespoons uncooked sweet/glutinous rice
For the salad:
- 1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 1 to 2 dried chili peppers seeded and minced
- 1 1/2 tablespoons toasted rice powder
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
- 1/4 red onion thinly sliced
- 1/2 pound cooked steak thinly sliced
- 1 to 2 wedges of cabbage
Instructions
For the toasted rice powder:
-
Heat the uncooked rice in a small skillet over medium to medium-low heat until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Stir occasionaly for even browning.
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Grind the toasted rice into a powder using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle.
For the salad:
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Whisk together the fish sauce and lime juice in a medium bowl. Add the minced chili peppers, rice powder, and mint. Stir to combine.
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Add the onion and steak. Toss to coat.
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Transfer salad to a plate and serve with a wedge of cabbage.
Recipe Notes
A recipe for Spicy Thai Beef Salad also known as Nam Tok. Cooked steak is tossed with onion, lime juice, fish sauce, dried chili pepper and toasted rice powder.
Recipe adapted from one by Natty Netsuwon; Nam Tok on the Thai Table website.
How about some more spicy recipes? Sunday Supper bloggers are sharing a great selection for you:
Snappy Starters & Snacks
Hatch Chile, Grape & Grilled Onion Salsa from Shockingly Delicious
Spicy Tempeh Chips from The Urban Mrs
Sriracha Popcorn from The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
Cheese, Smoked Paprika and Fennel Crackers from What Smells So Good?
Baked Banana Pepper Poppers from Daily Dish Recipes
Spicy Black Bean and Corn Stew from Mama’s Blissful Bites
Caldo de Camaron y Pescado (Shrimp & Fish Soup) from girlichef
Bajia with Tomato and Chili Chutney from My cute bride
Buffalo Chicken {shredded} Salad from Casa de Crews
Sriracha and Parmesan Fries from Mess Makes Food
Smoky Salmon Chowder from Cindy’s Recipes and Writings
Hummus and Spicy Turkish Ezme Salad from Neighborfood
Goat Cheese Stuffed Peppedew Peppers from Healthy. Delicious.
Tofu Hariyali Kebabs-(Tofu Kebabs in Cilantro Sauce) from Soni’s Food
Fiery Main Dishes
Spicy Stuffed Mexican Peppers from Peanut Butter and Peppers
Jalapeno Popper Fettuccine Alfredo from Chocolate Moosey
Poached Tilapia en Escabeche from La Cocina de Leslie
Spicy Grilled Chicken Wings with a Chipotle Honey Dipping Sauce from Runner’s Tales
Chorizo and Scallop Skewers from Jane’s Adventures in Dinner
Buffalo Chicken Pizza from Cookin’ Mimi
Thai Cashew Chicken from Doggie at the Dinner Table
Skillet Jambalaya from Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
Firecracker Chicken from Juanita’s Cocina
Cumin, Coriander and Fennel Turkey Pitas from Cook the Story
Aubergine and Chickpea Curry from Small Wallet, Big Appetite
Savory Tomato & Poblano Pie from An Appealing Plan
Venison Mole Rojo from Curious Cuisiniere
Za’atar Chicken with Fattoush from Food Lust People Love
Crispy Oven Fried Buffalo Chicken Tenders from In The Kitchen With KP
Skinny Buffalo Chicken Strips from Webicurean
BBQ Chicken Pizza with Poblano Peppers and Pepitas from The Wimpy Vegetarian
Spicy Thai Beef Salad from Magnolia Days
Buffalo Chicken Sloppy Joes from Cupcakes & Kale Chips
Spicy Lemon Paprika Chicken Thighs from Family Foodie
Searing Sauces & Seasonings
Homemade Buffalo Sauce from Growing Up Gabel
Whole grain Mustard recipe – Moutarde à l’ancienne from Masala Herb
Homemade Sriracha Sauce from kimchi MOM
Zesty Sweets & Sips
Cinnamon Streusel Scones from Killer Bunnies, Inc
Fiery Pomelo from My Other City By The Bay
Cinnamon Monkey Bread from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
Cinnamon Peanut Butter Skillet Blondies with Ice Cream from Vintage Kitchen Notes
Goldilocks and the 3 Asian-Fusion Bars from NinjaBaking.com
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The Ninja Baker says
Congratulations, Renee. You can now add expert Thai cuisine maker to your long list of accomplishments =)
P.s. Curious to hear more of the neighborhood that evoked so many memories =)
Renee says
Well, I don’t know if I’m an expert Thai make yet. I certainly plan to keep on with it. One day I’ll tell you all about my old neighborhood too.
Krayl @ AnAppealingPlan says
Great combination of flavors Renee. I might have to try this with chicken for me, steak for my husband! Now I really want to know about the different spellings!
Renee says
It should work nicely with chicken. I’ve found out (see comment below) that it is just from different translations. Hard to go from the Thai language to English.
Jen @JuanitasCocina says
I love this SO much! And I love how you serve it with a cool wedge of cabbage! Perfect!
Renee says
Thanks Jen. I’ve had it served with lettuce but cabbage works so much better.
Helene D'souza says
Toasted rice powder… ok need to note that down for the next one going to bangkok. =D For some reason I am still new to thai food too and I have certainly not tried this dish before. I would love it for dinner today!
Renee says
I can’t wait to test the rice powder with other things than Thai. I love the subtle nutty flavor of it.
Carla says
I like a wedge of cabbage better than a wedge of iceberg lettuce. Much more flavorful 😉
Renee says
I totally agree Carla.
Paula @ Vintage Kitchen Notes says
I do love a good cold steak salad, and this dressing sounds just about perfect Renee! I usually don´t use the seeds either, that way I can enjoy the whole plate and not stop mid-way, or regret it afterwards..jaja! Never heard of rice powder, but I don´t understand half the labels in the asian market obviously.
Renee says
I had to look up the rice on the internet a few times to make sure I was getting the right thing. Now I have a big bag and I can’t wait to make sticky rice and more rice powder.
Stacy says
Thai food always has my favorite combination of spicy and savory and your beef salad hits all the right notes for me. Plus, it is beautiful!
The reason the spellings are different is because they are all a transliteration from the original in Thai script and each is how that person tried their best to write the words with our English letters and the sounds they represent.
Renee says
Thank you so much Stacy for your kind words and help on all the different spellings.
Liz says
Oh, this sounds incredible, Renee! And so interesting about the rice powder…will have to give this recipe a try. I’m a sucker for Thai food.
Renee says
The toasted rice powder has opened me up to so many more Thai recipes. I have that “secret” ingredient now. Once you try it you will recognize it when you eat some Thai dishes.
Sarah Reid, RHNC (@jo_jo_ba) says
Awesome! I even have sweet rice flour in the pantry (makes a fantastic coating for sauteed meat/fish) so I can toast it up for this meal
Renee says
That’s great Sarah! Enjoy the salad.
Linda | The Urban Mrs says
Oh, this sounds fantastic. Definitely bring me back the memories of Thailand. I never knew about adding toasted rice powder, definitely a must try recipe.
Renee says
One day I want to go to Thailand. The food and country are so wonderful. I can only imagine eating the cuisine in the native land. Wow.
Karli says
YUM!! I just had a Thai Larb salad on Saturday night. Very simliar flavor profiles with the fish sauce, lime juice and mint. So refereshing and I love your tips about the leftover steak!
Renee says
Thanks Karli and I’m glad to see you enjoy Thai food also. Try making it at home. It’s a whole lot easier than you think.
Soni says
Love Thai flavors anyday and can see myself enjoying this dish!!Didn’t know about the toasted rice flour and it does seem like a nice addition and texture in the salad!Lovely recipe Renee 🙂
Renee says
Thanks Soni!
Amy Kim (@kimchi_mom) says
The toasted rice powder is intriguing! Love this salad and the cool wedge of cabbage.
The various spellings is just the variations of the Anglicized versions of the Thai (and any other non-English) words. I’m sure the tones and phonetics of the Thai language is difficult to represent accurately with English hence the variations in spelling.
For example for the word “kimchi”, you’ll see kimchi, kimchee, gimchi, ghimchee, etc. These all come close to the Korean pronuncation. Ghimchee (pronounced GHIM-chee) probably comes closest to the actual pronunciation.
Renee says
Thanks Amy and I never realized there were different spellings for kimchi or the way it is pronounced in Korean. Interesting.
Laura | Small Wallet, Big Appetite says
I know what you mean. I was watching a show last night and in the show the family stopped at what was meant to be a generic scenic spot in California. But it just happened to be my old peaceful place I use to go when I needed to think. Talk about memories, I actually got teary-eyed and the funny part is the scene in the show was meant to be funny.
Renee says
I’ve had that happen too. What is supposed to be funny relates to a not-so-funny incident or place. It’s interesting as to how that can be a street, scenic spot, or building.
Courtney @ Neighborfood says
I love Thai food, but somehow have never had this before! It sounds great!
Roz says
Just saw this recipe on your side bar Renee and knew that I had to read it since I love Thai food so much! Pinned and saved! YUM!!!!!
Renee says
Thanks Roz and I hope you enjoy it very much.