Crying Tiger (Seua Rong Hai)

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 500 g beef steak(s) (e.g. entrecôte)
• 10 chili peppers (Thai chili, bird’s eye chili, the hot ones, dried)
• 2 bulbs of garlic (ideally the Asian variety, which comes in one piece and not in so many individual cloves)
• 1 shallot(s)
• 1 piece(s) galangal or ginger, thumb-sized
• 1 tbsp palm sugar or brown sugar
• 1 bunch of coriander leaves
• 1 lime(s)
• 60 ml soy sauce
• 60 ml fish sauce
• 1 onion(s), red, finely sliced
• 4 leaves of Chinese cabbage
• oil
• Salt

Instructions

Working time approx. 45 minutes; Rest time approx. 1 hour; Total time approx. 1 hour 45 minutes

Lukewarm, very spicy Thai beef salad from the grill or from the pan

Mix together the soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of fish sauce, and palm sugar until the sugar dissolves. Marinate the steaks at room temperature for at least an hour, or preferably overnight, turning once if necessary. Preheat the oven to 200°C. Halve the garlic bulb and drizzle the cut surfaces with oil. Wrap in aluminum foil and bake in the oven for about 30 minutes, until soft inside. Let cool, press out of the skin into a small bowl, and crush. Cut the chilies into 0.5 cm wide half-rings. Toast with a little salt in a small pan without oil for 3-4 minutes, stirring, until slightly blackened. This creates an incredible amount of steam, as the essential oils from the chilies will get into your eyes and nose, so it’s best to open a window. Let cool and mix with the garlic (not all of the chilies; set a few aside). Process the mixture with the shallot, most of the coriander leaves, and galangal in a blender (originally, this would be done in a mortar and pestle, but that’s a hell of a job). Add the remaining fish sauce and lime juice and continue blending. Transfer to the salad bowl. Fry the steaks over high heat until medium-rare, about 6.5 minutes for 3 cm thick steaks, although this will vary depending on the oven, pan, or grill. Let rest for 5-10 minutes wrapped in aluminum foil. Then slice thinly, toss with the dressing, the half red onion rings, and the reserved chilies. Add more of the meat marinade to taste, but be careful not to overdo it. To serve: Spread out Chinese cabbage leaves, arrange the steak salad on top, and sprinkle over the remaining coriander. Serve with jasmine rice, a few beers, and a few napkins to wipe up any sweat and tears. This recipe is called “Crying Tiger” because the chilies in it are hot enough to make a tiger howl. The whole thing is tempered by salty-sweet flavors. If you don’t like it so fiery, you can use fewer or milder chilies, but the original Weeping Tiger dish is actually meant to be this hot! The literal translation of the Thai name is “like the tiger drips,” presumably referring to the meat fat that drips into the coal-fired oven (originally used) and ignites. The steak cooks particularly well on a very hot grill, but it also cooks well in a pan. The dressing is a type of nam prik, of which there are many variations.