The significance of calling a dish Crying Tiger lies in its spicy, smoky nature, evoking the image of a ferocious tiger and the intense heat that makes you 'cry' or sweat. Having said that, this is not hot at all unless you wanted to add chillies to the marinade. We do serve it with the Crispy Rice Salad which packs some heat, but I loved the name and the idea of Crying Tiger...thus it stuck.
The dish typically features slices of beef, served with a dipping sauce. The beef is marinated first in a marinade that often includes garlic, coriander, soy sauce, and various spices. The accompanying dipping sauce is usually a combination of fish sauce, lime juice, chili, and other seasonings. The spiciness of the dish, along with the smoky flavor from high heat cooking, can be intense and may lead to tears, hence the name 'Crying Tiger.'
We would recommend using the dipping sauce from the Nahm Jim sauce from this recipe if you plan on serving this without the salad on the side. It certainly stands alone as a great protein. You could also use this marinade with other protein. Chicken and fish would both be amazing.
We are claiming this recipe comes from Vietnam, but it could also be called Thai really. Same same, but different!
Make sure you check out some of our other Vietnamese style recipes:
Chicken Salad with Vietnamese Dressing
Vietnamese Pork Salad with Rice Noodles
Asian Scallops with Crispy Pork
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Need
- 1 x 200 Gram beef steak per serving (I used porterhouse)
- 2 Tablespoons soy sauce (dark)
- 2 Tablespoons fish sauce
- 2 Tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Chilli Jam Recipe
- 1 Tablespoon coconut sugar
- 2-3 Pieces fresh coriander or cilantro stalks only
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil (EVOO) as needed for frying BUY
Do
- 1
Place the steaks into either a stasher bag or a large plastic bag with a good seal and set aside.
- 2
Place all remaining ingredients other than the EVOO into the Thermomix bowl, and blend 10 sec/speed 10.
- 3
Pour marinade into the bag with the meat and massage in making sure to cover it all well. Leave for up to 2 hours at room temperature or refrigerate if it is going to be longer before you cook.
- 4
When ready to cook, heat a grill pan to very high without oil. Scrape most of the marinade off the meat. Add EVOO to the hot pan, and cook steaks 4 minutes each side. Turn heat down slightly if it is charring too quickly. Remove from the pan and rest for at least 5 minutes before slicing and serving with the Crispy Rice Salad and dressing.
Served with
Tenina Holder is a wife, mother of five and grandmother of eight, who started cooking in the olden days before Thermomix was even a thing.
Tenina has become the premium go to source for all Thermomix expertise and of course fresh and easy recipes that work. Her cooking classes and foodie trips are sold out in literally hours, her cookbooks appear on the Australian best seller lists and her social reach is in the millions. Her Insider Club is the most fun you can have with a Thermomix and you really should join her! She believes chocolate, butter and salt are health foods. Her food positivity mantra is, eat everything, just not all at once!
