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Home » Cuisine » Asian » Steak Thai Salad

Asian, Dinner, Lunch, Sides · August 9, 2021

Steak Thai Salad

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This delicious Thai salad (aka yum neua yang) combines fragrant herbs, juicy steak, and a savory and spicy dressing made from fish sauce. It’s a wonderful combination of flavors and textures and very simple to put together. Since the dressing is full of flavor there’s no need to marinate the steak beforehand, making it easy to make steak Thai salad any day of the week.

steak thai salad

I’ve been a self-proclaimed black thumb for most of my life. In the past, I’ve been wracked with guilt whenever someone gifted me a houseplant knowing it had little chance of survival in my care. However, since buying our home I was determined to change my ways. I did lots of research on plants and bought all the supplies. After some trial and error, I FINALLY was able to keep my plants mostly alive.

What did I do wrong all these years? I cared too damn much. That’s right, I overwatered those suckers, moved them room to room as they began to die, or would erroneously give them a larger pot thinking that might solve the problem. In the end, when I stopped caring as much, they miraculously began to live. I feel like there might be some bigger life lesson here, but for now, we’ll just keep this about plants.

I tell you this story mostly because I want to brag that many of the herbs and vegetables in this salad was grown by yours truly. IN MY GARDEN. I never thought I’d say that. This is an excellent recipe for all the green thumbs out there who need to use up their garden produce. But don’t worry, even if you aren’t blessed with your own bountiful garden this recipe can be for you, too. As Ina Garten says, “store-bought is fine.”

steak thai salad with herbs

What are the ingredients in a steak Thai salad?

This salad is highly customizable and you can use whatever produce you have on hand. Just make sure you have a variety of vegetables; I particularly like cucumbers, tomatoes, and onions as they absorb the savory and tangy dressing well. The herbs are also an essential part of this salad, and I highly recommend using cilantro and mint at a minimum. Here is a list of suggested ingredients:

  • Lettuce – try Romaine, butter lettuce, or a spring mix
  • Tomatoes – try sliced roma tomatoes or cherry tomatoes
  • Cucumbers – try English or Japanese cucumbers
  • Onion – try red, yellow, or white onion. You can also add shallots.
  • Shredded carrots
  • Shredded cabbage
  • Bean sprouts
  • Herbs – highly recommended at least mint and cilantro but you can add Thai basil, perilla leaves, or parsley

Preparing the dressing

The dressing is a combination of fresh lime, brown sugar, and the salty umami flavor of fish sauce. It also has a nice spicy kick with the addition of Thai birdseye chili. This chili can be very spicy, so if you want a mild flavor you can add it to the dressing but keep it whole. Or if you like extra spicy (like my husband) you’ll want it chopped finely to get the kind of spicy that gives you lip sweats. If you can’t find Thai birdseye chili, try jalapeno or serrano chili.

Be sure to taste the dressing and adjust to your liking. The dressing should have lots of fresh lime flavor and saltiness from the fish sauce.

How to prepare the steak

I like using a nice cut of steak like ribeye or New York strip for this recipe because we are not marinating it beforehand. Alternatively, you can use London broil or sirloin. To prepare the steak, you only need to lightly oil the beef and sprinkle it with salt and pepper. Just like in my Vietnamese Steak Salad recipe, I like to cook my steak medium-rare to medium, and I use the finger test to test for doneness. I prefer this method to avoid poking or cutting the meat and letting all the juices out. You also use a meat thermometer (medium is 145°F).

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steak thai salad

Steak Thai Salad

This delicious Thai salad (aka yum neua yang) combines fragrant herbs, juicy steak, and a savory and spicy dressing made from fish sauce. It's a wonderful combination of flavors and textures and so easy to put together.
3.50 from 2 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cook Time 8 minutes mins
Total Time 18 minutes mins
Course Dinner, Salad, Side Dish
Cuisine Asian, Thai
Servings 0 people

Equipment

Cast iron pan
Sharp knife

Ingredients
  

  • 1 tablespoon cooking oil
  • 1 pound steak of choice (I used ribeye)
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
  • 2 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
  • 3 tablespoons brown sugar
  • 1/4 cup fresh lime
  • 1 birdseye chili (leave whole for less spicy, chop finely for very spicy)

Salad ingredients

  • lettuce, chopped
  • tomatoes, sliced
  • onions, sliced
  • carrots, shredded
  • cucumbers, sliced
  • mint leaves, chopped
  • cilantro, chopped

Instructions
 

  • Gather the ingredients.
    ingredients steak thai salad
  • Heat up the cast iron pan over medium heat with oil. Take the steak and season both sides with salt and pepper. When the pan is nice and hot, place the steak in the pan to sear.
    Searing the steak
  • Cook to your desired doneness (you can use the finger test to check your steak). I like my steak medium to medium-rare, which takes about 3-5 minutes on each side depending on thickness. Turn off heat and set aside to rest as you prepare the rest of the salad.
    resting steak for thai salad
  • Prepare the dressing. In a bowl mix the fish sauce, brown sugar, fresh lime, and chili. Stir until the sugar is dissolved.
    dressing for thai steak salad
  • On a serving platter, combine your salad ingredients of choice. Slice your steak into bize size pieces and place on top of the salad. Drizzle with the salad dressing, toss, and enjoy!

Notes

  1. This salad is all about the herbs. Other herbs you can add include Thai basil, perilla leaves, or parsley. Chop them up to release their fragrance.
  2. Be sure to taste the dressing and adjust to your liking. I like mine full of fresh lime with a slight saltiness from the fish sauce.
  3. I like using ribeye or New York strip steak for this recipe. You can also use London broil or sirloin. 
Keyword Easy, healthy, salad, spicy
Tried this recipe?Mention @EatingForLuu or tag #eatingforluu!

Posted In: Asian, Dinner, Lunch, Sides

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Comments

  1. Avatar for KellieKellie says

    August 12, 2021 at 12:32 am

    This sounds delicious! I love a tasty steak thai salad, I’m definitely going to have to give this a try. Also, I can totally relate to your (past) plant situation, sometimes less attention seems to do them wonders!

    • Avatar for Phuong LuuPhuong Luu says

      August 14, 2021 at 10:44 am

      I was definitely over watering mine and kept wondering what I was doing wrong. So glad someone can relate!

  2. Avatar for LindaLinda says

    August 12, 2021 at 4:35 am

    My family would love this dish. The lime dressing sounds delicious too. Will have to give this recipe a go.

  3. Avatar for StacyStacy says

    August 12, 2021 at 5:05 am

    This looks delicious! Can’t wait to try.

  4. Avatar for GregGreg says

    August 12, 2021 at 12:49 pm

    5 stars
    Looks and sounds fab! Will be trying this one out for sure 🙂

  5. Avatar for Phuong LuuPhuong Luu says

    August 14, 2021 at 10:43 am

    Yes, it’s easy and very fresh!

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Why hello there! My name is Phuong and welcome to my little place on the internet where I share recipes that simply make me (and hopefully you) happy. I’ll show you how to cook tried and true recipes that will save you time in the kitchen but won’t sacrifice any flavor. Here you’ll find real everyday food I’d cook at home for my friends and family. The flavors will be bold but the recipes will be simple so you can spend more time eating at the dinner table instead of hours in the kitchen.

A little more about me? I’m a recovering perfectionist and a chronic multitasker. I’m also a mama of two human babies and two fur babies, Goose and Nugget.

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hey there!

My name is Phuong Luu and welcome to my little place on the internet where I share recipes that simply make me (and hopefully you) happy. I’ll show you how to cook tried and true recipes that will save you time in the kitchen but won’t sacrifice any flavor. I hope you'll try my recipes!

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