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

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

By
Leela Punyaratabandhu
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
Crying Tiger (Thai-style grilled steak) on a green ceramic plate, with a small ceramic bowl holding the dry chile dipping sauce). On the periphery is a small bowl of white rice.

Serious Eats / Julia Hartbeck

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 Chile Dipping Sauce) Recipe

Prep 15 mins
Cook 35 mins
Active 30 mins
Total 50 mins
Serves 4 servings
Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

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

  1. 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.

    A two image collage. The top image shows a small bowl containing a marinade, and the bottom image shows the beef steaks in an enameled pan, coated in the marinade.

    Serious Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  2. 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.

    A four image collage. The top left image shows all of the sauce ingredients, minus the tomatoes, in a small ceramic bowl. The top right image shows the tomatoes, cored and sliced into strips, on a wooden cutting board with a knife. The bottom left image shows the tomatoes being diced on a cutting board. The bottom right image shows the sauce completely combined in a small ceramic bowl.

    Serious Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  3. 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.

    A three image collage showing the charcoal being prepared in a chimney, and a grill being set up and oiled.

    Serious Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  4. 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).

    A four-image collage. The top left image shows the steaks placed on the hot grill. The top right image shows the steaks, now flipped, with a thermometer inserted. The bottom left image shows the steaks being flipped with a pair of tongs. The bottom right image shows the cooked steaks resting on a cutting board.

    Serious Eats / Julia Hartbeck

  5. Cut the steaks into 1/4-inch slices and serve with the dipping sauce. Warm sticky rice on the side is highly recommended.

    A two-image collage. The top image shows the cooked steaks being sliced on a cutting board. The bottom image shows the sliced steak on a green plate with a small white bowl of dipping sauce and a round mound of sticky rice.

    Serious Eats / Julia Hartbeck

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.

Read More

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
1105Calories
76gFat
10gCarbs
91gProtein
×
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4
Amount per serving
Calories1105
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 76g98%
Saturated Fat 30g152%
Cholesterol 269mg90%
Sodium 3140mg137%
Total Carbohydrate 10g3%
Dietary Fiber 1g3%
Total Sugars 4g
Protein 91g
Vitamin C 11mg57%
Calcium 57mg4%
Iron 8mg46%
Potassium 1398mg30%
*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.)

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