Thai crying or weeping tiger steak is marinated in fish sauce, oyster sauce and sugar, then seared and served with a spicy dipping sauce.
This recipe takes some planning because it benefits from a long marinade time. But you only spend around 35 minutes actively cooking, and that includes the resting time for the steak.
Thai Crying Tiger Beef or Suea Rong Hai
You won't find a huge number of steak recipes on my site.
Not because I don't like it, but because I tend to keep them pretty simple. I might serve it with something like chimichurri sauce, as I do in my guide to cooking rump steak, or serve it with blue cheese as I do with my steak sandwich, or keep it incredibly simple like I do in my surf and turf recipe.
This recipe is a little different, although still very simple, and the flavours are much punchier!
Crying or weeping tiger steak (Suea Rong Hai) is a Thai dish, and originally would have been made with something like brisket.
As is so common, the origins of the name are much disputed. It's either because the "brisket" was so tough it would make a tiger cry, or that the beef fat that it was cooked in was reminiscent of tiger's tears, or that the fierce dipping sauce would make a tiger cry.
I take the last of these options as the influence for my take on this recipe. A sauce of toasted rice with plenty of Thai red chilli peppers, tamarind, sugar, lime juice, fish sauce and oyster sauce provides all the sweet, sour, hot and salty flavours often associated with Thai food.
The steak itself is marinated in oyster sauce, fish sauce and sugar, which is all very simple!
Don't worry if you are not a fan of "pink" steak; I provide instructions for everything from "very rare" to "well done" in the recipe.
Frequently Asked Questions
What cut of steak should I use?
I have used rib-eye for this recipe; however, sirloin or rump steak would work just as well with exactly the same instructions.
You could also adapt this recipe and use either skirt or flank steak, but you will need to adapt the timings.
How should I cook my steak?
Honestly, you should cook your steak as you like it, anyone who tells you otherwise is not worth listening to!
As you can tell, I like my steak pink, very pink! But I have provided approximate timings and accurate internal temperatures for everything from rare through to well done in my recipe.
Do I have to marinade the steak?
Yes, 8 hours as a minimum to impart any reasonable flavour to the steak, anything less is not worth bothering with.
Can I use soy sauce instead of fish sauce?
If you must, but it is not the same by any stretch of the imagination.
Can I use tamarind concentrate?
Yes, but I find they vary greatly in terms of their strength of flavour. As a result, you should add a little to start with (¼-½ teaspoon) and adjust to taste.
Can I make this in advance?
No, you will almost certainly overcook the steak by reheating it, no matter how you like it cooked!
However, you can make the sauce 2-3 days in advance and store it (covered) in the fridge.
Serving Suggestions
I've served my crying tiger steak with a simple herby salad of chopped cherry tomatoes, chilli and cucumber with Thai basil and fresh coriander. I've also added a side of simply cooked jasmine rice that I've seasoned with lime juice and fresh coriander
The heat in the sauce makes this ideal for a salad as a side; something like this Thai pomelo salad or this papaya salad would be awesome.
If you are looking for something a little "heftier", then add some noodles to your salad. This Thai glass noodle salad or this nutty noodle salad would be ideal.
The fact that this is a steak means that it also works well with chips. You could easily replace the rice in my photos with some air-fried chips or even chip shop-style deep-fried chips and end up with a stunning meal!
Equipment Used
I only name-check brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. But if you have any questions, feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.
- Hob/Stovetop.
- 28cm or 11" frying pan.
- A quick-read meat thermometer.
- A small frying pan for toasting the rice.
- Mixing bowl and marinating bowl.
- Pestle and mortar or a spice grinder/mini blender.
- A kettle for boiling water.
- Chopping board.
- Kitchen knife.
- A combination of weighing scales and measuring spoons.
Thai Crying (Weeping) Tiger Steak Recipe (Suea Rong Hai)
Ingredients
- 350-400 g Thick-Cut Steak 12-14oz
- 30 g 2 tablespoon Beef Dripping
For The Marinade:
- 1 tablespoon Fish Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Oyster Sauce
- ½ tablespoon Dark Brown Sugar
For the Crying Tiger Dipping Sauce:
- 15 g Tamarind Pulp Around 1 tablespoon
- 1 tablespoon Boiling Water
- 1½ tablespoon Short Grain Rice
- 3-5 Thai Red Chilli Peppers
- 2 Lime Leaves
- 1½ tablespoon Fish Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Oyster Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Lime Juice
- 1½ tablespoon Dark Brown Sugar
- ½ Small Echalion or Banana Shallot 15g Total
- 1 Spring Onion
- 10-12 Thai Basil Leaves
Instructions
- Mix the ingredients for the marinade in a flat-bottomed bowl just large enough to hold the steak. Add the steak, flip to coat and marinate for at least 8 hours (24 hours is better), flipping a couple of times during this time.
- About 30 minutes before you are ready to cook the steak, remove it from the marinade, pat it dry and allow it to sit on a baking grid whilst you prepare the dipping sauce and your sides of choice.
- Place the tamarind pulp in a small bowl and pour over the boiling water, mash it with the back of a fork and allow it to sit for 10 minutes.
- Place the rice in a small frying pan over a medium-high heat and toast it until it is golden (This will take around 3-4 minutes). Then transfer it to a pestle and mortar or spice grinder and pound it into a fine(ish) powder.
- Remove the stems from the chillies, roughly chop them, and add them to the pounded rice.
- Strip the stems from the lime leaves, add them to the toasted rice powder and chilli and pound for a minute or two.
- Pour in the fish sauce, oyster sauce, lime juice, and add the brown sugar, then mash the tamarind and pass it through a fine mesh sieve into the sauce. Then stir and have a taste, adding more seasoning to match the balance of flavours that you like.
- Peel the shallot, and slice it as thin as you can into half-moon shapes, and add it to the sauce.
- Finely slice the spring onion and add it to the sauce.
- Heat a 28cm or 11" frying pan (try not to use nonstick) over a high heat, and when it is hot, add the beef dripping. When the dripping has melted, add the steak to the pan and leave it untouched for 90 seconds; the steak should sizzle loudly when added to the pan!
- Flip the steak and cook for a further 90 seconds, and cook to your desired level of "doneness". See below for temperatures to remove the steak from the pan to get it perfect. If your steak has a fat cap, be sure to crisp it up! Then set the steak aside, covered with foil, to rest for 8-10 minutes.
- Whilst the steak is resting, finely shred the Thai basil leaves and stir them through the sauce.
- Slice the steak, serve it with the dipping sauce and the sides of your choice.
Internal temperatures to remove the steak to get it done to your liking!
- Rare: The target temperature to remove the steak is 45-47°C or 113-117°F. The final temperature after resting will be 49-51°C or 120-124°F. Estimated total cooking time (3-4 minutes).
- Medium Rare: The target temperature to remove the steak is 48-54°C or 118-129°F. The final temperature after resting will be 52-58°C or 125-136°F. Estimated total cooking time (4-5 minutes).
- Medium: The target temperature to remove the steak is 55-57°C or 130-135°F. The final temperature after resting will be 59-61°C or 137-142°F. Estimated total cooking time (5-6 minutes).
- Medium Well: The target temperature to remove the steak is 58-63°C or 136-145°F. The final temperature after resting will be 62-67°C or 143-152°F. Estimated total cooking time (6-7 minutes).
- Well Done: The target temperature to remove the steak is 64-71°C or 146-160°F. The final temperature after resting will be 68-75°C or 153-165°F. Estimated total cooking time (8-10 minutes).