Recipe: Thai Barbequed Beef (Seua Rong Hai)

Thai Barbequed Beef (Seua Rong Hai)

The title of this dish means tiger's tears--not because it was original made from tiger meat, nor from other felines (as it so often does when tiger is used in the name of an oriental dish). In this case the name comes from the noise of the fat dripping from the meat into the barbeque fire. The dish is also called neua yang (barbequed beef).

Take a one pound steak, and cut it into strips diagonally across the natural grain, about half an inch wide, then cut the strips into bite sized pieces.

Marinade the meat for about an hour in:
3 tablespoons of fish sauce
3 tablespoons of dark, sweet soy sauce

Place the meat on a fine metal mesh (typically a 1 centimeter chicken wire is used in Thailand but you can just as easily use a suitable rack) over a barbeque and cook, turning the pieces occasionally, until done to your taste.

DIPPING SAUCE:
1 tablespoon Thai chili powder (not to be substituted with mild chili pepper found in US supermarkets)
1 tablespoon coriander/cilantro leaf
1 tablespoon chopped spring onion (scallion/green onion)
1/4 cup of fish sauce
5 tablespoons lime juice

Combine the ingredients the day before required for use. A very good condiment to serve on the side is Thai meat sauce.

Note: It is usual to serve barbequed dishes of this sort with a platter of vegetables. A typical mixture would include cucumber slices, Thai basil and mint, spinach, and spring onions. However any mixture you have on hand would be fine.