Thai Beef Salad Recipe (Yum Nua): Easy & Healthy

This Thai Beef Salad is tangy, spicy, amazingly delicious yet deceptively easy to make in just 30-minutes! Topped with toasted rice powder for a bit of crunch. It’s a healthy salad that tastes so decadent!

Thai beef salad on serving platter.

This Thai Beef Salad is perfect to serve up as a delicious meal on its own, or as a side dish with other favorite Thai recipes like Pad Kee Mao, Grilled Chicken with Peanut Sauce and Thai Beef with Stir Fry.

It’s loaded with intense, tangy flavors – Citrus, lemongrass, mint and cilantro dance around with a bit of lime juice, spicy jalapenos, and a pinch of brown sugar to lend some sweetness and balance it all out.

This salad is one that I find myself constantly ordering when out to eat at Thai restaurants and I’ve heard it called so many different things…

  • Yum Nua
  • Crying Tiger Beef Salad
  • Nam Tok
  • Waterfall Beef Salad

I’ve also found that the heat level can vary so much from restaurant to restaurant. I like my food spicy, but at some Thai restaurants, medium is like burn-your-face-off hot. Others, you can barely notice the heat.

That’s one benefit to making this Thai Beef Salad at home. Taste the dressing as you go and add more or less jalapeno or red pepper flakes to suit your taste.

Keep in mind that jalapenos themselves can vary so much in heat depending on factors like the season or their size. And, while you’re tasting for heat, it’s also a great time to add more or lime juice, sugar, or fish sauce. Give it a taste and adjust – you’re looking for the perfect balance of spicy, salty, sweet. Trust me, when you hit that sweet spot, you’ll know!

I love this salad SO much, that I’ve also created a similar Thai Chicken Salad and a vegetarian Thai Mushroom Salad.

Ingredients for Thai Beef Salad labeled on counter.

Ingredients needed

  • New York Strip Steak – Or, ribeye steak, flank steak, or sirloin steak.
  • Shallots
  • Fresh Herbs – Mint Leaves & Cilantro.
  • Lettuce – I like to use a lettuce blend, but butter lettuce, romaine, iceberg, etc. all work well. Choose your favorite.
  • Cherry Tomatoes + Cucumbers
  • Toasted Rice Powder (more on that below)

Thai beef salad dressing ingredients

  • Garlic
  • Jalapeno
  • Fresh Lime Juice
  • Fish Sauce – This is my favorite brand.
  • Lemongrass – More on how to purchase and prepare lemongrass below ↓.
  • Brown Sugar – Palm sugar is more authentic if you have it available to you.
  • Red Chilli Flakes

There’s a couple ingredients in this recipe that you may not be too familiar with.

Fish Sauce

  • Fish sauce can smell quite pungent out of the bottle, but once it gets mixed with the other ingredients you won’t even know it’s there. It just gives a nutty, salty, umami characteristic to the dish. That hint of something extra that just takes this salad over the top.
  • You should be able to find it easily in the international foods aisle of your supermarket. Or, purchase it online. This is my favorite brand.

Lemongrass

  • Lemongrass looks like thin, pale green stalks and it’s generally sold in bundles of two or three. You’ll need about three stalks for this recipe because only the lower stalk (near the bulb) is tender and edible.
  • When cooking with lemongrass, you only want to use the tender part of the bulb section. To cut lemongrass, first remove the knobby end of the stalk and cut it in half lengthwise. Remove the tough outer leaves and find the inner tender flesh (it should pierce easily with your fingernail). Then, finely chop that tender inner section.
  • You can also take a shortcut and purchase lemongrass paste that is sold in plastic bottles in the produce department near the packaged herbs.
Toasted rice in mortar.

Toasted Rice Powder

  • I like to think of toasted rice powder as my Thai alternative to homemade croutons. It gives an amazing crunch to the Thai Beef Salad and has a nutty, creamy flavor to it.
  • Just toast some white rice grains in a small sauté pan and then grind them up using a mortar and pestle, until they’re about the size of breadcrumbs.
  • Or, you can use a coffee grinder to get that breadcrumb like texture. Honestly, that’s what I do most often. Just be sure to run a batch of rice through there first, before you grind up the rice that you’re actually going to eat. That way you can wipe it clean and be sure that no coffee grounds remain. Tip: This is also a great way to clean your coffee grinder.

Regardless of how you prepare it, don’t skip the rice powder. I guarantee it’s worth the extra little bit of effort, and just adds that perfect finishing touch for the best Thai Beef Salad.

How to make it

Dressing

  • Mince the garlic and one of the jalapeno halves and place in a small bowl. Slice the remaining jalapeno half into thin rings and add it to the bowl, along with the lime juice, fish sauce, lemongrass, brown sugar, and red chili flakes. Taste and adjust seasonings with additional lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, if needed.
Sliced steak in bowl with fresh herbs.

Steak

  • Heat the oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Sear the steak until it is well browned on one side, 5 to 6 min. Flip and cook until medium rare, another 5-6 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice the steak thinly and then cut into bite-size pieces.
  • In a medium bowl, combine the beef (and any accumulated juices), shallots, mint, and cilantro. Stir the dressing and pour it on top. Toss gently. Serve over lettuce with cherry tomatoes.

Recipe FAQs

When is the steak done? 

5-6 minutes on each side is all you should need for the beef cooked to medium-rare. Feel free to adjust to your desired doneness.

Why cut the steak against the grain?

Cutting the steak against the grain makes it more tender and easy to chew.

Can you make Thai Steak Salad ahead of time?

Yes! I like to store the dressing, steak, and salad ingredients separately and then toss them together when ready to serve.

Variations

  • Meat: Chicken, shrimp, pork, or even ground beef work in this recipe. Try my Thai Chicken Salad or Thai Shrimp Salad.
  • Vegetarian: For a vegetarian version, you can swap in tofu for the steak, or try my Thai Mushroom Salad, which is also vegan.
  • Thai Beef Salad with Noodles: Add a 12-ounce package of cooked rice noodles.
  • Thai Beef Salad with Crispy Noodles: Add a packet of broken up ramen noodles.
Thai beef salad arranged on serving platter.

Wine pairings

  • Riesling pairs great with spicy dishes. Mouthwatering acidity, intense fruit, and a hint of sweetness compliment this salad amazingly well.
  • A Viognier or dry Rosé would also be great with this dish.

More Thai-inspired recipes

Thai steak salad next to bowl of rice powder.

More salad recipes

Did you try this easy Thai Beef Salad recipe?

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Thai beef salad arranged on serving platter.

Thai Beef Salad (Yum Nua)

This Thai Steak Salad is tangy, spicy, amazingly delicious yet deceptively easy to make. Topped with toasted rice powder for a bit of crunch. It's a healthy salad that tastes so decadent!
4.95 from 19 votes
Print Pin
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 15 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 2 servings

Ingredients

Dressing

  • 1 clove garlic
  • 1 jalapeno (halved)
  • 1 lime (juiced)
  • 1 1/2 Tablespoons fish sauce
  • 2 Tablespoons minced lemongrass (remove the tough outer leaves and slice the tender white core)
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons brown sugar
  • 1/4 teaspoon red chile flakes

Steak

  • 1/2 Tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 1 1-inch thick New York strip steak (9 to 10 oz.)

Rice Powder

  • 2 Tablespoons uncooked rice

Salad

Instructions

Dressing:

  • Mince the garlic and one of the jalapeno halves and place in a small bowl. Slice the remaining jalapeno half into thin rings and add it to the bowl, along with the lime juice, fish sauce, lemongrass, brown sugar, and red chile flakes. Taste and adjust seasonings with additional lime juice, fish sauce, sugar, if needed. Stir well and set aside.

Rice Powder:

  • Put rice in a small frying pan over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the grains are toasted and golden, about 10 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes and then grind into a coarse powder in a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle.

Steak:

  • Heat the oil in a skillet over medium high heat. Sear the steak until it is well browned on one side, 5 to 6 min. Flip and cook until the second side is dark brown and the meat is medium rare, another 5 to 6 min. Transfer to a cutting board and let rest for 5 min. Slice the steak thinly and then cut into bite-size pieces.
  • In a medium bowl, combine the beef (and any accumulated juices), shallots, mint, and cilantro. Stir the dressing and pour it on top. Toss gently. Add the ground toasted rice, and toss. Serve over lettuce with cherry tomatoes.

Notes

Make Ahead: Store the dressing, steak, and salad ingredients separately and then toss them together when ready to serve. Will keep for 3 days. 
Did you make this recipe?Mention @platingsandpairings or tag #platingsandpairings!

Nutrition

Calories: 349kcal | Carbohydrates: 8g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 22g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 102mg | Sodium: 1134mg | Potassium: 504mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 390IU | Vitamin C: 20.3mg | Calcium: 60mg | Iron: 2.5mg

This post was originally published in 2015. It was updated in 2017, and again in 2023 to update the pictures and content. The beef Thai salad recipe remains the same. 

52 thoughts on “Thai Beef Salad Recipe (Yum Nua): Easy & Healthy”

  1. OH MY GOD. Thai food has the key to my heart. This is the 1 thing I consistently order at restaurants. I mean that dressing…. is it weird if I drink it up with a spoon after everything else is gone? Can’t wait to try your take on it! 🙂

    Reply
  2. 5 stars
    This looks so tasty! I’ve been trying to find new ways to spice up my salads and this is coming at the perfect time. I’ll probably replace the jalapenos with a different pepper (just not my favorite flavor) but I’m definitely pinning this for my shopping trip this weekend.

    Reply
  3. I LOVE thai food an steak salads! I will have to give this a try. The rice powder sounds like a great addition – I love a little crunch on my salad.

    Reply
  4. It’s called Steak Salad where we eat at. I’ve cooked a 5 oz bacon wrapped fillet under the broiler until. Bacon is done. Let it rest. Make salad , slice steak and add to salad and serve with Thai dressing. Very good and easy.

    Reply
  5. This looks delicious! Will it still be good if I omit the jalapeño and some of the peppers? I don’t like spicy food too much.

    Reply
  6. 5 stars
    I love Thai food so much almost forgot about this one.
    Been to Thailand a few times and they call it Namtok Neua (Nam = water, Tok = falls and Neua = beef) .
    Not easy to find in Thailand beef is not very common.
    Saw the same salad with duck (crispy skin on) instead of beef in some fancy restaurants there delicious as well.
    And I have to agree the toasted rice is a MUST !
    Thanks for sharing this recipe Erin did brings me back to Bangkok for a few minutes.

    Reply
    • Hi Christian – It looks like my nutrition calculator was having problems with this one. I adjusted the settings. Looks like there are actually 27g. Hope that helps!

      Reply
  7. 5 stars
    I was looking for something to serve as a side dish with a thai curry soup I made. This was so easy and delicious! It stole the show – everyone liked it more than the soup. I made it pretty much as written, no adjustments needed.
    My only complaint is all the comments that say “this looks good”. I look to the comments to tell me if something is good, and it gives no information if someone thinks it looks like it will be good. It’s really only helpful to comment if you made it and have something to share about it dear people!

    Reply
  8. 5 stars
    I used 1.5 pounds tip steak, doubled the dressing, but omitted the jalapeno, lemongrass and red chile flakes (none in my cupboard…). I also reduced the brown sugar to 1 teaspoon for the doubled recipe. All was amazing! Hope to find lemongrass for the next go!

    Reply
  9. Will try this. I get, Mint Beef “yum Nua”, at my favorite restaurant here. I’m sure I’ll like your recipe, it’s beautiful.

    Reply
  10. 5 stars
    I save a lot of recipes on Instagram, but not many get made lol. Well I’m so glad I saved and decided to make this one. The flavors are INSANE. Such a mix and they complement each other so well. I’ve never tasted anything like this before, but now I want more. The ground up rice is so weird but also awesome. I really loved this!

    Reply
  11. 5 stars
    This was an easy recipe to make ahead and it plated beautifully – very delicious. I did a group platter (like the picture) and let people serve themselves. Making the rice noodles was easy and a great add to the plate.
    I made it as written in the recipe and everyone loved it excluding the rice powder. After 3 tries with regular long grain rice I ended up getting crushed roasted peanuts and offering them on the side.
    Next time I’ll buy Thai rice and try making them again.

    Reply

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