Tiger's Tears Salad Recipe

Marinate steak

Pat the steak dry with paper towels. In a small bowl combine 2 tbs fish sauce, 1 tbs soy sauce, 1 tsp brown sugar, 1/2 tsp black pepper and 1 tbs neutral oil. Rub the mixture all over the steak and let it sit at room temperature for 20–30 minutes (or refrigerate up to 2 hours). Bring back to room temperature for 20 minutes before searing if refrigerated.

Prepare ingredients: stem 6 bird's eye chiles (leave seeds for maximum heat) and roughly chop. Peel 3 garlic cloves and 1 small shallot and roughly chop. Toast the 1 tbs of rice powder in a dry skillet over medium heat for 1–2 minutes until fragrant (if using store-bought, skip to next step).

Char or briefly sear (optional to deepen flavor): Heat a small nonstick skillet with 1 tsp neutral oil over medium-high. Add chiles and quickly sear until blistered and lightly blackened (about 30–60 seconds), remove and cool slightly. This step mellows raw sharpness but keeps heat; skip if you want pure raw chile brightness.

Make the dressing: In a mortar and pestle (preferred) or small food processor combine the chiles, garlic, shallot and 1 tbs toasted rice powder. Pound or pulse until coarsely broken but not paste—leave some texture. Transfer to a bowl and whisk in 4 tbs fresh lime juice, 2 tbs fish sauce, 2 tsp palm sugar, and 2 tbs water. Taste and adjust: add more fish sauce for saltiness, lime for acidity, or sugar to balance heat. The dressing should be aggressively tangy and spicy — the salad is called Tiger's Tears for a reason.

If dressing is extremely thick, thin with an additional teaspoon or two of water. Set aside at room temperature while you cook the steak so flavors meld.

Heat a heavy skillet or cast-iron pan over high heat until very hot (a drop of water should sizzle away). Pat the marinated steak dry again and brush off any excess marinade to prevent burning.

Add a thin film of neutral oil to the pan and sear the steak 2–3 minutes per side for medium-rare (thickness dependent). For a 1-inch flank steak, aim for about 3 minutes per side. Use tongs to sear the edges briefly if needed. Do not overcrowd pan.

Transfer the steak to a cutting board and tent with foil. Rest 8–10 minutes to allow juices to redistribute (this is important for a juicy result).

While steak rests, prepare vegetables: thinly slice 2 shallots into rings and place in a small bowl of cold water for 5 minutes to take edge off then drain. Halve cherry tomatoes. Thinly slice cucumber. Roughly chop cilantro, mint and basil (if using). Slice scallions on the diagonal into thin slices.

Toss base: In a large bowl combine 4 cups mixed salad greens, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, drained shallots, cilantro, mint, basil and scallions. Sprinkle 1/4 cup roasted sticky rice or crushed peanuts and 1/4 cup cracked toasted rice (if using) over the salad and gently toss to combine.

Slice steak: Against the grain, thinly slice the rested steak into bite-sized strips. Arrange slices on top of the tossed salad.

Dress salad: Drizzle the Tiger's Tears dressing evenly over the steak and salad — start with about half and add more to taste. Toss gently (or serve dressed with steak on top) so dressing coats greens and steak. The dressing should give a pronounced chili-lime-fish sauce punch.

Finish and serve: Scatter extra roasted rice powder or crushed peanuts for texture, adjust salt with up to 1/2 tsp sea salt if needed, and serve with lime wedges on the side. Serve immediately.