This simple marinade is the only steak marinade you need. Bold claim, I know, but once you try it you'll understand why (and hopefully agree!). Even though it is a classic Thai beef marinade for the grill, the flavour is not distinctly Asian. It's just really fantastic, umami flavours that would pair well with any meal, and any side dish, Thai or not.
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Classic Thai Marinade, Universally Delicious
When you see beef being grilled in Thailand, the marinade used is probably not all that different from one person to another. We have our tried-and-true combination of sauces that creates one of the most delicious steaks you'll ever have. There's a reason why it's a classic.
The main stars of this marinade are oyster sauce and soy sauce, with just a touch of sweetness added. This combo creates intensely umami flavours that compliment the beef perfectly - and the little bit of sugar is the secret to balancing the salt and giving you those smokey-flavoured grill marks. These sauces are Asian, but they have relatively neutral flavours, so the steak will not clash with say, mashed potatoes, or whatever sides you decide to serve it with.
This is also endlessly customizable, so that if you do want it to have a distinct flavour of any particular herbs or spices, you can totally add them to this base marinade. So use what's given as the base ratio, then get creative from there!
Ingredients and Notes
Here are all the ingredients and important notes about them, for amounts, see the full recipe card below.
Ingredients for Thai Steak Marinade
- Black or white peppercorns. While in Thailand we mostly use white pepper, when it comes to beef, black pepper it my preferred pairing. But if you want to use white pepper instead, that's fine too.
- Garlic. You won't find any Thai marinade without garlic! In a pinch, garlic powder will also do.
- Soy sauce. I use Thai soy sauce (Healthy Boy Brand) but you can use any kind of soy sauce you regularly use. You can also use any gluten free soy sauce instead.
- Oyster sauce. While it's not crucial to use premium oyster sauce for this recipe, it's worth reading my post about how to choose high quality oyster sauce when you're at an Asian market.
- Sugar. Just a touch of sweetness to balance the saltiness of soy sauce and oyster sauce. You will be surprised how much of a different it makes. It will also help with browning on the grill.
- Lime juice. A little acidity helps sharping the flavour of the marinade, and tenderize the exterior of the steak a little.
- Neutral oil. Adding oil to the marinade will help disperse the fat-soluble flavour molecules in the garlic and the pepper, and once on the grill, the oil coating the steaks will help prevent moisture loss.
Ingredients for Nam Jim Jeaw
A grilled steak in Thailand would not be complete without a dipping sauce. And the classic sauce we would serve with a grilled steak, or any other grilled meats, is nam jim jeaw. I have a more extensive post about nam jim jeaw with 3 different variations, but here are ingredients for the basic version.
- Tamarind paste. Tamarind gives acidity and a thick consistency to the sauce. You can buy ready-to-use tamarind paste sold in tubs or jars, often called "tamarind concentrate," or you can make your own tamarind paste from tamarind pulp which is sold in blocks. It's not hard to make your own and it tastes better! You can follow my DIY tamarind paste recipe here.
- Fish sauce. The most important salty seasoning in Thai cuisine. Learn more about this crucial ingredient in my guide to fish sauce.
- Lime juice.
- Palm sugar, or light brown or white sugar will also work here.
- Roasted chili flakes or some kind of spicy chili powder. The toasting adds smokiness, but in a pinch you can just add any kind of spicy chili flakes/powder you have. You can make your own roasted chili flakes from whole dried chilies, or toast store bought chili flakes in a dry skillet over medium high heat until it darkens slightly.
- Shallots or green onions.
- Mint and/or cilantro.
- Uncooked white rice. Just a small amount for making toasted rice powder. This adds thickness and a wonderful nutty aroma to the dip. It is an essential ingredient for nam jim jeaw so do not skip!
How to Make Thai Steak Marinade
Here's a bird's eye view of the steps, for the full instructions and the video tutorial, see the recipe card below!
- Pound garlic and peppercorns together into a fine paste. Alternatively grind the peppercorns with a grinder and mince or use a microplane to grate the garlic.
- Add all the liquid marinade ingredients and stir to mix well.
- Marinade your steaks of choice for at least 3 hours and up to 1 day.
- Bring the steaks out to room temp 1 hour before grilling and grill to your desired doneness.
The Marinade for Thai "Crying Tiger"
You might by now be reminded of a dish you've had in a Thai restaurant called "Crying Tiger," which is the English translated name of a dish that is essentially grilled steaks, sliced, and served with nam jim jaew dipping sauce. Sticky rice is usually served as a side.
On Thai restaurant menus, it can also be written as Tiger Cry, Weeping Tiger, or some variation on that theme. The Thai name is "seua rong hai;" seua means tiger, and rong hai means cry.
Originally seua rong hai used a specific cut of beef - the brisket. There are many stories explaining the origin of the name, but the one I like best is that the brisket is so chewy even the tiger cannot eat it ... so it cries!! But the chewiness is why the steak is always very thinly sliced.
Nowadays people make crying tiger using other cuts that don't involve any tears or jaw pain (and I don't recommend you use brisket for this), but the most important thing here is the marinade, and the dipping sauce if you want something very Thai.
FAQ About This Marinade Recipe
You can use an additional 1 tablespoon of soy sauce instead of the 1 ½ tablespoon of oyster sauce. You can also buy vegetarian oyster sauce which is usually labeled as "vegetarian stir fry sauce" and it should have a similar consistency to oyster sauce.
Yes! You can add another 1-2 teaspoons for a sweeter, more teriyaki-ish flavours. Or you can reduce it to 1 teaspoon if you prefer it less sweet, though I suggest not omitting it altogether because it helps with getting those nice grill marks.
Marinated steaks, especially one with sugar like this one, are better suited for the grill. If you pan-sear, the marinade will more easily burn with full contact with the hot oil. So without a grill, I recommend doing a quick sear on the pan just to get it nice and browned, then finishing it off on a rack in the oven.
Yep! This definitely works with pork, chicken, lamb, and any other meats you would grill.
Have leftover steaks? Try using them in these recipes!
Thai Marinated Grilled Steak (Crying Tiger)
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Ingredients
Marinated Steaks
- 1.5 lb steaks, see note
- ½ teaspoon black peppercorns
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 ½ tablespoon oyster sauce
- 2 teaspoon sugar
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 2 tablespoon neutral oil
- Sticky rice, for serving, see note
Nam Jim Jeaw Dipping Sauce
- 2 tablespoon tamarind paste
- 1 tablespoon fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 tablespoon palm sugar, very finely chopped
- 2 tablespoon minced shallots or chopped green onion
- ½ teaspoon roasted chili flakes, or to taste
- 1 tablespoon uncooked jasmine or sticky rice, (for toasted rice powder)
- 3 sprigs cilantro or mint, chopped
Notes
- Any cut of steaks you like for the grill will work. Keep in mind that for marinated steaks, you want to stick with something thin. I'm using flatiron in the video, but flank, skirt and hanger steaks are examples of great cuts for the grill.Â
- Sticky rice is a classic accompaniment to Thai steaks, but these would go with any sides, Thai or not.
FULL VIDEO TUTORIAL
All my recipes come with step-by-step video tutorials with extra tips not mentioned in the blog post, so make sure you watch the video to ensure success. If you enjoy them, consider subscribing to the YouTube Channel to not miss an episode. Thank you!
Subscribe to my YouTube ChannelInstructions
- To make the marinade, pound the black pepper in a mortar and pestle into a powder, then add the garlic and pound into a fine paste. Add all remaining marinade ingredients and stir to mix well.½ teaspoon black peppercorns, 2 cloves garlic, 2 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 ½ tablespoon oyster sauce, 2 teaspoon sugar, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 2 tablespoon neutral oil
- Place the steaks into a dish just big enough to hold them in one layer, or put them in a freezer bag. Add the marinade and move the steaks around to ensure they're thoroughly coated.1.5 lb steaks
- Marinate the steaks for a minimum of 3 hours and up to overnight. Bring the steaks out 1 hour before grilling so they will not be too cold and will cook more evenly.Note: Marinated steaks, especially ones with sugar like this, are better suited for the grill. Pan searing is fine but the marinade will more easily burn with direct contact to the hot oil. So without a grill, I would recommend doing a quick sear on the pan just to get it nice and browned, then finishing it off on a rack in the oven.
- Grill the steaks to your preferred doneness. I like grilling them on high heat with the lid open to ensure they have nice grill marks. See the video above for more grilling tips.
For the Nam Jim Jeaw dipping sauce
- In a small bowl, combine the tamarind, fish sauce, lime juice and palm sugar and stir until the sugar is mostly dissolved. Stir in the shallots and the chili flakes and set aside while you make the toasted rice powder; don't worry about any undissolved sugar chunks.2 tablespoon tamarind paste, 1 tablespoon fish sauce, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 1 tablespoon palm sugar, 2 tablespoon minced shallots or chopped green onion, ½ teaspoon roasted chili flakes
- Make the toasted rice powder: In a dry skillet, add the rice and toast it over medium high heat, stirring constantly, until the grains are deep brown (see video for the colour you're going for). Pour onto a plate to cool, then grind in a mortar and pestle or coffee grinder into a mostly-fine powder.1 tablespoon uncooked jasmine or sticky rice
- Close to serving time, stir the sauce; the sugar should now be completely dissolved, and if there are a few stubborn chunks, they can be easily smushed with the back of a spoon. Stir in the toasted rice powder and cilantro or mint.3 sprigs cilantro or mint
Natasha says
We really loved this one and it's going into both the Thai and the generic steak rotations. I think this might be my favorite steak marinade ever! The dipping sauce was wonderful, too. Thanks for another great recipe!
Ian Downham says
Did these tonight, flavour explosion. I also did a non chilli flake version and a heavy lime version of the Nam Jim Jaew. Totally recommended. I was surprised how tasty the beef was (marinade overnight).
Jens Laundrup says
Hi Pailin,
When I was in Thailand (working for 5 weeks), and I was served Jim Jeaw, there were visible chunks of garlic, chili, etc., and they did not use flakes. Is that a regional difference, or is that simply a different sauce? I did not go to many fancy restaurants (we were in northern Chiang Rai). We were working with the Royal Thai Air Force, and the places we ate at were sometimes more reminiscent of private homes than restaurants, but the food was terrific.
Brian says
We make this all the time and friends and neighbors love to be invited over for it. We use tri-tip and call it Thai Tip. I added finely chopped cilantro, lemongrass, ginger, Thai peppers and brown sugar to the marinade, but made just as listed here is awesome. I just like to play around with recipes. Do not skip the Nam Jim Jeaw Dipping Sauce! Pailin nailed it.
Lee says
I’m Thai and I make this steak all the time. My Thai friends love it too! Easy and delicious. Thank you!
Lewis says
That marinade is amazing!! Love the dipping sauce and especially the aromatic quality of the toasted rice. Absolutely delicious! Thank you for the recipe
Crystal says
can i toast glutinous rice flour instead of the sticky rice?
Pailin Chongchitnant says
No, rice flour is much too fine for what we want for the toasted rice powder.
Linda Chau says
Hi Pai,
Can the dipping sauce be made in advance? If so, how far in advance? Can it be made the night before serving?
Thank you!
Pailin Chongchitnant says
Yep, for sure, night before or even few days before, but do not add the toasted rice powder or any leafy herbs until serving. The rice will absorb the liquid and the herbs will wilt.
Cindy says
The marinade was fabulous on flank steak The dipping sauce was very tasty. I’m wondering if the dipping sauce freezes well? Anyone try that?
Mike says
Hi Pailin,
Love your show and recipes.
Most recipes have rice. I am diabetic which I need to monitor my carbs.
I understand rice is equivalent to the US potato which we eat with almost every meal. I love sticky rice and Ho fun noodles.
How do most Asian people stay thin while eating rice or noodles with every meal? (I hope you understand, I wasn’t being disrespectful)
Pailin Chongchitnant says
Hi Mike, my theory is that Asians tend to eat much smaller portions than Americans. We eat rice with every meal but they're half or even a third of what the standard American portion size is. Hope this helps!
Lumpy says
Made this multiple times and my family loves it. I love love love the dipping sauce. A perfect blend of spicy and sour.
Susan says
Help! I have just made a double quantity of the dipping sauce Nam Jim Jaeow but it is much too thick. Cant think where I went wrong but what should I do to thin it out??
Pailin Chongchitnant says
The best thing to do is to taste to see what it needs, perhaps some fish sauce or lime juice would do it. If it tastes fine then just water will do.
Karen says
I was going to say water too.lol
Helen says
I love watching your channel, Pailin. I don’t have a grill at home but want to try this recipe. So you mentioned we can pan fry for brief moments then put in the oven. Can you provide steps for that? How long should I pan fry both sides? Then how long in the oven at what temperature? Thanks so much!
VB says
Phenomenal. Absolutely love this recipe and will definitely make time and time again. A taste sensation!
Al Nelson says
What kind of Lime Leaf with the powder?
Al Nelson says
Ah, down the rabbit hole on that and now I'll be calling them makrut from now on. 🙂
Pat says
Hi!
I would like to replace beef with pork as we don’t eat beef at home. Any recommendation for the type of pork I should use? I’m planning to grill it in my oven 🙂
Thanks!
Pailin Chongchitnant says
Pork jowl is my favourite cut, but you can also do pork shoulder steaks which have a great flavour. Cook them to about medium-well doneness, slightly pink in the centre, for the best texture. Enjoy!
Eric says
Really good on tritip. The dipping sauce was also good as a dressing for some shredded cabbage. We’re looking forward to making this again.
Kathy says
OMG but this was fantastic! Made it exactly as written and wouldn't change a thing - thanks so much!
Tom says
Made this tonight. My wife was very pleased with it! I absolutely love your channel and recipes and never miss a new one. I watch the previous videos over and over. I am a very visual learner, so thank you so much for the incredible way you provide instruction!