Thai Beef Salad with Herbs Recipe
Thai beef salad with herbs is a light yet very bold dish that in Thailand is often eaten on hot days instead of a heavy lunch. Juicy slices of beef are combined with plenty of fresh herbs, lime and chili. It’s a bit like a cross between a salad and a grilled steak – perfect for summer gatherings at the table.
Yam nua is a Thai grilled beef salad popular in street stalls and at night markets. It’s usually eaten as a light “with rice” dish or as a snack to share at the table.
This salad combines the Thai balance of heat, tang, and saltiness with European, easy‑to‑find vegetables. Thanks to the pairing of slightly warm beef with cold leaves and herbs, the dish is both light and filling at the same time. It’s a great way to turn a single steak or leftover grilled meat into a fresh, summery meal.
Why this version works
- Steak cooked whole and then thinly sliced stays juicy and mixes easily with the vegetables.
- Making the dressing separately lets you adjust the heat and acidity to your taste before pouring it over the salad.
- Large herb leaves give aromatic, fresh bites instead of disappearing like finely chopped parsley.
- Tossing right before serving keeps the lettuce crisp and prevents the dressing from getting watery.
Chef's tips
The easiest way to ruin this salad is by slicing the meat too thick – then it’s hard to pick up together with the vegetables and the dressing can’t soak in properly. Look at the salad leaves after dressing: they should be evenly glossy but still springy, not limp. If you’re worried about the intensity of fish sauce, replace part of it with soy sauce and only add more fish sauce after tasting.
How to serve
Serve the salad on a large platter with a bowl of jasmine rice on the side – you can eat it on its own or pile it over rice like a warm topping. It pairs well with chilled dry white wine or water with lime and mint leaves. When grilling, cook more beef at once and toss the salad in batches as new guests sit down at the table.
Watch out for
- Don’t cook the beef in an underheated pan – it will release its juices and turn gray instead of nicely browned.
- Don’t slice the meat immediately after cooking; without resting it will release its juices and the salad will become watery.
- Don’t dress the salad leaves in advance, or they’ll wilt and lose their crunch.
- Don’t chop the herbs too finely, or they’ll darken quickly and lose their fresh look.
Substitutions
- You can swap tenderloin for rib‑eye or sirloin, cooking them a little longer to reach similar tenderness.
- You can replace part of the fish sauce with light soy sauce, but keep at least 1 tablespoon for the Thai aroma.
- Swap peanuts for toasted cashews if you prefer a milder, buttery flavor.
Ingredients
- beef tenderloin or ribeye - 350 g
- romaine lettuce or mixed salad leaves - 100 g
- cucumber - 1 piece
- cherry tomatoes - 10 piece
- onion czerwona - 0.5 piece
- fresh coriander - 4 tablespoons
- fresh mint - 3 tablespoons
- lime juice - 3 tablespoons
- fish sauce rybny - 2 tablespoons
- brown sugar trzcinowy - 1 teaspoon
- red chili pepper - 1 piece
- oil roślinny - 1 tablespoon
- salt
- black pepper czarny mielony
- unsalted peanuts - 2 tablespoons
Preparation
- Take the beef out of the fridge about 15 minutes before frying so it can come to room temperature. Pat dry with paper towels, season with salt and pepper on both sides.
- Heat a large frying pan or grill pan over fairly high heat. Add the oil and spread it over the surface.
- Place the meat on the very hot pan. Fry for 3–4 minutes on one side until a brown crust forms, then turn and fry for another 3–4 minutes. For medium doneness, the center should still be slightly pink when cut.
- Transfer the cooked beef to a plate and let it rest for 5–7 minutes. This allows the juices to redistribute so the meat stays more succulent.
- Meanwhile, prepare the dressing: in a small bowl mix the lime juice, fish sauce, brown sugar and chopped chili. Stir until the sugar dissolves.
- Arrange the lettuce leaves on a large platter. Add the cucumber, cherry tomatoes and thin slices of onion.
- Slice the beef thinly with a sharp knife, cutting across the grain. The slices should be thin so they can absorb the dressing well.
- Arrange the beef slices over the vegetables. Sprinkle with chopped coriander, mint and peanuts.
- Drizzle the salad with the lime–fish sauce dressing. Gently toss with your hands or tongs so the meat and vegetables are coated in the dressing, but don’t crush the ingredients.
- Serve immediately while the meat is still slightly warm and the vegetables are crisp.
Storage
No storage information available for this dish.
I like this salad best when the beef is from the grill and everyone tosses their own portion at the table – someone always goes overboard with the chili and then starts stealing cucumber from everybody else.
