Crying Tiger (Suea Rong Hai)

Ingredients

• 700 g (1½ lb) flat iron steak
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp black pepper

Jaew dipping sauce

• 3 tbsp fish sauce
• 3 tbsp lime juice
• 1 tbsp palm or brown sugar
• 1 tbsp toasted sticky rice powder (or finely ground toasted rice)
• 1 tbsp dried chilli flakes
• 2 shallots, thinly sliced
• 2 tbsp chopped coriander and mint

To serve

• Sticky rice (or jasmine rice), cucumber slices and lettuce

Steps

1. Mix the soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar and pepper. Turn the steak in it and marinate for 1 hour at room temperature or up to 6 hours in the fridge.
2. Stir the fish sauce, lime juice and sugar until the sugar dissolves. Add the rice powder, chilli, shallots and herbs.
3. Heat a grill or heavy pan to medium-high. Lift the steak from the marinade and pat it dry so it chars instead of steams.
4. Grill the steak for 4 minutes per side until charred in patches and 54°C (130°F) inside.
5. Rest for 8 minutes on a board. The juices that run out are the "tears" that give the dish its name.
6. Slice thinly against the grain.
7. Serve with the dipping sauce, sticky rice, cucumber and lettuce.

Notes

• Rice powder: toast 1 tbsp raw rice in a dry pan for 4 minutes until golden, then grind.
• Heat level: use half the chilli for a gentler sauce.
• Other cuts: ribeye is traditional; skirt works with less cooking time.
• Make ahead: mix the jaew a day ahead, adding the herbs and shallots just before serving. The raw marinated steak freezes 3 months; thaw in the fridge.