Crying Tiger Beef
By Ava for MyDishRecipes
Crying Tiger Beef is a delicious Thai-inspired dish featuring marinated flank steak served over jasmine rice, garnished with fresh cilantro and cucumber.
Crying Tiger Beef is a delicious Thai-inspired dish featuring marinated flank steak served over jasmine rice, garnished with fresh cilantro and cucumber.
This meal offers a perfect balance of savory, sweet, and spicy flavors, making it ideal for any occasion.
The whole thing takes about 1 hour 30 minutes from start to finish, which is why it keeps showing up on our table on ordinary evenings.
Below you will find everything you need to make Crying Tiger Beef at home: the full ingredient list, the exact method we use, and the small details that make the difference. The complete recipe with adjustable servings lives on our blog, and it is free to read there for as long as you want it.
Why You Will Love It
- Offers a delightful combination of flavors and textures.
- Provides a good source of protein from the flank steak.
- Jasmine rice adds a fragrant and fluffy base.
- Fresh vegetables enhance the meal’s nutritional value.
- About 36 g of protein per serving.
What Makes It Work
The heart of this one is the flank steak. It sets the tone for everything else, so it is worth buying the best you can reasonably find and treating it properly.
Around it you have soy sauce and fish sauce. Nothing unusual, nothing that sends you to a specialty store. The combination does the work, not any single hard to find ingredient, and that is exactly why it stays on a weeknight menu instead of a weekend one.
The method matches the ingredient list. In a medium bowl, combine the soy sauce, fish sauce, brown sugar, lime juice, minced garlic, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Whisk until the sugar is fully dissolved. From there it is mostly a matter of staying out of the way and letting everything do what it does best.
Crying Tiger Beef Recipe
Serves: 4 servings | Prep: 1 hour | Cook: 30 minutes | Total: 1 hour 30 minutes | Calories: 500 per serving
Cooking for a different number of people? The recipe card on our blog scales every amount for you and prints on one clean page.
Ingredients
- 1 lb flank steak
- 2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp fish sauce
- 1 tbsp brown sugar
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes, adjust to taste
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
- fresh cilantro, for garnish
- 1 cucumber, thinly sliced, for serving
- 1 cup jasmine rice, for serving
- 1 tbsp sesame seeds, optional for garnish
What you need: Large Skillet, Grill, Whisk, Mixing Bowl.
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the soy sauce, fish sauce, brown sugar, lime juice, minced garlic, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Whisk until the sugar is fully dissolved.
- Place the flank steak in a resealable bag or shallow dish and pour the marinade over it. Coat well and seal or cover.
- Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours.
- Rinse the jasmine rice under cold water until the water runs clear.
- Cook the rice with 1 1/2 cups water until tender, then let it rest covered for 10 minutes.
- Fluff the rice with a fork and set aside.
- Heat a large skillet or grill pan over medium-high heat and add the vegetable oil.
- Remove the steak from the marinade, letting the excess drip off. Discard the marinade.
- Cook the steak for 4 to 5 minutes per side for medium-rare, or longer as desired.
- Transfer the steak to a cutting board and let it rest for 5 minutes.
- Slice the steak thinly against the grain.
- Serve the sliced steak over jasmine rice.
- Garnish with fresh cilantro and sesame seeds if desired.
- Serve with thinly sliced cucumber on the side.
- Enjoy immediately.
Tips for the Best Result
- Get the grates hot and clean before anything goes on. That is what gives you real grill marks.
- Let it rest a few minutes after it comes off the heat so the juices settle.
- Keep one cooler zone so you can move things off direct heat if they color too fast.
- Read the steps through once before you start. Knowing what is coming makes the whole thing calmer.
- Taste as you go and adjust the seasoning at the end rather than the beginning.
None of that is complicated, but together those habits are the difference between a good result and one you actually want to make again.
Make It Your Own
Treat the recipe above as a starting point rather than a set of rules. These are the swaps we come back to most often.
- Change the cut. Ground beef, chuck or sirloin all work, they just need different cooking times.
- Make it richer. A spoonful of tomato paste or a splash of broth deepens everything.
- Add warmth. Red pepper flakes or a little cayenne give it a gentle heat.
- Bulk it up. Beans, mushrooms or extra vegetables stretch it without changing the character.
Change one thing at a time rather than three. That way you find out what you actually like instead of guessing at the end.
Storing and Making Ahead
Leftovers keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days, and the flavor often deepens overnight. Reheat gently on the stove with a splash of broth. It also freezes well for up to three months.
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If you are cooking ahead on purpose, prep the components and keep them separate until you are ready. It takes a few minutes off a busy evening and everything holds its texture far better that way.
What to Serve Alongside
It carries a plate on its own, but a few simple things turn it into a proper meal.
- Mashed potatoes
- A crusty piece of bread
- Buttered noodles
- A sharp green salad
A Few Quick Questions
Can I make Crying Tiger Beef ahead of time?
Yes. Prep the components a day ahead and keep them covered in the refrigerator, then finish when you are ready to eat. It saves real time on a busy evening.
How should I store leftovers?
Leftovers keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days, and the flavor often deepens overnight.
Can I change the number of servings?
Yes. The recipe card on the blog scales every amount up or down for you, and everything here doubles without trouble. Use a larger pan so nothing crowds.
Can I use something other than flank steak?
You can. Use what you have and keep the quantity about the same. Timing may shift slightly, so go by how it looks rather than the clock.
Where do I find the full printable recipe?
It is on our blog, free and permanently available, with adjustable servings and a one click print option. You can open it here.
One Last Thing
If you make it, we hope it turns into one of those recipes you stop measuring after a while, the one you can put together on a Tuesday without thinking too hard about it. That is the best thing a recipe can become, not a special occasion dish but a reliable one.
All of our recipes stay free on the blog, so there is no rush and nothing behind a paywall.
This article was drafted with AI assistance and edited before publishing. The recipe itself was cooked and tested in our own kitchen.
Originally published at https://www.mydishrecipes.com/crying-tiger-beef/
