When you think of a Thai beef salad, you might think of Thai flavors in with your typical lettuce, cucumber and tomatoes. However the traditional 'waterfall beef', neua nam tok, is simpler, more about the beef with delicious sweet, sour, and herby flavors.

plate of nam tok waterfall beef with half lime and herbs to one side.

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Traditional salads in Thailand and neighboring countries are a fantastic feast for the senses. So many have such wonderful flavors, balancing sourness, heat and sweet as in one of my favorites, Thai pomelo salad. Even ones that might look more like Western salads have a twist, like the dressing on Luang Prabang salad (Laos salad).

I often opted for one or more salads as part of lunch when traveling in Thailand and Laos. Especially in the heat of the day, the freshness, with that bit of spice, was just what you needed.

overhead view of nam tok waterfall beef salad.

Types of Thai salads

Thai salads broadly fall in to four main categories: yam, tam, phla and lap. Within each of these, you will find lots of variety, not just in the ingredients but also flavor profiles particularly between regions. Most include a sweet-sour-spicy dressing including fish sauce, lime and chili.

"Yam" means "mix" but the ingredients can be pretty much anything from meats to vegetables, or fruits to noodles. Along with the classic dressing ingredients, you'll find aromatics that typically include lemongrass, shallots and herbs like cilantro and mint.

"Tam" means "pounded" and not in the sense of making a paste but to bring out the flavors of the ingredients as you mix them. They typically use the same dressing as yam salads, though in Northern Thailand they generally don't include the sour part. The most famous example is Thai green papaya salad, som tam (and it's cousin Lao green papaya salad).

"Phla" was traditionally a ceviche-like salad using raw meat/fish, but these days is more often a lightly cooked protein than raw. They also often use the sweet-sour-spicy dressing.

"Lap", also written as laap, larp or larb, originates in the Isaan region of modern-day Northeast Thailand and Laos. They are essentially a chopped meat salad, seasoned with herbs, aromatics like lemongrass and with the addition of ground toasted rice, khao khua. Chicken larp and pork larb are two popular versions, and both so tasty.

bottle of fish sauce, lime, herbs, green onion, shallot and plates with marinated beef and rice.

What is nam tok?

"Nam tok" means "waterfall" referring to the juices dripping from the grilled meat that is the heart of this salad. It's generally considered a variation of larp, just using sliced, grilled meat instead of finely chopped meat.

The two main versions of this dish are made with beef (neua nam tok or nam tok neua) and pork (moo nam tok) - I particularly like the beef version, as shown here.

While the meat is the star, it's brought to life with the classic Isaan flavors of sweet, sour, spicy and herby. You'll find a few slight variations in how to make it - I've drawn on this Eating Thai food recipe and this Hot Thai Kitchen recipe, along with others, for this.

plates of chopped herbs, sliced shallots and green onions, sliced beef with mortar of ground rice.

Ingredients in nam tok

This salad has a few key components:

Grilled beef - the core of the salad, you should use a good cut of beef to ensure it's flavorful and tender. You only sear the beef so that you get plenty of juices mingling with the dressing.
Fresh herbs - cilantro and mint add
A sour and spicy dressing - fish sauce, fresh lime juice and some chili flakes give this salad lots of flavor. If you like, you can add a pinch of sugar as well to balance the tartness though I don't really find it needed.
Onion - both green onion and shallot add additional aromatics and texture.
Toasted rice powder - a common ingredient in many Northern Thai salads, this adds fantastic crunchy texture. You simply toast raw sticky rice then grind it to a coarse powder. It may seem like a bit of work, but is well worth it. If you can't find sticky rice, other rice also works.

You can make this salad with just a simple seared beef but you can also, if you have time, marinate the beef ahead of time to give it a little extra boost of flavor. The marinade can vary but is generally soy-based with some pepper. Though as I say, you can also cook without marinating.

bowl showing herbs, ground rice, shallots and beef largely hidden at bottom.

Tips for making this Thai beef salad

Since the steak doesn't take long to cook, it's best to get everything else ready first. Chop up your herbs, finely slice the shallots and scallions and toast and grind your rice.

Then once the steak is ready, slice it up, place in a bowl with the herbs, onions and ground rice then add in the dressing ingredients. Toss gently to mix but not break up the herbs or meat, then serve.

This dish is often served alongside some warm sticky rice in Thailand, though I have to say, I really like it with lighter cold salads like papaya salad for a less heavy meal. It's particularly good as a lunch this way. Do serve as you prefer, though of course.

side view of a plate of nam tok waterfall beef salad.

Neau nam tok, Thai waterfall beef, has lots of punchy flavor as well as a lovely freshness from the lime and herbs. It's easy and relatively quick to make and well worth enjoying soon.

Try these other flavorful salads:

Vietnamese chicken salad - crunchy, herby and with a delicious limey dressing.
Nam khao, Lao crispy rice salad - another less typical salad, made with broken up fried rice balls and herbs. It's an incredibly tasty combination.
Gado gado - a classic Indonesian salad with lots of vegetables and peanut dressing.
Plus get more ideas on the lunch recipes archives.

plate of nam tok waterfall beef salad with herbs to front of plate.

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