WARM FLANK STEAK SALAD WITH MINT AND CILANTRO
I’d been eating Thai food for a while before a friend of mine insisted that we order Nua Yang Nam Tok, or Waterfall Beef Salad as a starter. While I’d had American beef salads before – usually romaine lettuces topped with freshly grilled strip steak – I had never come across one in which nearly the entire “salad” was the beef. Having already familiarized myself with the typical (and sometimes boring) Thai staples of Pad Thai and Chicken Satay, this dish caught me by surprise with its intensely refreshing impact on the palate. Its been years now since I first experienced Thai beef salad, and there is seldom an occasion when I do not order this salty, sour, and fiery dish before a Thai feast.
I’ve sampled and cooked many versions of this salad in the past, and I can honestly say that Andy Ricker’s of Pok Pok restaurant in Portland, Oregon is one of the most authentic tasting I’ve ever come across. If you’re ever in the Portland area, do yourself a favor and stop by his restaurant for some of the most amazing Thai BBQ (and Fish Sauce Chicken Wings) you may ever enjoy in the United States.