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© Copyright 1995-2023, Clay Irving <clay@panix.com>, Manhattan Beach, CA USA
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This recipe is very close to what I think Yam Nuea. Yam Nuea is the single dish that started me on an exploration of Thai cuisine. Before I tasted it, I never imagined the burst of flavors when one gets salty, sour, sweet, and hot at the same time.
 | The picture to the left is Yam Nuea at a the Sugar Hut restaurant in Pattaya, Thailand. It is very common to include cucumber in the salad. Thin slivers of onion, or slices of shallots go well with the blend of tastes. In each bite, you get the saltiness from the nam pla, the sourness from nam manao (lime juice), the heat from prik pon (Thai roasted chile, ground or powdered). Adding mint and lemon grass takes it over the top! I usually use fresh serrano chiles and prik pon to provide the heat. I start with the serrano, and to taste, bring the heat up to the desired taste with prik pon. I also blend in a little palm sugar when I make Yam Nuea to include a faint taste of sweetness to round out the flavors of the dish Sometimes I don't mix the cucumbers with the salad. Instead, I line the serving plate with lettuce leaves, then form a ring of sliced tomato and cucumbers around the edge of the plate, and spoon the salad in the middle of the tomato and cucumber ring. |
1 ½ pounds beef tenderloin, room temperature
¼ cup fresh lime juice
¼ cup fresh cilantro, chopped
1 leaf lettuce head
2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
2 tomatoes, thinly sliced
1 jalapeño pepper, minced
1 small red onion, thin sliced
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 small cucumber
2 tablespoon nam pla
fresh ground black pepper
2 tablespoons palm sugar
1 lime, thin wedges
Preheat oven to 500°F. Set beef in small baking dish and roast for 20 minutes until rare. Let cool for 30 minutes, then refridgerate until cold, approximately 2 hours. Slice against grain into ¼ inch by ¼ inch pieces.
In a large bowl, combine meat strips, cilantro, mint, jalapeño and toss. In a small bowl, combine garlic, nam pla, palm sugar, and lime juice. Mix well. Pour this dressing over the meat and toss to coat.
Cover a large platter with lettuce leaves. Arrange the tomatoes around the outside, overlapping the slices, as necessary. Arrange cucumber slices inside the tomatoes, then the onion slices inside those.
Remove the meat from the dressing and mound in the center of the platter. Pour any dressing that remains over the meat. Cover with a damp towel and refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour and up to 4 hours.
Before serving, sprinkle with black pepper, and garnish with lime wedges.