Nam Tok — Waterfall Beef / น้ำตก

Isaan — a companion dish to larb in the Isaan repertoire; also associated with Northern Thai moo yang (grilled pork)

Nam tok (waterfall) is larb's grilled-beef cousin — where larb uses minced cooked meat, nam tok uses sliced grilled beef (typically a whole steak: ribeye, sirloin, or the Thai preference for skirt/flank) dressed with the same larb dressing components. The 'waterfall' name refers to the juices running off the grilling meat. The beef should be grilled over charcoal to medium-rare — the char from the grill and the pink interior are both essential. The warm, rested slices are dressed immediately with the lime-fish sauce-dried chilli dressing and khao khua. Shallot rings and the same herb assembly as larb complete the dish.

Nam tok's appeal is in the contrast between the charred, smoky exterior of the beef and the bright, acid-herb dressing — the heat of the meat briefly 'cooks' the dressing aromatics and creates a combined flavour that neither the raw dressing nor the plain grilled beef achieves alone.