Thai · Bangkok
Yam Neua Yang — Grilled Beef Salad with Chilli & Lime / ยำเนื้อย่าง
Yam neua yang is the Bangkok restaurant version of grilled beef salad — more refined than the Isaan nam tok, with a dressing built on fresh lime juice, fish sauce, palm sugar, and roasted chilli paste (nam prik pao) rather than the dried chilli of Isaan tradition. The beef (typically sirloin or tenderloin in the restaurant version, skirt steak at street level) is grilled medium-rare, rested, sliced thin, and dressed warm with cucumber, shallot, mint, and a julienne of fresh chilli. The nam prik pao component adds smoky depth without making the dressing opaque. This is a dish where the quality of the beef and the quality of the lime both declare themselves immediately.
‹Swipe for the next dish›
Five not yet within reach.
How the 5 are reached
- Not yet within reach
- 5 · sirloin or skirt steak, palm sugar, nam prik pao (roasted chilli paste), fresh chillies, fresh mint
I
The Market List
The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.
600 g
sirloin or skirt steak
sirloin or tenderloin for restaurant version; skirt steak for street version
Not yet within reach of Sidney · each reach is counted
For the dressing
60 ml
fresh lime juice
squeezed to order
Your own market
60 ml
fish sauce
Your own market
20 g
palm sugar
shaved or grated
Origin · IndonesiaNot yet within reach of Sidney · each reach is counted
4 tsp
nam prik pao (roasted chilli paste)
1 tsp per portion
Not yet within reach of Sidney · each reach is counted
For the salad
1
cucumber
halved lengthwise, seeded, sliced on the bias
Your own market
4
shallots
peeled and sliced thin into rings
Your own market
2
fresh chillies
julienned fine
Not yet within reach of Sidney · each reach is counted
1 small bunch
fresh mint
leaves picked
Origin · New ZealandNot yet within reach of Sidney · each reach is counted
Within reach counts in town, delivered, shipped and the nearest city. A staple counts once it has a local seller. Charted from each shop's own pages; not yet vouched by a cook who shops here.
The larder of Sidney →II
The Method
1
Grill the steak over high heat to medium-rare, looking for clear char marks on the exterior and a centre that yields to light pressure as a finger pressed to the base of the thumb. Rest the meat uncovered for 5 minutes, then transfer to the freezer for 20 minutes — the near-frozen firmness allows clean, consistent slicing without tearing.
2
While the beef rests, build the dressing: combine lime juice, fish sauce, and palm sugar, stirring until the sugar dissolves fully, then add the nam prik pao and stir to incorporate. Taste carefully — the dressing must be assertive, salty, sour, and faintly smoky, sharp enough to season a thick slice of beef, not merely coat it, so adjust the balance now, before the beef goes in. This is where the dish lives or dies: a timid dressing produces a flat salad regardless of the quality of the beef.
From the canon — Fish sauce — nam pla — is the universal salt of the Thai kitchen. Fish Sauce (Nam Pla): Selection and Use →
3
Slice the chilled beef against the grain at 3–4 mm, cutting across the muscle fibres so each slice is tender rather than chewy. The slices should hold their shape without fraying at the edges; strips finer than 3 mm will disintegrate once dressed.
4
Immediately transfer the slices to a bowl while they are still warm from resting — cold beef will not absorb the lime and fish sauce base — and pour the dressing over. Add the shallot rings, chilli julienne, and mint, then toss once to coat.
5
Add the cucumber at the last moment and fold through gently so it stays cool and firm against the dressed beef, providing crunch and contrast. Plate immediately, as the acid in the lime juice will over-marinate the beef if the salad sits.
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — Dry-aged sirloin of known provenance; hand-pressed lime juice from unwaxed fruit at peak ripeness; artisan nam prik pao made in small batches with dried spur chillies and shrimp paste.
02
Estate — Grass-fed sirloin; freshly squeezed lime juice; a reliable imported nam prik pao such as Mae Pranom or Maesri.
03
Market — Skirt steak — the preferred street-level cut for its superior flavour relative to cost; standard supermarket lime; jarred nam prik pao.
04
House — Any well-rested grilled steak held to medium-rare; bottled lime juice is a compromise but acceptable if fresh is unavailable; a small amount of smoked paprika stirred into a plain chilli paste may approximate nam prik pao in extremis, though the result is approximate only.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Touch. Grilled steak yields to light finger pressure as the base of the thumb — firm exterior, giving centre — confirming medium-rare.
◇Taste. The dressing is salty, sour, faintly smoky, and sharp enough to season thick beef slices rather than merely wet them.
◇Sight. Slices cut at 3–4 mm hold their shape cleanly against the board without fraying — the near-frozen beef having allowed a consistent cut.
◇Touch. Cucumber retains a firm, cool snap against the dressed beef when folded in at the final moment.
◇Where it lives or dies. The dressing must be built and tasted to assertive seasoning before the beef goes in — a dressing that merely coats rather than flavours the beef cannot be corrected once the salad is assembled.
Pillar V
Cross-cuisine parallels are part of membership.
The dishes this one teaches you, across the cuisines — on every recipe.
Enter · from $49 a year
VI
What to Pour
The pairing
Sake
From California
Nothing from California holds against this yet.
Without alcohol
Coffee
Why each one works is part of membership — Enter · from $49 a year →
The whole pairingPillar VII
Origin and lineage are part of membership.
Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
Enter · from $49 a year
The working kitchen