Thai Steak Salad with Mango (Yum Nua)
Make authentic Thai beef salad (Yum Nua) at home in 35 minutes! Juicy seared sirloin is sliced thin and tossed with sweet mango, crisp cucumber, cherry tomatoes, and a mountain of fresh mint, cilantro, and Thai basil. Tossed with a punchy lime and fish sauce dressing. It's a main-dish salad that eats like a full dinner. It’s gluten-free, dairy-free, and low-carb.
Servings 4
Calories 498kcal
Ingredients
For the Dressing
- 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
- 3 tablespoons fish sauce
- 1 tablespoon palm sugar or light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
- 2 Thai red chiles finely minced
- 1 clove garlic finely minced
For the Beef
- 1 ½ pounds sirloin steak
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil Canola, Avocado, or other vegetable cooking oils.
For the Salad
- 12 ounces salad greens I recommend romaine, green leaf, little gem, and spring mix, or a combination of all
- 1 large ripe mango peeled and cut into thin strips
- 2 cups cherry tomatoes (mix of yellow, orange, and red) halved
- ½ large English cucumber halved lengthwise and sliced (or 4 Persian cucumbers sliced)
- 1 large carrot peeled and julienned or shredded
- 1 medium shallot thinly sliced
- ½ cup fresh mint leaves
- ½ cup fresh cilantro leaves
- ½ cup fresh Thai basil leaves
- ½ cup roasted peanuts roughly chopped, plus more for garnish
Instructions
Prep the Dressing
- In a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice, fish sauce, palm sugar, oil, Thai chile, and garlic until the sugar dissolves. Taste and adjust to your preference. Set aside while you prepare the other ingredients and allow the flavors to meld.
Cook the Beef
- Pat the steak dry and season with salt and pepper all over.
- Heat a grill, grill pan, or cast iron skillet over high heat. Brush the grates or pan with oil as well as the steak.
- Cook the steak until it’s medium rare, about 2 minutes per side. Remove from heat, let rest for 10 minutes, then slice very thinly against the grain.
Build the Salad
- In a large bowl, combine the salad greens, mango, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, carrots, shallots, mint, cilantro, Thai basil, sliced steak, and peanuts.
- Add about ¾ of the dressing and toss gently.
- Arrange the salad on a serving platter and drizzle with a little more dressing. Sprinkle with more chopped peanuts and serve immediately.
Notes
- Steak substitutions: Flank, skirt, hanger, flat iron, ribeye, or New York strip all work well. Thinner cuts like flank and skirt need only 2–3 minutes per side.
- Pat the steak completely dry before it hits the pan. Surface moisture steams the meat instead of searing it, and you lose the browned crust that makes this salad taste like a restaurant version. Paper towels, both sides; don't rush it.
- Get the pan hotter than feels comfortable. I heat a cast iron skillet or grill pan over medium-high for a full 5 minutes before the steak goes in. A screaming-hot pan gives you a crust in 3-4 minutes per side without overcooking the middle.
- Rest the steak 10 minutes before slicing. Cut too soon, and all the juice runs onto the board instead of staying in the meat. Use those 10 minutes to slice your mango and cucumbers.
- Always slice steak thin and against the grain. Slicing the beef against the grain maximizes tenderness.
- Don’t combine all of the salad ingredients or dress the salad until right before serving. The dressing will cause the salad to wilt.
- Toasted/roasted peanuts are better: When you toast or roast peanuts, it adds a heartier, more earthy flavor to your salad, which helps contrast with the other flavors.
- Taste your dressing before using: Make sure you’re making your dressing to your preference before pouring it onto the salad ingredients! Some people like it sweeter, tangier, or saltier, so make sure to adjust it to your liking.
- If you are using rock sugar and it’s extremely hard, put it in a small Ziploc or paper bag, or between a kitchen cloth, and smash it with a mallet or rolling pin to break it up. Once it’s in chunks, you can lightly smash it on a cutting board until it becomes granular.
Storage Instructions
- Fridge: Store salad greens, components, dressing, and beef separately for best texture. The beef can be stored up to 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge, the dressing for up to 1 week, and the prepped veggies for 2-3 days. Once dressed, it’s best to eat it within a few hours.
- Freezer: I highly recommend eating this salad as soon as you make it. Do not freeze a prepared salad. If you need to store the dressing and cooked beef, feel free to freeze them for up to 2 months. You will need to prepare the remaining ingredients when you are ready to consume the salad.
Tools You’ll Need
- Knife
- Cutting board
- Measuring spoons
- Measuring cups
- Grill, grill pan, or cast iron skillet
- Mixing bowls, various sizes
Nutrition
Calories: 498kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 46g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 0.03g | Cholesterol: 104mg | Sodium: 1581mg | Potassium: 1367mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 14g | Vitamin A: 5496IU | Vitamin C: 68mg | Calcium: 136mg | Iron: 5mg