Thai Beef Salad (Yum Nua)

By Lee Jackson ↣ Published on: August 13, 2021

Thai Beef Salad (Yum Nua) is where fragrance and colour meet in an explosion of Thai flavour. An intoxicating combination of fresh, crunchy vegetables and juicy steak in a spicy, aromatic dressing that is the essence of Thailand.

South East Asian cuisine and especially Thai recipes offer countless combinations of flavour, colour and texture. None more evident than in this amazing Thai Beef Salad Recipe - Yum Nua. There are endless combinations of meats, seafood and vegetables and many featuring eye-watering spicy dressings. My recipe features juicy beef combined with crunchy vegetables, aromatic herbs and drizzled with a sweet, sour and spicy dressing that is quite literally the essence of Thailand.

What is a Thai Salad? A simple breakdown...

There are many types Thai salads to enjoy. They can be broken down into four main categories.

Yam/Yum

Translated as ‘mix’ this is the simplest salad. It can made using many variations of proteins and vegetables. Countless recipes exist and commonly include onion or shallots, lime juice, sugar and chillies.

Tam

This style of salad generally refers to a salad that has in some way been pounded. The famous Papaya salad is one example. Chillies, onions, young papaya and other vegetables and herbs are lightly pounded in a large mortar to release their flavour. They are usually dressed in a similar way to Yum, with lime juice, fish sauce, sugar and chillies.

Lap/Laab

Often called Laab or Larb this salad originating in Laos is widely eaten in Thailand too. It can feature cooked or raw proteins combined with pounded rice (khao khua) and fresh herbs. The dressing is a combination of sweet, sour, salt and spice in the form of sugar, lime, fish sauce and chillies. Try my delicious Laotian Chicken Larb recipe!

Phla

Phla salads are similar to Yum with a couple of notable differences – proteins are often served rare or raw and thin slices of lemongrass and galangal are added for more fragrance. They also feature on occasion a curry paste, like a red Prik King paste.

Stuff you'll need

There’s a full recipe below, but here’s a quick checklist to ensure you have the right stuff.

• Beef steak - I like ribeye, but any steak will do. Just be sure to cook it medium and slice it thinly.
• Tomatoes - I like mine slightly crunchy, so get them just a little under ripe.
• Cucumber - Crunch and cooling to counterbalance the chilli spice.
• Shallots & Spring Onions - Double onion! Why not!?
• Red chillies - I combine mild and spicy. For heat I opt for authentic Thai chillies and use as many as I dare (I’ll usually use 4-5, but if I’m feeling timid, 1 is fine). If spice isn’t your thing, leave them out and just use a mild chilli or even just some red bell pepper.
• Dressing - Fish sauce, Palm sugar (or regular sugar) and lime juice - the holy trinity!
• Roasted peanuts - A bit of extra texture at the end. Buy raw peanuts and fry them in a little oil until browned, then drain and leave them to cool to crunchy perfection.

The combination of meaty steak with the ultra-fresh salad is quite something! Perfect on its own or with a little Jasmine rice on the side. It’s a quick and easy burst of flavour and freshness.

Pro Tips to make your life easier

Serving: I serve my salad right away, once it’s dressed the clock is ticking so make sure it doesn’t sit too long otherwise the veg will lose their crunch. If you want to serve it later, keep everything separate (including the meat) and mix together at the last minute. Personally, I like this salad when the meat is freshly cooked as it’s super juicy.

Meats: Yum Nua is the beef version of this salad, but you can also use seafood (scallops, squid, shrimp), pork and chicken too.

Vegetables: Change up some of the vegetables if you see fit. In fact, remove the meat completely and mix some of your favourite vegetables. I’ll often add radishes, celery, beansprouts, raw julienned carrot, mini corn and blanched green beans and broccoli.

Alternative dressing: If I want to up the spice game for my salad, I’ll use my delicious recipe for Nam Jim Jaew dipping sauce from my Crying Tiger Beef recipe as a dressing. It has quite a kick, but lots of amazing authentic Thai flavour to it too.

Noodles: You can add cooked (cold) noodles to this salad no problem. I sometimes add cooked wide or thin rice noodles or on occasion egg noodles.

Ready to get cooking?

Thai Beef Salad really is a quick and easy burst of authentic Thai flavour. A healthy, hearty salad that delivers on all fronts. It’s one of the tastiest salads I make and a perfect dish to serve any time of year, I especially love it in the balmy heat of summer. Are you ready to make Yum Nua part of your next delicious Thai dinner table?

Make a meal of it. More Thai recipes.

If you want to create a larger Thai feast, try a combination of dishes that work wonderfully together - just remember, lots of fluffy, fragrant Thai rice on the side.

• Thai-Style Grilled Chicken (Gai Yang)
• Thai Curry Noodle Soup with Salmon
• Chicken Larb (Larb Gai)
• Thai Satay Skewers
• Thai Omelette (Kai Jeow)
• Thai Peanut Dipping Sauce (Satay Sauce)
• Thai Red Curry Chicken
• Beef Massaman Curry
• Nam Khao (Crispy Rice Salad)
• Panang Chicken Curry
• Crying Tiger Beef with Nam Jim Jaew