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I order from Thai Aree (which has been much-discussed) every week or two because I need to have the Nue Num Tok. I find myself craving the blend of hot/sour/texture that the spices provide. Even weirder, I feel a definite mood elevator after washing this down with a couple of beers. This isn't a beer mood elevator as I know the difference (after all, I drink professionally). I am beginning to wonder if they put something "extra" in the dish. I have never ordered this anywhere else, so I am wondering if the dish and the spicing is peculiar to Thai Aree or is this just standard preparation.

On another note, when I ordered from there a few days ago, the gentleman who took the order informed me that if I ordered the "dinner" version of the "rice" dish that I was ordering, then I would get twice as much and he would throw in the rice anyway. The cost was exactly the same. Then he threw in some extra hot sauce he thought that I might like and some gum, which I had never seen put in before. I only hope that I can be this gracious when I grow up.

I've usually written it as nuea nam tok, and it's a cinch to make.

1) Grill steak (I like skirt for this) to rare or medium rare
2) Toast 1/4 rice in a dry pan until they start turning golden. Grind finely in a spice or coffee grinder.
3) Make a dressing of 1/2 cup fish sauce to 1/4 cup lemon juice, with a minced shallot, minced greens of 3 scallions, 1/3C cilantro minced (include stems and roots, if available), 1 minced red chile or generous pinch of dried red pepper flakes.
4) Slice steak thinly across the grain, combine with dressing (including any drippings from the steak)
5) Serve with lettuce, cucumber and tomato, sprinkle with the ground rice (nicknamed dried fried clam chowder in our house from a Dr. Seuss book)

It's probably our favorite hot summer night dinner, and low carb, too.

Ronnie_suburban's great photos from the LTHForum 1,000-Recipe Potluck, June 22, 2008, appear here, including this shot of JoelF's nuea naam tok, as prepared by thaiobsessed. TO also commented on making this dish.

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LAZ
Dining Chicago
Index to LTHForum Recipes, 2004-2008

Made a recent batch of Neua Naam Tok--great recipe for an easy weeknight dinner. Plus, I can put veggies from my CSA and garden to good use.

Picture before sprinkling on some rice powder:

I'm making a salad inspired by this recipe for dinner this evening. I'm mostly sticking to the script, but I don't have tomatoes and lettuce, so I'll use just cucumbers and sub some white cabbage. I'm also marinating the steaks (cheapo sirloin) in green curry as we speak. Hope to put my newly purchased Red Boat fish sauce to good use this evening. Any other suggestions? Would it be completely out of line for me to throw some dried mint on it as I don't have any cilantro?

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"By the fig, the olive..." Surat Al-Teen, Mecca 95:1"

Of course. Recipes are suggestions, not contracts.

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"In pursuit of joys untasted"
from Giuseppe Verdi's La Traviata

Habibi - sounds delicious, but for me the dish is the cilantro. Most recipes call for grated roots, as well as stems and leaves. If you have fresh parsley, basil or mint it'll capture some of that ultra fresh essence... If you don't you've still got a great steal salad

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What is patriotism, but the love of good things we ate in our childhood?
-- Lin Yutang

In Thailand, you'll find this dish served with mint, not cilantro, but they play somewhat similar roles in the dish. If you have the ground, toasted rice, you'll be happiest with the outcome. As for tomatoes, lettuce, cucumbers, cabbage, just pick what you like. Like sticky rice, I think they largely serve for freshness and cooling to contrast some of the heat/funk in the dish.

One last tip: Thai shallots are smaller than our shallots, so keep that in mind if you're looking at a Thai recipe.

Thanks all for the suggestions. I didn't end up using the dried mint. Made a dressing of 2 to 1 fish sauce and lime juice with toasted, powdered dried chilis, fresh chilis and a few slivers of garlic. Tossed the broiled beef with the dressing and some slivered red onion and served over sliced Persian cucumbers and white cabbage, all sprinkled with deeply toasted, ground jasmine rice. The dish was a huge hit at a post-hurricane party last night (most of NYC is still shut down today). Next time, I'll add more chilis and some fresh herbs, prolly mint. What a great dish. Wouldn't have happened without LTH inspiration.

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"By the fig, the olive..." Surat Al-Teen, Mecca 95:1"