Neua Naam Tok at TAC [Pic]

néua náam tòk*

The traditional manner of preparation for this dish is very similar to that of its close Northern Thai relation, lâap**, or "minced meat salad." For a traditional náam tòk, though, a single piece of meat is grilled over fire and thinly-sliced, before being incorporated into a "salad."

At TAC, where the preparation of this dish closely adheres to tradition, the sliced grilled beef is tossed with chunked tomato, slivered red onion, mint leaves, and cilantro, and then liberally doused with a dressing. The dressing for the salad is comprised of lime juice, sugar, pulverized roasted chile, and fish sauce. Immediately prior to table, these dressed ingredients are turned out to a bed of lettuce and sprinkled with ground roasted rice.

Glutinous, or "sticky," rice is the most suitable accompaniment for this Northern Thai dish, and the combination makes for a nice, light meal for the single diner.

A previous LTH query regarding this dish can be found, here.

Regards,
Erik M.


TAC Quick
3930 N. Sheridan Rd.
773.327.5253
Closed Tuesdays


* This is my transliteration of the Thai script and it is most frequently translated to English as, "waterfall beef." This grilled beef salad has its origins in Northern Thailand and is generally understood to be named for the process of grilling, and whereby moisture drips away from the piece of meat as it is cooked over an open flame.

** Lâap is made of minced meat, fish, or fowl -- which may either be cooked or raw. The resultant salads are referred to respectively as lâap sùk (with cooked meat, fish, or fowl), and lâap dìp (with raw meat, fish, or fowl).

The nam tok is Denise's favorite thing on the menu, she half jokes it will be the thing she misses most about Chicago when she moves to Jacksonville in July:)

It used to be my favorite until I discovered the pork neck...oh man I could eat pounds of that stuff. Erik, is there a recipe for that? I bet it's easy, it's probably in the glaze,

Nam tok is one of our favorite summertime meals, and that one looks spectacular. We had it at Spoon a couple of weeks ago, and there was a taste I couldn't place in there -- I guessed at the time it might be a fish sauce qualitiy thing -- better than what I have. Could be the mint, though, which I have never included.

The recipe I have doesn't marinate the meat, just grill, slice and serve. I'm fond of skirt steak for this, flash grilled then sliced thin. Just the right chewiness to offset the lettuce.

It's a cilantro-lovers' dream dish. If you don't like cilatro... try something else.

Oh, the mint is crucial imho. I think it really makes the dish come alive.

Octarine wrote:It used to be my favorite until I discovered the pork neck...oh man I could eat pounds of that stuff. Erik, is there a recipe for that? I bet it's easy, it's probably in the glaze,

I will see what I can do.

As I have mentioned before, I think that the quality of the pork that Andy uses for khaw mũu yâang is vastly superior to that of any other Thai restaurant in this town. However, I should tell you that is not the opinion of a number of Thais that I know, and who have generally found the pork neck meat at TAC to be too rich and supple.*

Coincidentally, pork neck meat most frequently appears in Chicagoland Thai restaurants as khaw mũu yâang náam tòk. I would suggest trying the versions at Spoon and Aroy Thai.**

Regards,
Erik M.

* I have come to the conclusion that these folks would simply prefer something more in line with what is customarily used in Thailand, i.e., a tougher and more textured cut. Thais tend to place a great premium on the texture of meat, and often prefer something that offers more chew and variety in its marbling. And, while it appears to be incidental to this case, I should also say that pork in Thailand is generally more flavourful than it is in the U.S., as the genetic stock remains more vigorous, and farming practices remain a much more hardscrabble affair. It is not simply for the lack of an ad council in Thailand that pork is considered more than just "[an]other white meat."

** I would also be curious to know how someone else might isolate the differences between the two versions. For me, one of the most noticeable differences lies in the fact that Spoon and Aroy Thai use different brands of náam plaa.

JoelF wrote:We had it at Spoon a couple of weeks ago, and there was a taste I couldn't place in there -- I guessed at the time it might be a fish sauce qualitiy thing -- better than what I have. Could be the mint, though, which I have never included.

I enjoy this dish with mint, but when I cannot find mint of suitable quality, I make the dish with a mixture of chopped shallot, chopped scallion, chopped cilantro, and chopped Chinese celery*.

JoelF wrote:The recipe I have doesn't marinate the meat, just grill, slice and serve.

The meat is not marinated prior to grilling at TAC, and I don't see any reason to do so at home. I will ocassionally rub the filet with freshly crushed black pepper prior to grilling, but that is about it.

JoelF wrote:It's a cilantro-lovers' dream dish. If you don't like cilatro... try something else.

In a restaurant setting, where some melange of other herbs (such as mint, scallion, shallot, red onion, Chinese celery, etc.,) is not always used, perhaps you are right. But, in the home environment, where one is generally free to combine from mint, scallion, shallot, red onion, Chinese celery, etc., I hardly think that you are right. If the home cook is averse to the use of cilantro for some reason, I think that they are free to make any number of substitutions.



Regards,
Erik M.

* phàk chii faràng in Thai. It is usu. available at Thai Grocery, on North Broadway.