(Or perhaps seasonally so, given the time of year. Who knows nowadays, given the scourge of climate change?)

My Thai friends remind me that it’s less than a month to Songkran, their national holiday marked by water pouring rituals for purification (or raucous water fights, if you end up in the streets of Silom).

Songkran is also the hottest time of the year for Thailand. Maybe we are getting some of that heat too.

Which makes me long for some yum neua yang or spicy Thai steak salad. When it’s served chilled, it absolutely soothes the soul.

That is till the prik ki nu (bird’s eye chillies or as we know them, cili padi) in the dressing kicks in. Tiny chillies, big heat.

Perhaps it’s a case of fighting fire with fire. The spicy dressing does, in its own roundabout way, bring the temperatures down.

Either way, it’s a tasty dish to make this weekend. So what are you waiting for?

Make some, dig in and wonder if the ice bucket challenge might make a comeback this year...

Yum Neua Yang (Spicy Thai Steak Salad)

Though there are many ingredients in this recipe, the method itself is rather straightforward. Plenty of marination and mixing.

Choose your preferred cut of steak, be it sirloin or skirt steak. Don’t worry if it’s a tougher cut; the marinade will help tenderise the meat.

Given the simplicity of the dish, do make sure to use the freshest vegetables you can find for the salad. Many might consider the steak the highlight or the spicy dressing the key feature, but do not neglect the colourful vegetables.

We eat with our eyes first after all, and by selecting and preparing an assortment of sliced vegetables, we are presenting a rainbow of appetising textures for the senses.

Be patient when dry-frying the beef: don’t be in a hurry to flip the meat and risk leaving a good chunk stuck to the wok, especially when we aren’t using additional oil.

I find that this dry-frying method sears the meat better and helps retain its juices. On that note, do not forget to rest the steak before slicing, else you might lose all its precious meaty juices.

Of course, you can mix all the ingredients yourself and serve the salad to your guests, ready to eat.

But I find that one’s palate is teased deliciously when these colourful ingredients are carefully arranged and the dressing served on the side so your guests can partake in the fun of tossing their own salad.

Ingredients