Thai Tacos

Tacos take an Asian turn with these Thai Tacos with Cilantro Lime Slaw. This is such an easy dinner, a flank steak is marinated, then cooked and served on tortillas with an easy slaw.

If you love Thai flavors, you also need to try this Thai Beef Salad or this Spicy Thai Chicken.

If you are looking to change up Taco Tuesday, these Thai Tacos are your answer!

They take less than 30 minutes to make, plus some time in the refrigerator to marinate. This is the easiest recipe for a busy night when you have time to throw the steak in a marinade earlier in the day.

They are light and tasty and a great change up from your typical tacos!

Ingredients

• Sugar: You’ll add a little bit of sugar to both the marinade and the slaw. It doesn’t make the dish sweet, just balances the flavors.
• Ginger: You’ll want to use fresh ginger if at all possible. In a pinch, you can use ginger powder, but the fresh ginger flavor is really what you are looking for here.
• Garlic: Again, fresh is best. For the garlic in the marinade, you just need to crush the garlic cloves. You can mince them, if desired, but I just like to crush them.
• Fish Sauce: The smell of fish sauce is very strong, but it brings in salty, umami flavor.
• Chili Garlic Sauce: The chili garlic sauce is a spicy condiment, not to be confused with sweet Thai chili sauce. I use the Huy Fong brand.
• Pepper: This is just for flavor.
• Flank Steak: Most flank steaks are between 1 1/2 to 2 pounds, and that is what you’ll need.
• Lime Juice: You’ll want to use fresh lime juice for the slaw. I also like to serve the tacos with lime wedges.
• Rice Wine Vinegar: If you don’t have rice wine vinegar, you can use another vinegar in its place. Apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar are best.
• Coleslaw Mix: This is just a mix of cabbage and carrots. You can also slice this yourself, if desired.
• Green Onions: I use both the whites and the greens.
• Cilantro: I like lots of cilantro, so I will sometimes add more.
• Tortillas: My family always prefers flour tortillas, and they really work well in this recipe. But feel free to swap in corn tortillas.

How to Make Thai Tacos

STEP 1: Mix the marinade ingredients together in a ziplock bag. I just add them all to the bad and smoosh them to mix it.

STEP 2: Add in the flank steak. Seal the bag, then rub it all around the steak. There isn’t a ton of marinade, but enough to coat the steak. Let this marinade for 2 hours, or up to 24 hours.

STEP 3: Whisk together the lime juice, vinegar, garlic, sugar, ginger, fish sauce, and chili garlic sauce in a large bowl.

STEP 4: Add in the coleslaw mix, along with the green onions and cilantro. Mix this all together, making sure it is coated with the dressing.

STEP 5: Heat a little bit of oil in a large cast iron pan. Remove the steak from the marinade, discarding any remaining marinade, and add the steak to the pan. Cook for about 5 minutes per side, or until your reach your desired doneness.

STEP 6: Let the steak rest for 5 minutes, the slice it against the grain. Then assemble the tacos by placing some of the steak on the tortilla, then topping with the slaw.

Tips and Tricks

The original recipe says to marinate the meat for 20 minutes, but I like to marinate it for 2 hours minimum. I actually usually prep it the night before, then let it marinate all night.

You can also grill the flank steak, if desired.

I like to cook my steak to medium rare, which is about 5 minutes per side, depending on how thick the steak is.

I like to char my tortillas on my gas stove first. You can also do this in a dry pan.

More Taco Recipes

Hawaiian Tacos
Buffalo Beef Taco Recipe
Fried Fish Tacos

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Thai Tacos

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Author: Deborah Harroun

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Marinating Time: 2 hours hours

Total Time: 2 hours hours 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Course: Main Dish

Cuisine: Asian

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Tacos take an Asian turn with these Thai Tacos with Cilantro Lime Slaw. This is such an easy dinner, a flank steak is marinated, then cooked and served on tortillas with an easy slaw.

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Ingredients

Steak:

• ▢ 1 tablespoon sugar
• ▢ 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
• ▢ 2 garlic cloves smashed
• ▢ 2 teaspoons fish sauce
• ▢ 2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce
• ▢ Freshly ground pepper
• ▢ 1 1/2 to 2 pounds flank steak

Slaw:

• ▢ 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
• ▢ 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic minced fine
• ▢ 1 tablespoon sugar
• ▢ 1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger
• ▢ 1 1/2 teaspoons fish sauce
• ▢ 1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
• ▢ 5 cups coleslaw mix
• ▢ 1/4 cup sliced green onions
• ▢ 1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Tacos:

• ▢ Oil for the pan
• ▢ 12 6-inch flour tortillas

Instructions

• Combine the sugar, ginger, garlic cloves, fish sauce, chili garlic sauce, and pepper in a large ziplock bag. Add the steak to the marinade. Seal the bag and refrigerate for 2-24 hours.
  1 tablespoon sugar, 1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger, 2 garlic cloves, 2 teaspoons fish sauce, 2 teaspoons chili garlic sauce, Freshly ground pepper, 1 1/2 to 2 pounds flank steak
• When ready to cook, remove the steak from the refrigerator and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the lime juice, vinegar, garlic, sugar, ginger, fish sauce, and chili garlic sauce.
  1/4 cup fresh lime juice, 2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar, 2 cloves garlic, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh ginger, 1 1/2 teaspoons fish sauce, 1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
• Add the coleslaw mix, green onions, and cilantro to the large bowl. Stir to mix the slaw. Taste, and add salt and pepper, if needed.
  5 cups coleslaw mix, 1/4 cup sliced green onions, 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• Preheat a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat. Add a thin layer of oil to the pan. Add the flank steak, discarding any remaining marinade. Cook the steak for 5 minutes per side, or until desired doneness.
  Oil
• Let the steak stand for 5 minutes before cutting diagonally agains the grain into thin slices.
• Divide the steak between the tortillas and top with some of the slaw. Serve immediately.
  12 6-inch flour tortillas

Recipe Notes:

Adapted from Cooking Light April 2007

You can use any high heat oil to cook the steak. I used avocado oil. The amount of oil will depend on your skillet.

Nutrition information provided as an estimate only. Various brands and products can change the counts. Any nutritional information should be used as a general guide. Nutrition information does not include toppings.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 2tacos, Calories: 449kcal (22%), Carbohydrates: 46g (15%), Protein: 34g (68%), Fat: 14g (22%), Saturated Fat: 6g (38%), Polyunsaturated Fat: 0g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Trans Fat: 0g, Cholesterol: 88mg (29%), Sodium: 659mg (29%), Potassium: 316mg (9%), Fiber: 7g (29%), Sugar: 6g (7%)

Keywords: taco recipe, thai tacos