Origins of Waterfall Beef Salad
A dish named after a Thai homemaker, during the mid-1800s, mistakenly mixed the ingredients used to make the salad dressing of the Spicy Thai Beef Salad in with meat fat dripping from the grill. The enhancement bestowed by the addition of the genuine fat to the taste of the dish led to the family calling the new creation a “Waterfall” Salad or ยำเนื้อน้ำตก, as it is spoken in Thai. The other narrative that has followed this dish over the centuries, is that Waterfall Beef Salad was given the name after the family reaction as they ate the salad, which resulted in tears falling from their eyes. Although the more than usual spice accompanied with an enhanced taste from the mixture of the meat juice elevated the tastefulness of this Thai Salad, simply kept the family members to go back for more of the salad despite having to wipe their Falling tears from their face.
First Certified Angus Beef Waterfall Salad
“Niagara Falls” Beef Salad would have been the name given had the event occurred on the other side of the planet. It didn’t, So, here we are, “Certified Angus Beef Water-Fall Salad” is the official name of this dish, here in Las Vegas, “history is being made once again,” says Alan Wong, General Manager of Kung Fu Plaza Restaurant, the most authentically genuine Thai Restaurant in Las Vegas, since 1974. The first Thai Beef Waterfall salad being married with Certified Angus Beef®, and offering it to the public-patrons-fans of the world-famous Kung Fu Thai & Chinese Restaurant!
Best Beef in the World
Certified Angus Beef® is known worldwide as the premier beef. The Best beef is the Prime Certified Angus Beef Label. This not-for-profit association was formed by American farmers, who came together during the mid-1970s, after being tired of biting into Angus beef that was tough-rough-hard to chew steaks. Back then most farmers simply raised black Angus cattle in order to label their meats “Angus” which does not guarantee a tender experience. Theses farmers decided that higher standards had to be formulated and adhere to in order to reduce the chances of biting into a tough steak, other than simply having a Black Angus herd. After years of collaborations between Scientist, academics, researchers, and several generations of Cattlemen, the Certified Angus Beef Brand® was officially formed in 1978. They quickly established ten quality standards to which cattle must adhere to in order to meet and labeled Certified Angus Beef®. Since establishing these standards, only three in ten Angus cattle meet Certified Angus Beef® high standards.
Origins of
Best Beef Benchmarks
Marbling and Maturity
1. Modest or higher marbling – for the taste that ensures customer satisfaction
2. Medium or fine marbling texture – the white "flecks of flavor" in the beef that ensure consistent flavor and juiciness in every bite
3. Only cattle harvested younger than 30 months of age qualify as “A” maturity – for superior color, texture and tenderness
Consistent Sizing
4. 10- to 16-square-inch ribeye area
5. 1,050-pound hot carcass weight or less
6. Less than 1-inch fat thickness
Quality Appearance and Tenderness
7. Superior muscling (restricts influence of dairy cattle)
8. Practically free of capillary ruptures (ensures the most visually appealing steak)
9. No dark cutters (ensures the most visually appealing steak)
10. No neck hump exceeding 2 inches (safeguards against cattle with more variability in tenderness)
Best of Both Worlds
Certified Angus Beef® meets Thai Waterfall Beef Salad, a marriage made in heaven to beef Lovers. Over the top? I think not. Here’s why. The marble texture of a Certified Angus Beef® meat makes the juices falling onto the pan taste more flavorful, its not just adding pure fat to the dressing mixture, it's adding the texture of the meat as it cooks over 500°F, to it as well, resulting in the juice enhancing the flavor and in turn the boldness of the “Yum” or spicy Thai salad dressing. Over the centuries as generations upon generations of Thai Chefs prepare this dish, the boldness and fearfulness of the dressing were missing one key ingredient. The most important of all, the BEEF.
Best Beef Salad in Las Vegas
Over the centuries, Thai Chefs-cooks-homemakers-servants-hobbyist has been cooking Waterfall beef salad with the only type of beef they knew or could have access to, and that’s usually a rough, tough hard piece of meat, usually a USDA select grade level beef. Today, at Kung Fu Restaurant, we proudly serve the Best Beef Salad in Las Vegas, if not the world, by marrying Certified Angus Beef® along with fresh chopped Thai Chili peppers, grounded roasted dry red chilies, grounded rice chips, along with Fresh squeezed Lime juice, Fish sauce, and sprinkled with Fresh Cilantro, Diced Green onions-Red Onions, adding fresh Lettuce wedges, and sliced cucumbers. Compared to our Thai Beef Salad, the Waterfall Beef Salad tastes like a Certified Angus Beef® Salad on Steroids! The juice from the marbled texture of this premium beef as it bonds with the meat as it grills over 500°F enhances the flavor to the chilis, spices, sauces, and greens, resulting in pure human sweat falling from the face of the Thai Food Fanatic. Enjoy!
