FILIPINO BEEF STEAK

by

Bistek or Bistek Tagalog is a Filipino version of beef steak marinated in soy sauce and kalamansi juice. Try this savory and flavor-rich dish now.

INGREDIENTS

US CustomaryMetric

  • 1 pound Beef Sirloin – sliced thinly and pounded
  • ½ cup so sauce
  • ¼ cup kalamansi or lemon juice
  • 1 small onion – chopped finely
  • 2-3 tablespoon oil
  • 1 big onion – cut into rings
  • ½ cup water
  • 2 teaspoon cornstarch

INSTRUCTIONS 

  • Place the beef slices in a bowl or container with lid. Add soy sauce, kalamansi or lemon juice, and chopped onions. Mix well with your hands. Cover and let it marinate for at least an hour or overnight for better flavor absorption.
  • Squeeze the meat with your hands to remove excess marinade from the meat. Transfer meat into a plate. Set the marinade aside for later use.
  • Dissolve cornstarch in half cup of water. Set aside.
  • Heat oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion rings and cook according to preference. Just until slightly tender or totally caramelized. Remove from oil and set aside.
  •  On the same pan, add the beef and cook for 1-2 minutes on each side. Transfer cooked beef slices on a serving plate. Top with cooked onions.
  • Still on the same pan over low heat, pour the soy sauce marinade. Add the cornstarch mixture and bring to a simmer while stirring constantly. Cook until sauce becomes thicker.
  • Pour the sauce over the beef and onions. Serve.

NOTES

  1. Pound your meat. A sure way to have tender meat is to pound them before marinating and cooking.
  2. Chopped onions. For a flavor-rich sauce, add chopped onions to the marinade.
  3. Do not overcook. When using sirloin or even tenderloin, cook it quickly at high temperature. Overcook it and it will become chewy.
  4. Fresh Onions. You may also skip cooking the onion rings and serve the dish with fresh onions instead. The crunchiness and sweetness will add more texture and flavor to the dish.
  5.  If you need more sauce, add another ¼ cup of soy sauce and half cup water to the simmering marinade in step 6.
  6. Do not add the seeds from the calamansi or lemon to the marinade. They tend to give a bitter taste.

NUTRITION

CALORIES: 231KCALCARBOHYDRATES: 5GPROTEIN: 27GFAT: 10GSATURATED FAT: 1GCHOLESTEROL: 62MGSODIUM: 1688MGPOTASSIUM: 484MGFIBER: 0GSUGAR: 1GVITAMIN C: 7.2MGCALCIUM: 33MGIRON: 2.7MG