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Bifana
Bifana: Lisbon garlic and wine marinated pork steak in a soft roll
Lisbon's standing-room snack bars, from the Baixa to the stalls outside football grounds, sell bifanas all day: thin pork steaks simmered in a garlicky, bay-scented sauce and pushed into a soft papo-seco roll with a smear of mustard. It's a pork sandwich, and the pork is traditionally marinated in white wine; for an alcohol-free version use chicken stock with a tablespoon of white wine vinegar. It makes a quick lunch or a late snack. Chef's tip: dip the cut side of the roll into the pan juices before filling it; that's how the bars make them so juicy.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the marinade
To cook and serve
Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Mix 5 cloves garlic, ¾ cup dry white wine, 1 tsp sweet paprika, 2 bay leaves, 1 tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper in a dish. Add 1 ⅛ lb thin boneless pork loin steaks, turn to coat, cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, ideally 4 hours. Wash hands and board after handling raw pork.
30 minStep 2: Heat 2 tbsp lard or olive oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Lift the steaks out of the marinade (keep it), and fry them for 1–2 minutes per side until lightly browned.
4 minStep 3: Pour in the marinade, lower the heat and simmer for 6–8 minutes, turning the steaks, until the sauce reduces and the pork reaches 160°F (160 °F) with no pink juices. A common mistake is frying the thin steaks hard and dry; the gentle simmer at the end keeps them tender.
8 minStep 4: Split 4 soft white bread rolls (papo-seco) and dip the cut sides into the pan juices. Fill each with a steak, spoon over a little more sauce and add 4 tsp yellow mustard or 1 tsp piri-piri sauce if you like. Eat hot.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 430 kcal
- Protein
- 34 g
- Carbs
- 38 g
- Fat
- 15 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bifana take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 10 minutes to prepare and 15 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
- What can I use instead of dry white wine?
- Stock with 1 tsp white wine vinegar per 120ml (½ cup).
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