AI-generated image
Bistek Tagalog
Soy and calamansi beef with onions
Bistek Tagalog: Filipino beef in soy and calamansi with soft onion rings
Bistek Tagalog is the Luzon home cook's answer to steak and onions: thin slices of beef soaked briefly in soy sauce and sour calamansi, seared hot, then bathed in their own glossy, salty-tart sauce with tumbles of soft onion rings. In Manila and the Tagalog provinces it turns up on weeknight tables with a mound of steamed white rice to catch every drop of sauce. The commonest mistake is crowding the pan, which stews the beef grey and tough instead of browning it, so sear in two batches. Calamansi is sold frozen in Asian shops; a mix of lime and lemon juice is a fair stand-in. Chef's tip: slice the beef across the grain while it is still very cold from the fridge, and it will be both thinner and more tender.
- Total time
- 30 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
- 1 ⅛ lb beef sirloinsliced across the grain about 5 mm thick
- 4 tbsp soy sauce
- 4 tbsp calamansi juiceabout 12 calamansi, or 2 tbsp lime and 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 4 cloves garlicfinely chopped
- 1 tsp ground black pepper
- 2 onionslarge, sliced into 5 mm rings and separated
- 3 tbsp vegetable oil
- ½ cup water
- 1 tsp sugar (optional)optional, to round off the sourness
To serve
- 1 ⅓ lb steamed white rice (optional)cooked
Shop this recipe on Amazon
Fresh ingredients (3)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Mix 4 tbsp soy sauce, 4 tbsp calamansi juice, 4 cloves garlic and 1 tsp ground black pepper in a bowl, add 1 ⅛ lb beef sirloin and turn it to coat. Cover and leave it in the fridge for 10 minutes while you slice the onions; longer than 30 minutes and the citrus starts to make the beef mealy.
10 minStep 2: Heat 1 tbsp of 1 tbsp vegetable oil in a wide frying pan over a medium-high heat. Fry 2 onions for 3–4 minutes, until the rings are soft and just catching brown at the edges but still hold their shape. Lift them out onto a plate.
4 minStep 3: Add another 1 tbsp of 1 tbsp vegetable oil and turn the heat up high. Lift half the beef out of the marinade, shaking off the excess, and lay it flat in the pan. Sear for about 1 minute a side, until browned outside; it does not need to be cooked through yet. Repeat with the rest of 1 tbsp vegetable oil and beef.
5 minStep 4: Pour the leftover marinade and ½ cup water into the pan, scraping up the browned bits. Stir in 1 tsp sugar if you like a softer edge, and let it bubble for 2 minutes until slightly reduced and glossy.
2 minStep 5: Return the beef to the pan and simmer for 2–3 minutes, until it is no longer pink inside and the sauce coats the slices. Taste: it should be salty and sour in balance; add a squeeze more calamansi or a splash of water to adjust.
3 minStep 6: Scatter the onion rings over the top and warm them for 30 seconds. Serve straight away over 1 ⅓ lb steamed white rice.
1 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 310 kcal
- Protein
- 31 g
- Carbs
- 9 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does bistek Tagalog take?
- About 30 minutes in total: 15 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 soy sauce?
- Tamari, same amount (gluten free).
- What can I use instead of garlic?
- ½ tsp garlic paste or ⅛ tsp garlic powder per clove.
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Tiyula itumBlack beef soup
Tiyula itum, 'black soup', is the pride of the Tausug people of Sulu in the far south of the Philippines, cooked for weddings, Eid celebrations and when guests come home. Beef (it is a halal, pork-free dish) is simmered with ginger, lemongrass and turmeric, then darkened with pamapa itum, a paste of grated coconut toasted until almost black and pounded with spices. The broth looks dramatic but tastes smoky, earthy and gently peppery, with heat from chillies. Serve it with plain rice. Chef's tip: toast the coconut slowly, stirring all the time, until it is very dark brown but not ashy; burnt-to-ash coconut tastes bitter and ruins the soup.
Pork souvlaki
This is a pork recipe. Walk through any Greek town after dark, from Athens to Thessaloniki, and the smell of souvlaki stands drifts down the street; cubes of pork shoulder grilled on thin skewers are the country's favourite cheap supper, eaten standing up or at a plastic-table taverna. At home you marinate the meat in lemon, olive oil, garlic and dried oregano, grill it hard and fast, and pile it on warm pitta with tzatziki, tomato and red onion. Chef's tip: cut the pork into even 2.5 cm cubes and leave a little fat on; lean loin dries out, shoulder stays juicy over high heat.
Greek
Pfälzer SaumagenStuffed pig's stomach
Saumagen is the pride of the Palatinate, served at wine-village festivals and family dinners from the Haardt hills to Ludwigshafen. A cleaned pig's stomach is stuffed with diced pork shoulder, pork sausage meat, potato and carrot seasoned with marjoram and nutmeg, poached slowly, then sliced thick and fried until crusty. The stomach works only as a casing and is ordered from a butcher; if you can't get one, bake the same filling in a covered terrine in a water bath. Serve with sauerkraut and mashed potato. Chef's tip: fill the stomach only three-quarters full, or it bursts as the potatoes swell.
German