Filipino Bistek
Bistek Tagalog - thin beef steaks in soy and calamansi, smothered in soft onion rings. Four ingredients doing all the work, and one of the quickest Filipino dinners there is.
- Time
- 40 mins + marinating
- Serves
- 4
- Steps
- 7
- Ingredients
- 8
Method
- 01
Marinate the beef in the soy sauce, calamansi juice, garlic and pepper for at least 1 hour.
- 02
Fry the onion rings in oil for 3 minutes until just softened but still holding their shape, then lift them out.
- 03
Drain the beef, keeping the marinade, and sear it in the hot pan in a single layer for 1 minute a side.
- 04
Do it in batches. Beef piled into a pan stews in its own liquid and goes grey.
- 05
Return all the beef with the marinade and the water. Simmer 15 minutes until tender and the sauce has reduced.
- 06
Put the onions back on top and cook 2 minutes to warm through.
- 07
Serve with plenty of rice to soak up the sauce.
Cooking Tips
- Sear the beef in batches. Piled into a pan it stews in its own liquid and goes grey.
- Fry the onion rings first and add them back at the end, so they stay soft but keep their shape.
Ingredient Substitutions
- Lemon juice replaces calamansi at roughly the same quantity.
- Sirloin is standard; thinly sliced chuck works with a longer simmer.
What to Serve With It
- Serve with plenty of rice to soak up the soy and citrus sauce.
Storage and Reheating
- Keeps 3 days and the flavour deepens. Reheat gently so the beef does not toughen.
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