Filipino Beef Steak or Bistek

JMigs;0)'s Note:

I am posting this here so I don't lose it! This is the first time I got this right - at least the way my MIL and her family makes it. (Note the measurements are still altered by taste: too sour, more soysauce; too salty, more calamansi juice). If you don't have calamansi (a native small lemon that's sweet and sour at the same time), you can try using meyer lemons. Typically my inlaws use london broil, but you can use any cut. One of the methods used to tenderize the tough cut (yet cheap) cut of meat is to pound it. Another hint on handling the meat: Before you slice it, stick it in the freezer for 15-20 minutes so that it is easier to slice thinly.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 5 mins
• Prep Time: 45 mins
• Cook Time: 20 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 453.59 g beef round steak or 453.59 g beef sirloin or 453.59 g beef tenderloin, sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 118.32 ml kalamansi juice (native lemon)
• 118.29 ml dark soy sauce (regular kikkoman's)
• freshly-ground pepper
• 9.85 ml garlic, minced
• 2 large onions, cut into rings
• 29.58 ml cooking oil
• water

Directions:

1. In a nonreactive bowl (non-metal), mix kalamansi juice, soy sauce, and garlic. Taste it, if it's too sour, add soy sauce; if it's too salty, add more juice. Balance out the flavors. Remember you can also adjust near the end of cooking the beef.
2. Cut up the beef into about 1/4" strips. Pound it with a meat tenderizer (optional).
3. Season the meat with gound pepper. Add meat to soy sauce mixture and stir to let it soak up the marinade evenly. Let sit in the marinade for at least 30 minutes.
4. Heat a (non-reactive) skillet. Add one tablespoon of oil. Stir fry the onion rings until translucent and a tiny bit brown on the edges but still with a bit of a crunch. Remove from skillet and set aside.
5. In the same pan, heat one tablespoon of oil. Pan-fry the beef working in batches, remove after browning on both sides. When all the beef has been browned, pour the marinade into the skillet and bring to a slow boil and simmer for a few minutes or until cooked through. Adjust the sauce with more soy sauce or juice, or some water, to suit your taste. After adding soy sauce always let it cook a little.
6. Slide the beef slices onto a serving plate, arrange the onion rings on top. Make sure to pour all the rest of the cooking liquid on top (this is great on rice).
7. The leftovers freeze well.

Reviews

[cristeph]

Wow, even my picky daughter loved this! The proportions came out perfect and I will be using only this recipe when making the Filipino Beef Steak. Although the recipe was excellent just the way it was, I did add about a teaspoon of sugar to the sauce which gave it that extra flavor. Thanks so much for sharing this!

[Two of a Kind]

This recipe was a huge hit for a large Filipino gathering. I used lemons since I couldn't find Kalamasi in my area. I also marinated the beef overnight to have one less thing to do on party day. We'll definitely make this recipe again.