What is Bistek (Beef Steak)?

Bistek is the Filipino beef steak dish. It's usually a lean cut of beef, marinated in Calamansi (a tropical citrus fruit) juice and soy sauce, pan fried and the marinade added at the end.

Bistec, spelled with a c rather than k, actually means Steak in Spanish. Nowadays, you can do this dish using Pork, Fish, particularly Bangus(Milkfish) or Pork Liver.

This steak dish is made with onions cut into rings. The sauce is a little oily and tangy. I substitute lemon juice since calamansi juice is not readily available here. I also use olive oil which is healthier instead of the regular cooking oil because the oil is actually going to be a part of the sauce.

The tangy taste depends on how long it has been marinating in the lemon/soy sauce mixture.



YOUR FILIPINO BEEF STEAK SHOPPING LIST:

    * Lean Beef
    * Whole Lemons or Lemon Juice
    * Olive Oil

IN THE PANTRY:

    * Soy Sauce
    * Onions
    * Ground Black Pepper

Filipino Beef Steak

INGREDIENTS

    * 2 pounds lean beef, cut 1/2" thick
    * 3 medium onions, cut into rings and separated
    * 1/2 cup lemon juice
    * 1/3 cup soy sauce
    * 1/4 cup water
    * 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
    * 1/4 cup olive oil or any cooking oil

HERE'S HOW YO COOK:

PREPARATION TIME : 1 hour

COOKING TIME : 30 minutes

1 Mix the lemon juice and soy sauce. Steep the beef in the mixture and let it marinate for 30 minutes inside the refrigerator.

2 When the beef is ready, wring out the excess liquid and set aside.

3 Heat up the oil in the pan and fry the onions for 2 minutes, it should be half-cooked and not translucent. Remove the onions, and set aside, leaving the oil in the pan.

4 Pan-fry the beef in batches, cooking it for about 2-3 minutes per side. Once they are all done, add in the marinade, water and ground pepper. Let it simmer for 3 minutes.

5 To serve, place the onions on top of the beef like garnish. Perfect with a plate of hot white rice.
(Learn more about COOKING RICE, THE FILIPINO WAY.)

COOK'S TIPS

    * For a more tangy and salty bistek, marinate the beef for up to 4 hours.
    * To easily cut the beef, place it in the freezer it for 2 hours until it is partly frozen. You will be surprised to find how much easier it is to cut.
    * For a more tender Bistek, try to slice the beef on a bias, or diagonally across the grain.
    * If the beef is a little tough, pound it with a mallet or with the back of the knife to make it tender. You must do this before you put the beef in the marinade.


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    * Pata or Ham Hocks

    * Pork Shoulder

    * Dried Banana Blossom(Bulaklak ng Saging)

    * Oregano Flakes

IN THE PANTRY:

    * Vinegar

    * Soy Sauce

    * Bayleaf (Laurel leaf)

    * Brown Sugar

    * Garlic

    * Onion

    * Pepper

    * Salt

    * Cooking Oil

INGREDIENTS

    * 4-5 pieces Ham Hocks or Pata, cut 2 inches thick

    * 1 pounds pork shoulder, cut into 2 inch cubes

    * 1/3 cup vinegar

    * 1/4 cup soy sauce

    * 4 cloves garlic, minced

    * 1/4 cup dried banana blossoms(Bulaklak ng Saging)

    * 2 pcs. bayleaf(Laurel leaf)

    * 1/2 teaspoon oregano flakes

    * 1/4 cup brown sugar

    * 5-6 cups of water

    * 3 tablespoons cooking oil

    * 1 medium onion, chopped

    * salt and peppe

PREPARATION TIME : 5 minutes

COOKING TIME : 1 hour 30 minutes

1. Mix the following together in a bowl : vinegar, soy sauce, bayleaf, oregano flakes and brown sugar. Set aside.

2. Sprinkle salt and pepper on the meat. Heat the oil and sear or brown the meat in batches. Separate the Pata from the pork shoulder. Set aside.

3. In the same pot, saute the garlic and onion, then add the mixture from Step 1 and bring to a boil. Do not stir.

4. Put in the seared Pata (without the pork shoulder.)

5. Add enough water to cover the meat, then simmer for half an hour.

6. Put in the seared pork shoulder. Add more water if necessary and simmer for another half hour or until the meats are tender.

7. Season with salt and pepper and finish off by adding the banana blossoms.

My Ratings:

This is kinda strange but if you try it simple the best! 89 is not bad.

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What is Laing ?

Taro Leaves cooked in Coconut Milk!

Laing is a dish indigenous to the Bicol province. Rich and creamy, it's made from dried taro or gabi leaves and coconut milk. 

In the Philippines, we would buy fresh gabi leaves, separate the leaves from the stalks and dry the leaves under the sun for a couple of hours before we can use them.

Drying takes out the uncomfortable palate texture or kati the taro leaves give when you eat them.

The most practical and convenient way to go about this is to buy the packaged dried taro leaves. Available in Asian markets, they're ready to use and just reconstituted with the coconut milk during cooking.
YOUR SHOPPING LIST:

    * Dried Taro Leaves
    * Pork loin or shoulders
    * Coconut Milk
    * Long Chili Peppers

IN THE PANTRY:

    * Garlic
    * Onion
    * Salt
    * Ginger
    * Sauteed Shrimp Paste(Bagoong Alamang)
    * Cooking Oil

WHAT ARE THE NEEDED INGREDIENTS?

    * 4 cups Dried Taro Leaves
    * 1/2 pound Pork loin or shoulders, boiled and cut in strips
    * 2 cans Coconut Milk
    * 1 piece Long Chili Peppers, cut in strips
    * 3 cloves of Garlic, minced
    * 1 medium Onion, chopped
    * 1 teaspoon Salt
    * 1 thumbsize Ginger, cut in strips
    * 2 tablespoons Sauteed Shrimp Paste(Bagoong Alamang)
    * 1 tablespoon Cooking Oil for sauteing

PREPARATION TIME : 10 minutes

COOKING TIME : 20 minutes

1 Saute the garlic, onion and ginger in cooking oil. Add the pork and cook for 2 minutes.

2 Add the rest of the ingredients and let it simmer for 15 - 20 minutes, stirring from time to time.

3 Cook until the taro leaves have fully absorbed the coconut milk and almost rendering fat.

4 Serve with rice.

COOK'S TIPS

    * For those who don't like eating a chunk of ginger can just shred it instead of cutting in strips.
    * When buying coconut milk for cooking a savory dish, look for one with 0(zero) sugar content on its Nutrition label. You would not like the hint of sweetness for savory dishes.
    * You can use peeled shrimps with this dish if you want. Add them during the last couple minutes of cooking so it doesn't get rubbery and tough.

MY RATINGS:
I for once visited Bicol Region in the Philippines! They introduced to me this food and I like it.  It was my first time to eat but I heard this menu several times. For this I give a 92 score.. Exotic yet yummy!

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