Noodles and Rice

Bistek

by Stef on June 26th, 2007

Bistek, for “beef steak”, is a favorite Filipino dish. It is typically made using tender steak cuts, sliced thinly and marinated in soy sauce and kalamansi, then fried briefly as to maintain tenderness, and served with onions (and sometimes, potatoes) — also fried — along with its marinade, reduced to a syrupy salty sauce. There are several recipes available online, so instead of giving you another one, I’ll give you some pointers instead:

• Quick cooking means the best cuts would be steak cuts, such as tenderloin or sirloin or rib eye. Rib eye can easily be found at Asian markets, usually sold as meat for Korean bul gogi or Japanese shabu shabu.
• A quick marination is adequate for these tender cuts, 30 minutes or so, especially when sliced thin. However, if you are in a greater time crunch, you may omit the marination and, instead, pan-fry the meat very quickly, then braise on very low heat, so the meat doesn’t get overcooked, for 10 minutes or so. The meat will come out nicely flavored but still tender enough to enjoy with the crunchy onions.
• You can even totally omit the marination/braising. This isn’t traditional but some of you may enjoy the natural taste of the meat coming through. Grass fed, free-range beef is especially nice prepared this way.
• Or, if do have time, opt to use one of the tougher cuts of meat, such as roasts. Slice thin and marinate overnight. You can then braise itfter a brief pan-frying, until fork-tender.
• Another option using the less tender (aka cheaper) cuts of meat, is to slice thin, marinate, then coat in flour and cook as if doing a roast — brown for a bit in oil, then add your liquid and braise for an hour or until fork-tender.

That last option was totally unheard of, to me at least, when I was younger. However, my uncle’s wife prepares it this way all the time and I have to admit it has grown on me.

Meanwhile, the onions can be prepared any way you want. Some people like them crisp and barely cooked. Others prefer them soft. Some people like the sweeter onions for this, such as a Vidalia; others prefer the biting flavor of a red onion. I actually like ALL of these, hubby prefers them somewhere in between, and my kids like them melt-in-your-mouth tender. So I use a combination when I’m not in a hurry. Two onions, two ways, all piled up on top of tender, soy-and-citrusy beef.

It’s perfect as sandwich filling, and you can certainly add such things as roasted peppers and grilled tomatoes. However, as is traditional in Filipino cuisine, it’s best served with steaming hot Jasmine rice.

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POSTED IN: Beef, Lamb, Pork, Filipino