Bistek (Filipino Beef Steak)

Bistek is a staple Filipino dish where tender cuts of beef are simmered in a flavorful marinade of soy sauce and calamansi juice. Topped with thick slices of onion rings and with a side of rice, you will absolutely love the simplicity of this dish!

Watch the Bistek Recipe Video Below!

Hey everyone, it’s been a while since I got back to finally posting regularly on here. My schedule’s been incredibly busy these past few weeks and so I had to take some time off to prioritize and get everything sorted.

Thankfully, things are finally slowing down (for now!) and I’m back with another childhood classic, bistek tagalog:

Whenever my family would buy cuts of beef (which were usually on sale), my mom would almost always make bistek. It was easy, filling, and quick enough to put together for a hungry family of four.

I’d always ask her to put extra onions into it since they give the dish a natural sweetness and crunch. My one pet-peeve was how different her bistek would taste from time to time (sorry, mom), but honestly, I can’t blame her, since eyeballing ingredients is typical in most Filipino households.

I played around with the ratios a bit, and I even got my parents to give it a taste test to get their thoughts.

I’m happy to say it was approved, but then again, always adjust the sauce/marinade according to your taste preferences.

What is Bistek?

Bistek is a staple Filipino dish consisting of thinly sliced beef (or sometimes pork) that’s braised in a marinade of soy sauce, citrus (usually calamansi), ground black pepper, and garlic. It’s also topped with thick slices of caramelized onions to lend a bit of sweetness and crunch to the dish.

The name is a loanword coming from the Spanish “bistec” (like “beefsteak”). Originating from Spain, you’ll commonly see variations of this dish in areas of Latin America, such as bistec encebollado, example.

The version I make is slightly on the drier side (aka. less sauce), but you can definitely add a touch more soy sauce and calamansi juice to create more. You could totally add some water or maybe even unsalted beef stock to give it more sauce without making the dish overly salty as well.

There are different varieties of Bistek, which can be made with pork, fish, chicken, or even eggplants. While the components of the sauce and the cooking methods remain similar, the type of protein you ultimately use will give slightly different tastes to your Bistek each time.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Thinly-sliced beef: This recipe is incredibly forgiving with the type of beef you choose to cook with. Any cuts like sirloin, flank, or top round can work. Just make sure to slice the beef against the grain to ensure tenderness. If your beef is a bit on the tougher side and still slightly thick, you can use the back of your knife or a meat mallet to pound the beef thinner.

• Substitutes: This recipe also works with other variants of bistek which uses thin slices of pork belly or even chicken.

Onion: Feel free to use yellow, red, or white onions. I personally went with red since it makes the presentation pop a bit more, and due to its taste being sharper and more intense than the other varieties. Otherwise, use whatever onion is available or to your preference.

Soy sauce: Soy sauce will be the foundation for our Bistek marinade and sauce. Try to go for a Filipino brand, such as Datu Puti or Marca Piña.

Calamansi: One of my favorite Filipino ingredients, also known as the Philippine lime or Philippine lemon. It has similar flavors to a cross between a mandarin orange, lime, and lemon.

Fresh calamansi can sometimes be found in Asian or Filipino markets (they may also be frozen, so check the freezers as well). There are also bottles of calamansi juice (not the sweet ones meant for drinking!) that I haven’t personally tried, but may also work for this recipe.

• Substitutes: Whenever I don’t have calamansi, I try to emulate the taste by simply using either lime or lemon, and sometimes squeezing in a couple drops of orange juice. It surprisingly works very well, so I’ve been secretly doing it without anyone ever noticing (yet!). Another thing, I wouldn’t recommended using vinegar as a replacement as this would be more like creating an adobo dish rather than a bistek dish.

Black pepper, garlic: Simple spices and aromatics are used for bistek, nothing too fancy. This is pretty standard for most Filipino recipes.

• Substitutes: White paper in small amounts can be used as a substitute, though not excessively as it might change the flavor of the bistek entirely. Fresh garlic can be replaced with garlic powder, or omitted (some regions in the Philippines won’t add garlic at all).

Sugar: Sugar helps to balance out the savory and tangy flavors of the marinade. Feel free to adjust according to preference, but we won’t typically use too much of this for the recipe.

• Substitutes: Sugar can be omitted, if you’d like, as some traditional recipes won’t include this at all. Otherwise, honey or agave can work as a replacement.

Instructions

In a bowl, combine together the thinly-sliced beef, soy sauce, calamansi juice, minced garlic, sugar, and ground black pepper.

Gently massage the ingredients into the meat until evenly combined. Cover and let marinate for at least 30-60 minutes.

*(You can marinate the meat overnight, but no more than 12 hours, otherwise the meat will begin to break down from the acids and it can become overly salty).

Heat the 1 tbsp of oil in a pan over medium heat. Gently squeeze the beef to remove any excess marinade, and fry for 3-5 minutes until just cooked through (you may need to do this in batches to avoid overcrowding). Set aside.

In the same pan, add in the onion rings. Gently sauté for 5-10 minutes, or until they begin to soften and become translucent.

Pour in the rest of the remaining marinade, and continue to reduce/boil to your desired consistency to create the sauce.

Add back in the beef and toss to combine. Serve with a side of rice and veggies. Enjoy!

Cooking Tips

Pound your beef: If using tougher cuts of meat (such as shank), you can pound your beef using a mallet or rolling pin to break down the protein fibres and to get them as flat as needed.

The longer the simmer, the more tender the beef: Another technique to tenderize the meat is to let it simmer low and slow over a period of time. Like with most proteins, the longer you simmer the meat, the greater chance it gets to slowly break down the protein fibres in order to become tender. To do so, I’d recommend adding additional water so it has enough liquid to simmer properly.

Adjust the bistek to your preference: If you’d like the bistek more sour, feel free to add more calamansi. If you like it more salty, you can add more soy sauce. To make the bistek more soupy, add additional water, soy sauce, and calamansi to compensate. Some also like adding a cornstarch slurry into the sauce to help it thicken better.

FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)

How do I store leftovers?

You can store leftover bistek refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4-5 days.

To reheat, simply warm the leftovers in the microwave for about 1-2 minutes, or per stovetop, until fully heated-through.

If the bistek becomes too dry the next day, you can also adjust by adding more water, soy sauce, and/or calamansi juice as needed to keep the dish moist and flavorful.

How long should I marinade this?

Bistek should be marinated for at least 30-60 minutes, but, ideally, no longer than 12 hours as this can cause the meat to become overly salty from the marinade and become mushy in texture due to the calamansi juice.

Looking for more delicious weeknight meals? Here’s some recipes you might enjoy:

• Creamy Sesame Noodles
• Honey Walnut Shrimp
• Burger Steak with Mushroom Gravy
• Fish Sauce Wings