If you’re looking for a tasty marinade for your sirloin steak, look no further than this Filipino-inspired dish: Bistek Tagalog Marinade, also known as Filipino beefsteak.
What Is Bistek Tagalog?
It’s essentially made up of sliced sirloin steak marinated in a blend of soy sauce and calamansi, and served with onions, garlic, and rice.
While it’s a traditional recipe from Southern Luzon, many sources suggest that it was inspired by the Spanish dish called “Bistec Encebollado,” and I can see why.
Both versions share the main ingredient — steak — and have a similar tangy and savory flavor profile. The biggest difference lies in the ingredients, as each features components native to its country.
Bistek Tagalog Marinade Ingredients
So, here’s everything you need to make this Filipino-style marinade:
- Calamansi: If you can’t find fresh calamansi at your local market, look for bottled calamansi juice at any Asian grocery store — it’s usually stocked there.
- Soy sauce: To keep it authentic, go for Filipino soy sauce, also known as Toyo. It’s thinner and saltier than the regular variety, giving the dish a distinct flavor.
- Baking Soda: It helps alkalize the marinade, breaking down the sirloin’s protein bonds for a more tender bite.
- Cornstarch: Think of it as a protective shield that locks in moisture and prevents the steak from drying out, even when exposed to high heat.
Bistek Tagalog Marinating Tips
It took several attempts on my end to get the taste just right. But during my trial and error phase, I learned a couple of tricks to get my Bistek Tagalog just the way I like it (and hopefully, you will, too!).
- Start with a one-to-one ratio of calamansi and soy sauce. Don’t worry about it getting too sour — calamansi is actually much milder than other citrus fruits.
- Because Bistek Tagalog is always served well-done, I like to velvet my steak using baking soda and cornstarch. The result is always supple and tender.
Complete the Dish With These Ingredients
Besides the marinade ingredients, here’s everything else you’ll need to pull this dish together:
- Onion: This recipe calls for white or yellow onions, sliced into thin rings to add both aroma and texture.
- Garlic: Fresh garlic is best here, but if you’re in a pinch, garlic powder works as a quick substitute.
- Water: If the dish turns out a bit too salty for your taste, just add a splash of water to mellow it out.
- Seasonings: All you need is salt and pepper to bring out the flavors!
Bistek Tagalog
Recreate the traditional Filipino dish, Bistek Tagalog, by marinating your sirloin in a blend of soy sauce and calamansi. The result is an irrisistably tender beef that’s both savory and tangy.
Ingredients
For the marinade:
- ¼ cup of soy sauce (Silver Swan or Datu Puti brands)
- ¼ cup of calamansi juice (fresh or bottled)
- 1½ teaspoons of baking soda
- 1 tablespoon of cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons of canola oil
For the bistek:
- 1½ pounds of beef sirloin
- ⅓ to ½ cup of water
- ¼ cup of calamansi juice
- 3 to 4 tablespoons of soy sauce
- ¾ tablespoon of grated fresh garlic
- 3 to 4 tablespoons of canola oil
- 2 small white or yellow onions (sliced into rings)
- Salt and black pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Prepare your sirloin: Clean your beef and remove the silverskin (the thin membrane). Slice it against the grain into thin strips, then pound each one with a meat tenderizer until ¼-inch thick.
- Marinate your beef: Combine your marinade ingredients in a bowl. Then, add your sliced sirloin. Make sure every bit is coated before leaving it to soak up the juices for 45 minutes in the fridge.
- Dry the beef: Once the 45 minutes is up, gently rinse off the marinade before patting your sirloin dry with paper towels.
- Prepare the sauce: Next, make the bistek sauce by adding water, calamansi juice, soy sauce, grated garlic, and seasonings in a separate bowl. Stir together until well combined and set aside.
- Sear beef: Heat about 3 to 4 tablespoons of oil in a pan over high heat. Once it’s hot, add you marinated beef and sear until both sides are brown and a slight crust forms (around 1 to 2 minutes per side). At that point, take your sirloin out of the pan and set aside.
- Cook the sauce: Using the same pan, add your pre-made sauce and bring it to a boil. Then, reduce your heat to low to maintain a steady simmer.
- Add garlic: After about 3 to 4 minutes, add your garlic and beef to the pan and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes, until fragrant.
- Cook onions: Next, toss in your onion rings. Cover the pan, and let everything cook for another 1 to 2 minutes.
- Serve: Transfer your bistek to a serving plate, spooning extra sauce over top. Serve it with hot white rice, and your meal is complete!
Notes
Image credit to @_kcskitchen.
Featured image credit to @hey_eatz_chach.
