Southeast Asian · Lunch · Dinner
Bistek Tagalog (Filipino Beef Steak with Onions)
Bistek Tagalog
Thin slices of lean sirloin are marinated in soy sauce, calamansi and garlic, then seared and simmered into a glossy, tangy sauce topped with soft onion rings. It is served over nutty brown rice for a lighter take on a Filipino home-cooking favourite.
- Prep
- 45 min
- Cook
- 45 min
- Total
- 90 min
- Serves
- 4
Calories come from: Carbs 45% · Fat 22% · Protein 33%
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Ingredients
For 4 servings- 500 gBeef top sirloin, trimmed of fat and thinly sliced
- 4 tbsp64 gReduced-sodium soy sauce
- 1/4 cup (about 12 calamansi)60 gCalamansi juice (or lime juice)
- 4 cloves12 gGarlic, minced
- 1/2 tspGround black pepper
- 2 large300 gOnions, sliced into rings
- 1 tbsp14 gCanola oil
- 1/2 cup120 gWater for the sauce
- 1 cup190 gBrown rice, long-grain, uncooked
- 2 1/2 cups600 gWater for the rice
- 1 tspBrown sugar (optional)
Steps
- 1
In a bowl, mix the soy sauce, calamansi juice, garlic and black pepper.
- 2
Add the sliced beef, toss to coat, cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
- 3
Rinse the brown rice, then bring it to a boil with the 2 1/2 cups of water in a covered pot.
- 4
Lower the heat and simmer the rice, covered, for about 40 minutes until tender, then rest it off the heat for 5 minutes.
- 5
While the rice cooks, heat half the oil in a large non-stick pan over medium-high heat.
- 6
Add the onion rings and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until just softened, then set them aside.
- 7
Lift the beef out of the marinade and keep the marinade.
- 8
Add the remaining oil to the pan and sear the beef in batches for about 1 minute per side until browned, then remove.
- 9
Pour the reserved marinade, the 1/2 cup of water and the brown sugar, if using, into the pan and bring to a full boil for at least 1 minute.
- 10
Return the beef to the pan and simmer for 5 to 8 minutes until tender and the sauce has thickened slightly.
- 11
Top with the onion rings and warm through for 1 minute.
- 12
Serve the beef, onions and sauce over the brown rice.
Swaps, storage and make-ahead
Swaps
- Use lime or lemon juice instead of calamansi if you can't find it.
- For a gluten-free version, swap the soy sauce for tamari or coconut aminos labelled gluten-free, since the other ingredients contain no gluten.
- Serve over cauliflower rice instead of brown rice for a lighter base.
- Swap the sirloin for thinly sliced flank steak or skinless chicken thigh, adjusting simmer time so chicken is fully cooked.
Storage
Refrigerate the beef and rice in separate airtight containers within 2 hours (cool the rice as quickly as possible, ideally within 1 hour). Eat the beef within 3 to 4 days and the rice within 1 day. Reheat until steaming hot, adding a splash of water to loosen the sauce and rice, and reheat rice only once.
Make ahead
Slice the beef and mix the marinade up to a day ahead, keeping the beef marinating covered in the fridge. You can also cook the brown rice in advance: cool it quickly (ideally within 1 hour), refrigerate it and use it within 1 day.
Nutrition values are for the recipe as written.
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Allergens and nutrition
Contains: SoyGluten
Check the labels of packaged ingredients for allergens and suitability for your diet.
Full nutrition
| Per serving (465 g) | Per 100 g | |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 417 kcal | 90 kcal |
| Protein | 33.8 g | 7.3 g |
| Carbohydrates | 46.5 g | 10 g |
| of which sugars | 3.9 g | 0.8 g |
| Fiber | 3.3 g | 0.7 g |
| Fat | 10.3 g | 2.2 g |
| of which saturated | 2.5 g | 0.5 g |
| Sodium | 659 mg | 142 mg |
Nutrition is calculated from USDA FoodData Central data and may differ from what you cook.
