''Bistek'' (from , "
beefsteak
A beefsteak, often called just steak, is a flat cut of beef with parallel faces, usually cut perpendicular to the muscle fibres. In common restaurant service a single serving has a raw mass ranging from . Beef steaks are usually grilled, pa ...
"), also known as ''bistek tagalog'' or ''karne frita'', is a
Filipino dish consisting of thinly-sliced
beefsteak
A beefsteak, often called just steak, is a flat cut of beef with parallel faces, usually cut perpendicular to the muscle fibres. In common restaurant service a single serving has a raw mass ranging from . Beef steaks are usually grilled, pa ...
braised in
soy sauce
Soy sauce (sometimes called soya sauce in British English) is a liquid condiment of China, Chinese origin, traditionally made from a fermentation (food), fermented paste of soybeans, roasted cereal, grain, brine, and ''Aspergillus oryzae'' or ''A ...
,
calamansi juice, garlic, ground black pepper, and onions cut into rings. It is a common staple in the
Tagalog and
Western Visayan regions of the
Philippines
The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
. It is eaten over white rice.
Description
''Bistek tagalog'' is made of strips of beef
sirloin
In American butchery, the sirloin steak (called the ''rump steak'' in British butchery) is cut from the sirloin, the subprimal posterior to the short loin where the T-bone, porterhouse, and club steaks are cut. The sirloin is divided int ...
or
tenderloin, usually flattened with a meat tenderizing tool, it is marinated then
braised in
soy sauce
Soy sauce (sometimes called soya sauce in British English) is a liquid condiment of China, Chinese origin, traditionally made from a fermentation (food), fermented paste of soybeans, roasted cereal, grain, brine, and ''Aspergillus oryzae'' or ''A ...
,
calamansi juice (or some other
citrus
''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the family Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, mandarins, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes.
''Citrus'' is nativ ...
fruit like
lime or
lemon
The lemon (''Citrus'' × ''limon'') is a species of small evergreen tree in the ''Citrus'' genus of the flowering plant family Rutaceae. A true lemon is a hybrid of the citron and the bitter orange. Its origins are uncertain, but some ...
), smashed whole garlic cloves, ground black pepper,
bay leaves
The bay leaf is an aromatic leaf commonly used as a herb in cooking. It can be used whole, either dried or fresh, in which case it is removed from the dish before consumption, or less commonly used in ground form. The flavour that a bay leaf ...
, caramelized
red onion
Red onions (also known as purple or blue onions in some mainland European countries) are cultivars of the onion ('' Allium cepa''), and have purplish-red skin and white flesh tinged with red. They are most commonly used in cooking, but the skin ...
rings, and (optionally)
muscovado
Muscovado is a type of partially refined to unrefined sugar with a strong molasses content and flavour, and dark brown in colour. It is technically considered either a non-centrifugal cane sugar or a centrifuged, partially refined sugar accord ...
or
brown sugar
Brown sugar is a sucrose sugar product with a distinctive brown color due to the presence of molasses. It is either an unrefined or partially refined soft sugar consisting of sugar crystals with some residual molasses content or produced by t ...
. In some recipes, fresh
white onion rings are used instead to preserve its crunchiness.
In the
Western Visayas
Western Visayas (; ; ) is an Regions of the Philippines, administrative region in the Philippines, numerically designated as Region VI. The region comprises the islands of Panay and Guimaras Island, Guimaras. It consists of five Provinces of the ...
, ''bistek tagalog'' is known as ''karne frita'' (also spelled ''carne frita'', literally "fried meat" in Spanish), not to be confused with the breaded cutlet (
milanesa), which is also called ''carne frita'' in the Philippines. It is cooked identically to the Tagalog version, but differs in that it is always cooked with sugar.
Variations
A modern version of ''bistek'' is ''bistek na baboy'' ("pork ''bistek''"; ''bistig babi'' in
Kapampangan
Kapampangan, Capampañgan or Pampangan may refer to:
*Kapampangan people, of the Philippines
*Kapampangan language
Kapampangan, Capampáñgan, or Pampangan, is an Austronesian language, and one of the eight major languages of the Philippines. ...
), in which pork—
pork chops or
pork belly
Pork belly or belly pork is a boneless, fatty Primal cut, cut of pork from the Abdomen, belly of a pig. Pork belly is particularly popular in American cuisine, American, British cuisine, British, Swedish cuisine, Swedish, Danish cuisine, Danish, ...
slices—is used instead of beef. Other modern versions can also use slices of chicken or filleted fish.
Vegan
Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal products and the consumption of animal source foods, and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. A person who practices veganism is known as a ve ...
versions can also substitute beef with
tofu
or bean curd is a food prepared by Coagulation (milk), coagulating soy milk and then pressing the resulting curds into solid white blocks of varying softness: ''silken'', ''soft'', ''firm'', and ''extra (or super) firm''. It originated in Chin ...
.
Similar dishes
''
Bistec encebollado'' is a similar dish found throughout other Spanish-speaking countries. It differs from ''bistek tagalog'' in that it does not use soy sauce or citrus juices, but uses
vinegar
Vinegar () is an aqueous solution of diluted acetic acid and trace compounds that may include flavorings. Vinegar typically contains from 5% to 18% acetic acid by volume. Usually, the acetic acid is produced by a double fermentation, converting ...
and various local herbs and ingredients instead. Other similar dishes include the ''bistec de Palomilla'' of
Cuba
Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
, ''bistec a caballo'' of
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
, and the ''bistec ranchero'' of
Mexico
Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...
.
In the
Marianas Islands, ''Bistek'' is prepared similarly to Filipino ''Bistek'', but is often made with vinegar instead of citrus juice.
Achiote
''Bixa orellana'', also known as achiote, is a shrub or small tree native to Central America. ''Bixa orellana'' is grown in many countries worldwide.
The plant is best known as the source of annatto, a natural orange-red condiment (also calle ...
is also added and is typically served with
peas
Pea (''pisum'' in Latin) is a pulse or fodder crop, but the word often refers to the seed or sometimes the pod of this flowering plant species. Peas are eaten as a vegetable. Carl Linnaeus gave the species the scientific name ''Pisum sativum ...
.
See also
*
Philippine adobo
*
List of Philippine dishes
This is a list of selected dishes found in the Philippines
The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consis ...
References
Philippine beef dishes
{{philippines-cuisine-stub