Bistek Tagalog (Filipino Beef Steak)

Bistek Tagalog is almost very common to Filipinos' cuisines. This easy and savoury recipe is a great dish for Pinoys lunch or dinner. Thus, it is rarely prepared for a certain especial occassions.

It is not my first time to cook Bistek Tagalog, in fact I have cooked this for several times, but still nothing beats my Mom's recipe. It took me sometime to somehow get the right flavour. It is an easy recipe yet I always did something wrong that makes it salty. Today, I am indeed satisfied on how I cooked it. I should say, just the right flavour!

Ingredients :

• 1/2 kilo of beef (round, sirloin or tenderloin), sliced 1/4-inch thick
• 4 tbsp. of lemon juice / kalamansi juice
• 1/4 cup of dark soy sauce
• 2 small potatoes sliced
• ground pepper
• salt
• 1 tbsp. of minced garlic
• 2 large onions, cut into rings
• oil
• 1/2 cup water

  

Procedure :

1. In a mixing bowl, mix kalamansi or lemon juice and soy sauce.
2. Add beef and ground pepper. Mix well. Let sit in the refrigerator at least 30 minutes.
3. Heat a skillet. Add oil. Lightly fry the potatoes. Remove from skillet and drain on paper towels.
4. In the same skillet, lightly fry the onion rings. Remove and drain on paper towel as well.
5. In the same skillet, add a little more oil. Sautee garlic.
6. Add the beef and pan-fry it..
7. When the beef has been cooked, pour the marinade, water, salt and pepper into the skillet and boil for 2 minutes.
8. Add the potatoes and onion rings.
9. Serve with plain steamed rice.

Read More »

Adobo Chicken Liver, Gizzard and Quail Eggs

I would say that Adobo is one of the first dishes Filipinos learn to cook as it is simple and requires just a handful of ingredients. Indeed, Adobo is the Filipino national dish. The sauce is to die for. If we are talking about comfort food, Adobo is definitely the first one that pops into my head. In good-tasting adobo, none of the spice flavors dominate but rather the taste is a delicate balance of all the ingredients.

Aside from different variation in cooking Adobo, it is also not only limited to pork and chicken, other meats, seafoods, and vegetables (such as squid (pusit), goat meat, veal, beef, shrimp (hipon), river spinach (kang-kong) can also be cooked this way.

In this particular recipe I used Chicken Liver, Gizzard and Quail Eggs. This one could make a very good Pulutan (finger food). You will be licking your fingers the entire time you’re eating. =D

Ingredients:

• ½ KG Chicken Liver
• ½ KG Chicken Gizzard
• 1 can Cooked Quail Eggs (peeled)
• ¼ cup Vinegar
• ¼ cup Soy Sauce
• 3 Tablespoon Oyster sauce
• 2 Tablespoon Sugar
• 3 pcs Chilies (chopped)
• Salt
• Pepper
• 1 medium Onion chopped
• 1 head Garlic chopped
• Water
• Oil

Procedure:

1. Clean the Chicken Liver and Gizzard.
2. In a wok, boil the chicken gizzard with water. Let it simmer for 15 minutes.
3. Drain off the excess water after simmering the gizzard. Set aside.
4. In a new wok, sauté Garlic and Onion in oil until golden brown.
5. Add in the Gizzard and Liver. Mix well with the sautéed garlic and onion.
6. Pour in vinegar, soy sauce, pinch of salt, pepper, sugar, and chilies. Add a little water if necessary.
7. Let it simmer for 20 minutes or until the liver and gizzard are cooked. Gradually stir to avoid it from getting burnt.
8. Mix in the quail eggs.
9. Have a taste to judge if you need some adjustments in seasoning.
10. Topped with sautéed garlic and serve with rice.

Read More »

Burger Steak - Pinoy Style

I really miss one of my favorites in Jollibee, well of course aside from their breaded chicken, Burger Steak is surely a hit. And because we don’t have Jollibee here in Abu Dhabi I am stuck with my own recipe. I guess it turned out OK though.

Burger Steak is not an authentic Filipino food but it is indeed well accepted and became part of the menu of most Filipinos. It is an easy and inexpensive recipe. Some usually serve it with mashed potatoes but rice is still the best choice for me.

Ingredients:

• 8 Burger Patties
• 1 Liter water
• 2 Tablespoon flour
• 1 Sachet Mushroom Soup Powder
• 2 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
• 1 Small Can Sliced Mushrooms
• Pepper
• Oil

Procedure:

1.      Heat oil in a pan.

2.      Fry Burger Patties in medium heat fire. Cook ‘til medium brown. Set aside.

3.      In a casserole dissolve Mushroom Powder and flour in water. Add the mushrooms and let it boil under medium fire.

4.      Put in the soy sauce and pepper.

5.      Once the mixture is thick enough (gravy like) add in the fried burger patties.

6.      Serve with rice.

Read More »

Sautéed Radish with Beef (Ginisang Labanos na may Baka)

I already feel bloated for having so much meat these past few days (tea please =D). So I requested my husband to think of cuisine that includes vegetable. Well, no wonder what will be his answer for the fact that he rarely eats vegetables, and if he does, only very few would be on his list. One of it is Labanos (radish). He loves sautéed radish with pork or beef. It is quite easy to cook and the ingredients are very basic.

I’ve been asking some of my flat-mates if they knew about this recipe since they came from different provinces in the Philippines, but surprisingly, it is their first time to encounter this recipe. So I guess Bulakeños might be its chef in origin.

After cooking this cuisine I share some of it to my flatmates and as they judged, they said it taste good and I gave them an idea on how to cook radish in a different way aside from their usual recipe. =D

Ingredients:

• 3 pieces Big Radish (Labanos) Sliced
• 3 pieces Medium-Sized Tomatoes
• 1 Medium Onion (sliced)
• 1 Garlic (minced)
• 2 pieces Chillies
• ½ Kg. Beef Sliced
• 1 piece beef stock (powder or cube)
• Salt / patis (fish sauce)
• Pepper
• Water
• Oil

Procedure:

1. Heat casserole then put oil.
2. Sauté garlic, onion and tomatoes.
3. Put in the sliced beef, beef stock, salt or patis, pepper and ½ cup water. Let it simmer ‘til the beef is cooked.
4. Add in the radish and chillies.
5. Add more water. Let boil ‘til radish is cooked.
6. Serve with rice.

Read More »

Fried Tanigue with a Unique Dipping Sauce

It is a cold morning here in the desert and it is very difficult to wake-up to go to work. But as we say “what to do?” This is our life here abroad. I came late in the office (as usual =D) just to know that we were dismissed because of electrical shutdown in the whole building. So, I just go straight home to prepare something for lunch.

First, I checked what we have left-over from last night’s dinner to consider in what I should cook for today’s lunch. Well, I just found the dipping that my husband mixed last night. I decided to fry fish, for sure that would be a perfect partner for that dipping sauce. It actually match to almost any kind of fried meat or for Okoy =D. It has a spicy, a bit of sourness and saltiness, just excellent mixture that would make you crave for more.

Dipping Ingredients:

• 1 Small Minced onion
• 2 Minced chillies
• 1 Small Minced Tomato
• 1 Teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup water

Procedure:

1. Mix the minced onion, chilli, tomato and salt.
2. Add in the water.

Fried Fish Tanigue

Ingredients:

• Sliced Tanigue
• Salt
• Cooking Oil

Procedure:

1. Wash the sliced Tanigue.
2. Rub the Tanigue with salt, just enough to taste.
3. Medium heat the pan and add cooking oil. (Make sure that the oil is hot enough before placing the fish on the frying pan.
4. Fry fish until medium brown.
5. Served with rice and the dipping sauce you prepared earlier.

Read More »