I love bistek. My ex-husband’s father used to make it and it was delicious… except for one thing. He didn’t know how to cook the beef and keep it tender. There was so much flavor but with tough meat. Boooo 👎🏻
There is a trick for cooking beef and keeping it tender, and the method changes depending on the cut of meat and whether it’s sliced, cubed, or whole. For this recipe, you want to cut thin slices of sirloin. The trick for that is to freeze your meat for 15 to 30 minutes until it is just frozen. The firmness of the meat makes it easy to slice nice thin pieces, and the meat will be defrosted by the time you’re done marinating it!
To keep the meat tender in this dish, the trick is to cook it hot and fast. I recommend only cooking it on one side and then removing it from the pan. You’ll add it back in at the end to heat it through.
I like to add a little cornstarch to the marinade to make it a slightly thicker sauce. I may have been slightly sacrilegious by deviating from traditional Filipino bistek recipes because I added rice wine to my marinade. Rice wine just adds an additional depth of flavor and a slight sweetness to tame the acidity of the lemon juice. And trust me, it works! This is best when you marinate the beef over night, but it works fine if you marinate it for just an hour too!
Traditionally, this dish is made with just beef and onions, but I added broccoli to boost the vitamin content. This comes together so quickly! You’ll have it done before the rice is ready! This is a great weekday meal when you don’t want to deal with a complicated dinner after a long day.
Enjoy!
Filipino Steak (Bistek) with Onions & Broccoli
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Total Time: 35 minutes
- Yield: 4 to 6 servings 1x
- Category: Asian
- Cuisine: Dinner
Ingredients
1½ lbs sirloin, thinly sliced
6 garlic cloves, minced
2 large sweet or yellow onions, sliced
2 cups broccoli, chopped
¾ cup soy sauce
½ cup lemon juice
2 TBs rice wine
½ TB cornstarch
2 TBs olive oil
Instructions
In a medium bowl, mix together the soy sauce, lemon juice, and rice wine. Add the garlic and sirloin, mixing the sirloin with your hands until fully coated. Marinate at room temperature for 1 hour or overnight in the refrigerator.
When ready, prepare steamed rice according to the package directions.
Heat a large pan or wok over medium-high heat. Drizzle the olive oil across the pan. When the oil is hot, rotate the pan or wok to fully coat the surface. Working in batches, lay the beef in a single layer across the pan, cooking for 2 minutes without stirring. Transfer the beef to a bowl and set aside. Lower the heat to medium.
Add 1 teaspoon of cornstarch to the marinade. Add the onions into the pan and spoon a 2 or 3 tablespoons of marinade over the onions. Cook until slightly softened ~ about 5 minutes. Add the broccoli to the pan and the rest of the marinade. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then reduce the temperature to medium low. Cover and steam the broccoli for 5 to 10 minutes or until lightly tender. Return the beef to the pan and stir to combine. Cook for an additional minute then remove from the heat.
Dish the rice. Then spoon the beef, onions, broccoli, and sauce over the rice.
Enjoy!
Keywords: Filipino Steak, Bistek, Filipino Steak and Onions, Steak and Onions
