Bistek Tagalog ( Tagalog Beefsteak )

        Hi guys! Sorry I wasn't able to post these past two days. I was busy with my 5th grader's last minute school needs. Yesterday, June 3rd was the first day of school in all levels in the country. True enough, her teachers, immediately immersed the entire class into serious stuff i.e. the human reproductive system. 

        By the time she came home, her bag was several kilos heavier with 9 books and a research assignment. What can I do? She belongs to the fast learner's class. I need to help her revv up, full throttle ahead, while the rest of regular classes will start formal lessons Monday, next week, she will have, before that time, clocked in almost 200 items worth of quizzes.

        So, how do I prepare her for intense brain work? A fully-loaded breakfast, favorite, protein-rich lunches and hefty snacks and dinners.

        First day of school deserves a favorite lunch. Bistek Tagalog fits this bill. Easy peasy, filling, protein-packed, and flavor-rich. This is the picture I took before I loaded some into her lunchbox.

Bistek Tagalog

        Bistek Tagalog is actually a misnomer as there is no beef here. Bistek is the contraction of beefsteak, and Tagalog can denote the northern regions where the national language, Filipino or Tagalog is spoken, or the language itself, or the native speaker of the language.

        Made only with a few key ingredients, you already have in the kitchen, this will have a sour-salty taste to go very well with plain rice. Very much different from all-time favorite Adobo or Humba.

        Let's cook!

INGREDIENTS:

Bistek ingredients

200 g. thinly sliced pork with as little fat as possible
1 small onion, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
juice of 1/2 American lemon or 3 pcs Kalamansi ( Philippine lemon )
soy sauce
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup water

PROCEDURE:

1. Heat 1 tsp. oil in a pan, and brown the garlic. Add the onions and cook until transparent.

2. Add the sliced pork, and brown slightly. Add the water, cover and bring to a rolling boil. Cook for about 7-10 minutes or until tender.

Cooking the Bistek

3. Add the soy sauce for color, the lemon juice and seasonings. Cook further until the sauce is reduced. Adjust the seasonings. You are looking for a salty-sour, umami taste. Do not add any sugar. A cornstarch slurry ( 1 tsp cornstarch dispersed in 2 T. water ) is optional. Some also prefer a spritz of additional vegetable oil to make the dish shine. That, too , is optional.

4. Serve hot over steamed rice.

Simple, flavorful and packs a punch!

NOTE:

Philippine lemons are small, just slightly bigger than a marble, and really sour. You can always adjust the amount of lemon juice, but this dish will not make you grimace at all. And for a dish that is so simple to make, it has a characteristic taste you won't soon forget.

The sliced lemons are just for garnish.  We don't squeeze any onto the dish. 

This is best served for lunch or dinner, with rice or pasta and a crisp salad.