Skip to content
FriendsPantry

Filipino

Bistek Tagalog

Non-vegetarian

Thin slices of beef marinated in soy sauce and calamansi, pan-fried and simmered briefly with a tangle of soft onion rings in a tangy, peppery sauce.

Bistek Tagalog is a Filipino main course from Philippines, ready in about 1 hour 35 minutes and made with beef sirloin steak, soy sauce and lime juice. It serves 4 and is rated easy to cook.

Start cooking
Bistek Tagalog, Main Dish
Photo: Joy D. Ganaden / Wikimedia Commons · CC-BY-SA-4.0
Prep
15 min
Cook
20 min
Rest
1 h
Total
1 h 35 min
Serves
4
Level
Easy
Calories
333

Ingredients

4 servings

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Marinate the beef in the soy sauce (opens in a new tab), lime juice (opens in a new tab), garlic (opens in a new tab) and pepper (opens in a new tab) for at least 1 hour in the fridge.

    • 5 min
    Meat coated in a spiced marinade in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Ip Photographer on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Fry the onion (opens in a new tab) rings in 1 tablespoon of oil until just softened; set aside.

    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Lift the beef from the marinade (keep it) and sear in batches in the remaining oil until browned.

    • 6 min
    • high heat

  4. Step 4

    Return all the beef, add the marinade, water and sugar (opens in a new tab) and simmer until the sauce reduces slightly and the beef is tender. Top with the onion (opens in a new tab) rings, warm through and serve with rice.

    • 8 min
    • medium-low heat

About this dish

Origin
Philippines · Well documentedThe name comes from the Spanish 'bistec'.More food from Philippines
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Main courses
Cooking method
Pan-fried, Marinated / cured, Simmered
Taste
tangy, salty, peppery, savoury
Diet
Dairy-free · No nut ingredients · Low-carb · High-protein
All labelsNon-vegetarian · Dairy-free · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Low-carb · High-protein · Calorie-conscious
Worked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Everyday · One-pan
Cook more with
Beef sirloin steak · Soy sauce · Lime juice · Garlic · Onion · Sugar
Techniques
Searing · Pan-frying · Simmering · Marinating · Reduction

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Wheatfrom soy sauce
  • Contains, can be adapted: Glutenfrom soy sauce
  • Contains: Soyfrom soy sauce

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

333 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 283 g · recipe makes 4

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 43%
  • Carbohydrate 12%
  • Fat 45%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g*
Energy333 kcal118 kcal
Protein35.5 g12.5 g
Carbohydrate10 g3.5 g
Net carbohydrate8.6 g3.1 g
Sugars3.7 g1.3 g
Added sugars1 g0.4 g
Fibre1.4 g0.5 g
Fat16.5 g5.8 g
Saturated fat3.1 g1.1 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol90 mg32 mg
Sodium1022 mg361 mg
Salt equivalent2.6 g0.9 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
720 mg
Calcium
71 mg
Iron
2.9 mg
Magnesium
56 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
0 µg
Vitamin C
10 mg
Vitamin D
0.2 µg
Vitamin B12
1.6 µg
Folate (DFE)
34 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • *Per 100 g of combined raw ingredients; the cooked dish may weigh more or less.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: long-grain white rice.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Keep the onions slightly crunchy — they are a feature, not just a flavouring.

Common mistakes

  • Simmering for too long toughens thin beef slices.

Serve with

  • Serve with plenty of rice to soak up the sauce.

Food safety

  • Marinate in the fridge; discard any marinade that is not boiled in the sauce.
  • Refrigerate leftovers within 2 hours and eat within 3 days.

Storage

  • Refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Reheating

  • Reheat gently in a covered pan.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 4

Reviews & corrections

Reviews come from signed-in cooks and appear after a moderator checks them. We never show made-up ratings.

You might also like