Bistek Tagalog with Ampalaya (Filipino Beef Steak with Bitter Melon)-- and the Open Secret Not to Have Rubbery Meat!

I am writing this recipe in my blog today because for years I attempted cooking this and the meat turns out rubbery... But today... Today is a good day cause I succeeded in making my meat tender and I do not have to play referee over a frustrating fight between my teeth and the meat pulling out each other lol. 

It's terrible I know. HAHA!

As I have written in my previous blog, I learn cooking gradually. I constantly am learning new tips on how to make my cooking better and this recipe is one of those moments. 

According to google, Bistek Tagalog is derived from Bistec, a Spanish loan word derived from the English words "Beef Steak" abbreviated. Now that makes sense and it is clever! 

I really like to play history with you but google and Wikipedia are there and that's the reason WHY they're there. I, on the other hand, am your Zentrovert and just would like to discuss my part of the deal with you all. haha! And to remind you all again, I write all the ingredients but I cannot exactly measure how much of the ingredients I use since I only use the power of estimate, trusting my taste buds, and having faith in the Gods to lead me in this home culinary journey and share my humble knowledge in each recipe. 

So without further blah blah, here is my go-to recipe for the infamous Bistek Tagalog :-)

INGREDIENTS: 

(Marinade Ingredients)

Beef (sirloin or tenderloin, you can ask the butcher to slice it thinly)

Soy sauce

Kalamansi (Philippine Lemon)

Garlic (crushed

(Cooking Ingredients)

Oil

Garlic (minced)

Onion (separated as Onion Rings, preferably white onion)

Ampalaya or Bitter Melon (sliced the way you want it)

Pepper

Soy Sauce

Water 

PROCEDURE: 

1. To make the beef tender, get your thinly sliced beef and pound it using a meat pounder tool. If you don't have it (I don't have it) As an alternative, place your meat nicely on a chopping board and pound the meat using a knife while making fast horizontal and vertical lines on the entire meat, fast and light not to cut the meat but enough to tenderize it. Now that's a tip right there! ;-)

2. Place the meat, some soy sauce, garlic, and kalamansi in a bowl, ziplock, or some airtight glassware. Mix them all together making sure that the meat is covered by the marinade. You can marinate it in an hour but I prefer soaking the marinade overnight. You're doing this not just for the flavor but also for the acids to break down the meat proteins and make them more tender. 

3. For the actual cooking procedure, place all the meat in your wok ( remove the kalamansi seeds if any, do not throw in the entire marinade because there's a tendency that it will make the meat too salty, just set it aside to be used later if needed).

This is a simple recipe and that "open secret" as I've mentioned in the title is to cook it "low and slow" to really tenderize the meat. Add a bit of water covering all the meat. Season it with pepper. Start the heat on medium and just wait for it to boil. When it starts boiling, lower down the heat a little bit, more like just making it simmer. If the water runs out, you can just add water over and over again. I cooked mine for approximately 45 minutes, flipping them and checking while they simmer away.

4. When the meat is tender enough for you, you can taste the meat and the sauce to check the saltiness. if it's bland, you can add some of our marinade. You can even add sugar at this stage. But I prefer that salty, citrusy, classic Bistek so I do away with the sugar. It really depends on your preference. You can even add ingredients to tweak the flavor. I just personally like the tasty simplicity of this dish. 

5. When the water ran out and the meat has started secreting its oils (if not, you can add some oil for sauteing) Set the meat aside from the wok and start sauteing your garlic. You can sauté the onions if you want them cooked, otherwise, you can just place them as toppings for your dish if you want them crispy. You can do whatever you want. It's your dish. You can even half cook the onions. 

6. Mix the aromatics with the beef. Add in your sliced ampalaya and continue stir-frying till your desired vegetable doneness. Top with onions. Or not! haha

There it is! This is the taste of Bistek Tagalog when I was growing up. I love how my Dad cooks this. He just slices the ampalaya into bigger bites while I love my ampalaya thinly sliced.

The salty, citrusy blend would always call for rice. Lots of it! You will also notice and appreciate the time spent simmering the beef because the meat is just tender! And if you're hungry, you really are in for a treat.

Hope you like this blog! See you at my next one! Byeeeee!