Bistek is a staple Filipino dish where tender cuts of beef are simmered in a flavorful marinade of soy sauce and calamansi juice. Topped with thick slices of onion rings and with a side of rice, you will absolutely love the simplicity of this dish!
Ingredients and Substitutions
*The Recipe Card below includes all the full measurements for these ingredients!
Thinly-sliced beef: Any cuts like sirloin, flank, or top round can work. Just make sure to slice the beef against the grain to ensure tenderness. This recipe also works with other variants of bistek which uses thin slices of pork belly or even chicken.
Soy sauce: Soy sauce will be the foundation for our Bistek marinade and sauce. Try to go for a Filipino brand, such as Datu Puti or Marca Piña.
Calamansi: One of my favorite Filipino ingredients, also known as the Philippine lime or Philippine lemon. Fresh calamansi can sometimes be found in Asian or Filipino markets (they may also be frozen). Bottled calamansi concentrates also exist, though not exactly the best. Lime or lemons are great substitutes.
Black pepper, garlic, onion: Simple spices and aromatics are used for bistek, nothing too fancy. This is pretty standard for most Filipino recipes.
Sugar: Sugar helps to balance out the savory and tangy flavors of the marinade. Feel free to adjust according to preference, but we won’t typically use too much of this for the recipe.
Instructions
*The Recipe Card below includes all the full detailed instructions!
Marinate the beef in the soy sauce, calamansi juice, minced garlic, sugar, and ground black pepper.
Once marinated, fry the beef until just about cooked, then set aside.
In the same pan, cook the onions until softened.
Pour in the marinade and reduce slightly. Finally, add back in the beef and toss to combine.
Cooking Tips
Pound your beef: If using tougher cuts of meat (such as shank), you can pound your beef using a mallet or rolling pin to break down the protein fibres and to get them as flat as needed.
The longer the simmer, the more tender the beef: Another technique to tenderize the meat is to let it simmer low and slow over a period of time. Like with most proteins, the longer you simmer the meat, the greater chance it gets to slowly break down the protein fibres in order to become tender. To do so, I’d recommend adding additional water so it has enough liquid to simmer properly.
Adjust the bistek to your preference: If you’d like the bistek more sour, feel free to add more calamansi. If you like it more salty, you can add more soy sauce. To make the bistek more soupy, add additional water, soy sauce, and calamansi to compensate. Some also like adding a cornstarch slurry into the sauce to help it thicken better.
FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions)
How do I store leftovers?
You can store leftover bistek refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4-5 days.
To reheat, simply warm the leftovers in the microwave for about 1-2 minutes, or per stovetop, until fully heated-through.
If the bistek becomes too dry the next day, you can also adjust by adding more water, soy sauce, and/or calamansi juice as needed to keep the dish moist and flavorful.
How long should I marinade this?
Bistek should be marinated for at least 30-60 minutes, but, ideally, no longer than 12 hours as this can cause the meat to become overly salty from the marinade and become mushy in texture due to the calamansi juice.
Looking for more delicious weeknight meals? Here’s some recipes you might enjoy:
Bistek (Filipino Beef Steak)
Bistek is a staple Filipino dish where tender cuts of beef are simmered in a flavorful marinade of soy sauce and calamansi juice. Topped with thick slices of onion rings and with a side of rice, you will absolutely love the simplicity of this dish!
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Ingredients
~350 g thinly-sliced beef (sirloin, top round, flank)
1 medium onion, sliced into rings (red or yellow is fine)
1 tablespoon oil, for sautéing
- Marinade
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 to 2 tbsp calamansi juice, according to taste (can substitute with lemon or lime juice)
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions
- In a bowl, combine together the thinly-sliced beef, soy sauce, calamansi juice, minced garlic, sugar, and ground black pepper.
- Gently massage the ingredients into the meat until evenly combined. Cover and let marinate for 15 to 30 minutes.
- Heat the 1 tbsp of oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Gently squeeze the beef to remove any excess marinade, and cook for about 5 to 7 minutes until just cooked through and most of the liquid has evaporated. Set aside in a separate bowl.
- In the same pan over medium-high, add in the onion rings. Gently sauté for 7 to 10 minutes, or until they begin to soften.
- Pour in the rest of the remaining marinade along with the cooked beef. Let cook over medium-high, reducing the sauce for about 1 minute to thicken slightly.
- Serve immediately with rice and vegetables, if desired.
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What kind of soysayce do you use in this recipe?
Hi Kris,
I used a Filipino brand soy sauce (Datu Puti or Marca Piña are great). You could also use the more popular soy sauces (Kikkoman, Kimlan)!
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This was really good, I should had doubled the recipe but i know that for next time lol
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It was delicious! I think I just overcooked the meat a little that’s why some were a little chewy. But my kids loved it! Thanks for the wonderful recipe.
Thanks for giving it a try, Daphne! Glad you all enjoyed 🙂
Bistek is such a comforting dish, and you’ve captured its essence perfectly! The combination of soy sauce and calamansi juice gives the beef that deliciously tangy and savory flavor that’s simply irresistible. And those onion rings on top—such a simple yet perfect touch. This is Filipino comfort food at its best, and I can’t wait to enjoy it with a warm bowl of rice!