Bistek tagalog (Filipino beef steak) with charred sawsawan red onions
Our reinvented version of Filipino beef steak is a colourful dish bursting with robust and punchy flavours.
Jan 31, 2024 5:00am- Serves 4 - 6
- 25 mins preparation
- 25 mins cooking (plus curing, resting)
Bistek tagalog is thinly sliced cured beef. GT's senior food editor Dominic Smith recalls how his Filipino mother Lola would serve it with sawsawan, a dip made with vinegar, garlic, and onion. "Each family has their own version," says Smith. The charred tortillas are an ode to Lola's savoury riff on playa, a sweet Filipino flat bread.
ingredients
- Lemon-infused extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
- 1 Redlove apple (see note), thinly sliced
- 1 pink grapefruit, segmented
- Pickled green chillies, watercress, baby red vein sorrel, and charred tortillas, to serve
Bistek tagalog cure
- 500 gm each rock salt and brown sugar
- 6 fresh bay leaves
- 4 garlic cloves
- 2 lemons, finely grated on a Microplane
- 1 tbsp peppercorns
- 3 limes, finely grated on a Microplane
- 800 gm centre-cut beef eye fillet, trimmed
Charred sawsawan red onions
- 6 small red onion, halved
- 100 ml light soy sauce
- 60 ml (¼ cup) lime juice
- 1 tbsp rice wine vinegar
- 3 tsp finely grated ginger
- 1 long red chilli, thinly sliced
method
- 1
For bistek tagalog cure, place ingredients except beef in a large container and mix to combine. Add beef and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate to cure for 8 hours or overnight. The longer you leave it the saltier and more intense the flavours will be. Wipe excess cure from beef and bring to room temperature; discard cure.
- 2
Preheat a lightly greased barbecue or char-grill pan to high heat. For sawsawan, barbecue onions, cut-side down until blackened (10-12 minutes); set aside. Place remaining ingredients in a large bowl and stir to combine; add onions. Keep refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 months.
- 3
Drizzle beef with lemon-infused extra-virgin olive oil; barbecue, turning frequently, until charred all over and cooked to rare (8-10 minutes); rest 5 minutes before slicing thinly.
- 4
To serve, place sliced beef in a large bowl with a little of the sawsawan dressing and toss to combine. Layer on a serving platter with slices of apple and grapefruit segments. Scatter with charred sawsawan red onions, pickled green chillies, watercress and sorrel, then drizzle with lemon-infused extra-virgin olive oil. Serve with charred tortillas on the side.
notes
Redlove apples are available from select greengrocers. If unavailable, substitute Granny Smith apples.