#11 Philippine's simple BISTEK TAGALOG

What a busy 7 days we had! Most days since my Mother's arrival 5 days ago, we dined at good restaurants. Last weekend , we didn't cook at all. On Thursday last week, we managed to make Bistek Tagalog, as our welcome dinner for my Mama. Bistek Tagalog is a very quick, very simple Filipino beef recipe.

INGREDIENTS: 

1/2 lb sirloin beef, thinly sliced

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 piece large juicy lemon

1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 large onion, sliced into rings

3 tbsp. olive oil

3 pieces bay leaves

chopped cilantro (optional)

salt to taste

DIRECTIONS:

1. Marinate beef in soy sauce, garlic, lemon and pepper overnight.
2. In a non-stick pan, heat olive oil in medium heat, then stir fry the onions until slightly soft. Remove from the pan and set aside.
3. In the same pan, stir fry the marinated beef (without the marinade) for 3 minutes- I like it just enough to brown the meat and leave some pink inside. Remove the meat from the pan and then set aside.
4. In the same pan, pour in the marinade and bring to a boil.
5. Add in the stir fried beef and turn off the heat. If you are using an electric stove, it's best to remove the pan from the heat completely.
6. Remove bay leaves before serving. Add salt to taste. Serve hot over steamed brown rice. Top with chopped cilantro leaves (optional).

She was very excited to see Grandma again after many years! So even before we picked her up from the airport, we started talking more about the country where I grew up and lived for 27 years. It was so much fun searching for information on the natural wonders back home. I bragged about how beautiful it is there. :)  The power of the internet. So easy to find heartwarming photos!  The pictures of the Mayon Volcano caught her attention and we talked more about it while waiting for the 9:15 p.m. arrival of our special holiday guest. 

Never got to see this up close, always been my favorite for it's perfect shape.

As for this recipe, it's very simple. Tangy, easy to eat and appealing to my family, so there was no need to ask every one to try it :)

Here's our Bistek Tagalog volcano :)