Where's the beef?

I go through phases when I cook. I can spend a week making Indian dishes every night and then the following week its all about pasta. Sometimes Southern, sometimes Polish, maybe Korean. Who knows where my mood will take me. I like variety. This is evident if you look into my fridge - I have everything from Korean fermented soy bean paste to mint sauce. And believe it or not, I do use it all!

More often than not, I go back to my childhood and cook the dishes I ate growing up. Chicken adobo, pancit canton, longanisa, mechado, corned beef, the list goes on. When I get the urge to cook these things, I do the logical thing and pick up the phone to call my mother. Like most mothers, her recipes include "a little bit of this", "some of that". Everything is "to taste". So its up to me to guess at measurements.

Today I decided to make bistek - marinated beef slow cooked with onions. My mother made this often during the week, when she was short on time. (honestly, how she managed to work every day and get dinner on the table every night at 6pm is beyond me!) Enjoy!

Note: Quantities are approximate and "to taste"



Filipino Bistek
serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 lb thin sliced eye of round, cut into portions
  
• 1/2C dark mushroom soy sauce
• 2T calimansi juice (can substitute lemon and/or lime)
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
  
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2C water
• 2 medium onions, thickly sliced
• 3T oil
  

Instructions:

• In a bowl, add beef, soy sauce, calamansi juice, garlic, salt + pepper. Marinate in the fridge, up to 4hrs.
• In a saute pan on medium high heat, add oil.
• Quickly brown slices of beef on each side, set aside.
• When all beef slices have been browned, add it back to the pan along with leftover marinade and water.
• Simmer on medium low until beef is tender. If it happens the sauce has reduced too quickly and the beef is still tough, add a little more water and continue to simmer.
  
• Once the beef is tender, add the sliced onions and cook until they're just translucent
• Serve with rice