Healthy Filipino Bistek "Beefsteak" and Quinoa

Nope, not a typo.  And no, you’re not seeing things. It really does say, HEALTHY FILIPINO BISTEK! We figured it out folks!

As we were explaining to my brother about our real food project and how our plan was to recreate meals, such as hamburger and fries, he simply asked, “What about Filipino food?”  Well, that certainly stopped us in our tracks. 

Took a bit of researching, but we finally did it!  And we chose to recreate Bistek, which is a marinated meat dish topped with caramelized onion rings and served with white rice.  Typically, ingredients used are: soy sauce, calamansi, sugar, garlic, onions.  Swap the soy sauce with tamari, the sugar with honey, and use organic veggies. 

Why tamari? It's made with 100% soy, versus soy sauce, which contains 30-40% wheat. Pretty weird considering the words "soy sauce" should only be...well, soy, right? Calamansi, also known as calamondin, is a Filipino lemon that almost tastes like a lemon with a touch of orange.  If you don’t have access to a store that sells this, or a Filipino person who has a tree in their backyard (like us!), then use lemon. 

Disclaimer!! We were so excited to make this, we forgot to measure quite a few things! When cooking Filipino dishes, we tend to “eyeball” everything. 

Good news is that we will definitely make this again, and when we do, we’re going to measure and update this post.

Healthy Filipino Bistek and Quinoa

1 cup uncooked quinoa

1 lb flank steak or flap meat, cut into 2 inch strips

1 whole white onion, sliced into rings (do not separate the rings)

Tamari

4 calamansi

1 head garlic, coarsely chopped

Honey

Filtered water

Olive oil

Cook quinoa according to package directions.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, add tamari and calamansi and meat.  Toss to make sure all of the meat is coated.  Set aside to marinate.

In a skillet, heat olive oil and cook onion rings a few minutes each side, so they’re slightly caramelized.  You don’t want this fully caramelized; that slight crunch makes it fun.  Since not all rings will fit at one time, make in batches, and then set aside. 

In the same skillet, add a little bit of olive oil and cook the marinated beef.  DO NOT DISCARD the marinade because this is key for Bistek.

When the beef is done, set aside.  Again, using the same skillet, pour in the marinade, along with the garlic, and let it boil for a few minutes to soften the garlic.  Add the cooked beef and lower the heat to simmer.  Add water and honey to offset the saltiness of the marinade.  When you’ve reached your desired taste, add the onions on top, cover and simmer for another few minutes…and that’s it!  Serve with quinoa and eat Filipino Bistek, guilt-free.