T-Bone Bistek (Beef with Onions Filipino Style)

I did not intend to use T-bone in making this dish. But we’ve got an oversupply of this cut of beef thanks to my father! You see, dad flew to Manila about a month ago. It’s his custom to request his butcher to freeze and vacuum pack T-bone steaks for him for to give to his friends in Manila. Fortunately for us (unfortunately for him) he was not able to check all of them in. He had to leave behind approximately 5 kilos of steak.



Apart from the normal steak and potatoes I’ve used T-bone for stir fries, stews and all sorts of beef dishes. But one that stands out is the Pinoy Bistek.



I’m not a fan of fusion cuisine (western ingredients cooked Asian/eastern style or the other way around) but bistek, in my opinion, is a good example of how it can probably work.



This dish also does not require a lot of ingredients and is quite simple to cook. And because of this the quality of the ingredients is even more pertinent.


Here’s how I prepare mine:

T-bone Bistek ala Kidapawan

2 fairly thick cuts of T-bone steak
Juice of one lime (I prefer calamansi but there were none available)
4-5 tablespoons of soy sauce
3 tablespoons of oil
3 large Spanish onions sliced into rings (if you like onions just add more)
Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Sirloin is more commonly used for this dish but since T-bone is what we have you need to de-bone the steaks then sliced into fairly thin pieces (the thinner the quicker to cook). Marinate the beef pieces in 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and juice of half a lime. Leave for about half an hour.
2. Heat up a little bit of oil using a pan with a fairly thick base. Sear the marinated beef a few pieces at a time to avoid steaming the meat. You probably need only 30 seconds each side. Set aside the seared meat.
3. Cook half the onion rings in the same pan (if you don’t like the taste of raw onions add them all instead of just half). Add a bit more oil if necessary. Wait until the onions start to caramelise. 4. Add the seared meat back in the pan. Add the remaining soy sauce, lime juice and black pepper and cook for another 2 minutes.
5. Add the remaining onion rings just before serving.
6. Serve with jasmine rice or roast potatoes.