This Pork Bistek Tagalog Recipe is tender, savoury, and has a zesty flavour. Featuring tender pork chops with sweet and tangy sauce. They are simple and easy to make for a quick meal.
You might want to try these pork recipes that everyone loves. Air Fryer Pork Chops, Filipino Bbq Skewers, Tonkatsu Pork Chops, Air Fryer Crispy Pata.
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What is Bistek Tagalog mean?
"Bistek" is a popular Filipino dish that consists of thinly sliced beef, however you can also use other meat such as pork or chicken. It's then marinated with soy sauce and calamansi juice. And pan-fried or simmered until perfectly cooked and top with sliced onions.
"Tagalog" refers to the Tagalog language, which is one of the major languages spoken in the Philippines. The Bistek Tagalog Pork is a specialty dish from the Tagalog-region of the Philippines.
In Filipino cuisine, another term of Pork Bistek is Pork Steak, they are often used interchangeably to refer to the same dish and cooking method with the same ingredients.
Ingredients Needed
- Pork Slices: Pork sirloin or pork belly. Slicing them thinly helps absorb the marinade better.
- Marinade: The marinade consists of soy sauce, calamansi juice or lemon juice, minced garlic, black pepper and sugar.
- Calamansi or Lemon juice: A key ingredient for its unique tangy flavor, but if it's not available, you can use freshly squeezed lemon juice as a substitute.
- Onions: White, yellow or red works fine. This adds sweetness to Pork Bistek recipe.
- Oil: Any neutral cooking oil like canola or vegetable.
How to make Pork Bistek Tagalog Recipe
Step 1. Marinate the Pork. In a bowl, add pork, soy sauce, calamansi juice or lemon juice, minced garlic, black pepper and sugar. Mix until well combined.
Step 2. Sear Pork. In medium heat pan, heat oil. Sear the pork for about 2-3 minutes on each side, or until nicely browned and cooked through. Remove the pork from the pan and set aside.
Step 3. Make the sauce. In the same pan, sautè chopped onions. Pour the reserved marinade into the pan with the sautéed onions. Simmer for few minutes until sauce thickens.
Step 4. Add seared pork. Return the seared pork slices to the pan. Toss everything together to coat the pork with the sauce and onions. Add onion slices, cover and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.
Cooking Tips
- Slice pork thinly (if not using pork chops) to absorbs the flavour of marinade. Pork sirloin or pork belly are commonly used for Pork Bistek due to their tenderness and flavor.
- Allow pork to marinate for at least 30 minutes. You can also marinate up to 3 hours for extra flavour.
- Avoid over crowding the pan when searing the pork.
- Make sure to reserved the marinade sauce of the pork. The sauce will be used later.
- Cut onion into rings for toppings also for more flavour.
Serving
You can served your Pork Chops Bistek/Pork Steak Pinoy with generous amount of steamed rice. The sweet and tangy sauce compliments well with rice. Be prepared for extra rice!
Storing
To store leftovers, allow pork steaks to cool down completely. Once cooled down, transfer to an airtight container to prevent any moisture. Store in the fridge for 3-4 days.
Reheating
To reheat, you can use a microwave or a stovetop. If using the microwave, cover the dish with a microwave-safe cover to prevent splattering. If using the stovetop, reheat gently over medium heat, adding a little water or broth to prevent drying out.
Recipe FAQ'S
Absolutely! You can use substitute calamansi juice for lemon juice.
Yes, marinating pork longer such as 2-3 hours will help absorb the flavour. However, make sure to avoid marinating longer as the texture and taste will change due to acidic exposure of the lemon juice.
Yes, it's then added or used to create the sauce for our filipino-style pork steak.
More Filipino Recipes
Pork Bistek Tagalog Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 lb. pork chops about ¼ inch thick
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- ¼ cup soy sauce low sodium
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2-3 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon oil
- 1 large onion half chopped and half sliced into rings.
- ½ cup water
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch dissolved with water
- salt to taste
Instructions
- In a bowl, add pork, soy sauce, calamansi juice (or lemon juice), minced garlic, and ground black pepper and sugar. Mix until well combined. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
- In a large pan or skillet, heat the cooking oil over medium-high heat.
- Remove the pork slices from the marinade, allowing excess marinade to drip off. Reserve the marinade for later.
- Add the pork slices to the pan in a single layer, ensuring they're not overcrowded. Sear the pork for about 2-3 minutes on each side, or until nicely browned and cooked through. Remove the pork from the pan and set aside.
- In the same pan, add the chopped onions. Sauté the onions until they become soft and slightly caramelized. This should take about 2-3 minutes.
- Pour the reserved marinade into the pan with the sautéed onions.Add ½ of water and cornstarch. Let it simmer for a few minutes until it reduces slightly and thickens.
- Return the seared pork slices to the pan with the sauce and onions. Toss everything together to coat the pork with the sauce and onions.
- Add sliced onion rings. Season with salt to taste. Cover the lid and let it cook for an additional 1-2 minutes.
- Transfer the Pork Bistek Tagalog to a serving platter. Served with rice and garnish with chopped green onions and enjoy!
Notes
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- Slice pork thinly, (if not using pork chops)to absorbs the flavour of marinade. Pork sirloin or pork belly are commonly used for Pork Bistek due to their tenderness and flavor.
- Bone in pork chops or boneless works fine for this recipe. About ¼ inch thick.
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- Allow pork to marinate for at least 30 minutes. You can also marinate up to 3 hours for extra flavour.
-
- Avoid over crowding the pan when searing the pork.
-
- Make sure to reserved the marinade sauce of the pork. The sauce will be used later.
-
- Cut onion into rings for toppings also for more flavour.
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