How to make Filipino-American style Bistek

I am an American who has been married to a Filipina for over twelve years. One of my favorite filipino dishes that I love to cook is Filipino Bistek. Which is similar to Chinese Pepper Steak. However, this is my Americanized version that I have adapted because of local ingredients available to me, and what I think will better fit my taste.

Time

Prep: 10 minutes
Soak: 30 minutes
Cook: 20 minutes
Rest: 20 minutes

Tools

Stove
Large pan or wok with lid.
Large serving spoon.

Ingredients

1 ½ pound of thin sliced top round beef
1 pound of mini sweet peppers sliced into halves
1 medium-sized yellow onion sliced into quarters.
1 tablespoon of minced garlic
1 tablespoon of minced onion
2 tablespoons of sesame seed oil
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 teaspoon of onion powder
1 teaspoon of whole black peppercorn
1 teaspoon of lime juice
⅔ cup of soy sauce
⅔ cup of distilled white vinegar
½ cup of sugar
2 cups of water
Pinch of black pepper
Pinch of salt

Substitutions

Mini sweet peppers: red, orange, & yellow sweet bell peppers sliced into quarters.
Sugar: is optional.
Sesame seed oil: canola oil.
Lime juice: lemon juice, or calamansi(desired).

Yellow onion: red onion.
Pepper: white pepper for seasoning.
Black peppercorn: white peppercorn.

Servings

About 6 servings

Notes

Be sure to cut the heads off of the peppers and remove any seeds.
White Peppercorn substitute requires almost twice the cooking time.
Mini Sweet Peppers are red, orange, & yellow.
Beef should be sliced to the thickness of a nickel.

Making the marinade

Mix together in a large bowel, the: soy sauce, vinegar, water, sugar, minced garlic, minced onion, peppercorn, garlic powder, onion powder, 1 cup of water, and 1 tablespoon of sesame seed oil.

Adding the beef

Your thin sliced top round beef should already be sliced as thin as a nickel. Further cut the beef into squares about as big as your thumb. Then add the sliced beef to the prepared marinade and let it sit refrigerated for 30 minutes to an hour.

Cooking

Add 1 tablespoon of sesame seed oil to the large pan. Add additional minced onions or minced garlic to sweat in the oil if you desire, which is not necessary for sesame seed oil, but should be considered for canola oil, and cook on low heat. If you are done sweating onions & garlic, or decided to skip it, add 1 cup of water(watch out for splashing & popping), then turn your heat to high. Then add marinanade & beef mix to the pan and stir. Cook for 10 minutes, then add onions and stir. Continue to cook it for 10 more minutes or until the sauce is low & thick.

Then stir in water until the amount of sauce has reached your desired level. Having enough sauce to pour over rice is recommended. Add salt, pepper, and lime juice to taste, or until happy with the flavor.

Finally add sliced mini sweet peppers halves, stir, cover pan, and turn off the heat. Let it rest for about 15 minutes. Do not uncover until it is done resting.

Serve

Serve with about a cup of cooked jasmine rice, either over the top of rice in a bowel, or to the side of rice on a plate. Using a spoon, scoop out some of the sauce and pour over rice if desired. Eat and enjoy!