"TAPASTEK"

'Tapastek'

Beef Tapa and Bistek Tagalog (or famously known as 'Bistek') are just two of my favorite food to eat.Traditionally, Beef Tapa is a Filipino breakfast best served with sunny side up eggs and garlic rice collectively known as "Tapsilog" But Filipinos, with their love for food, they can have this one breakfast dish any time of the day. Beef Tapa is almost similar to Beef Jerky. Thinly sliced beef cured with salt and dried directly in the sun, though most Filipinos don't do drying because it takes so much time. And then marinated with garlic and soy sauce and then fried to almost a crisp. Bistek on the other hand is beef steak with a Filipino twist. You can search it on google.

We had beef tapa in the fridge and i was craving for bistek. So, I thought, how about mixing them. Besides, bistek is only beef strips cooked in boiling soy sauce mixture with onions and garlic and pepper and brown sugar. And viola! You have Tapastek!

What I did was, since tapa is a little bit firm, I cooked the tapa in oil a little bit until brown on both sides or at least you see some crusts forming. And then I put some water and let it simmer to somehow make the beef tender. Keep adding water until you feel like the meat is tender. You can taste it just to make sure. Then when all the water evaporates, add some more water and then soy sauce and let it boil a little. When it starts boiling turn  the heat to low and add the garlic and the onions. Let it simmer. Add more water if you have to, just a little bit. You can also add a little bit of cornstarch to thicken the sauce. You can even add cream to make it creamy. But it's your choice. And finally, to make it sweet, add about a tablespoon of brown sugar. Brown sugar and not white sugar. 

Then you can now start plating. Enjoy!