Instead of buying this meal outside, in carinderias or in your nearest local restaurants, why not make this scrumptious Beef Tapa at home?
It will taste more delicious and it will be more rewarding since, after all, who cooks their own meal and is not impressed by its taste anyway? All kidding aside, this recipe is sure to help you make a super yummy beef tapa and will help impress your family or your friends.
Continue to read the article below to see some tips and some trivia about this popular dish.
What is Beef Tapa?
Beef tapa is a type of cured meat which involves marinating the meat usually in soy sauce, lemon (or calamansi) juice, sugar, plus other common spices and seasonings such as salt and pepper.
Traditionally, the process involves curing the meat and then drying it afterwards, and some other methods also include smoking it. But nowadays, the modern way of making the beef tapa is by curing it and skipping the drying part.
Tapsilog
The beef tapa is well known for being a part of the all-star breakfast combo–the Tapsilog. Tapsilog is actually a combination of three words, which are the three ingredients or three types of food that makes up the meal–tapa, sinangag, itlog, which means beef tapa, fried rice, and egg.
You can find this meal almost everywhere, especially in local restaurants which serve breakfast meals and in carinderias.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Beef
For this recipe, we will be using the sirloin cut. You can easily find this in markets and grocery stores, plus it is also effortless to prepare making it beginner friendly. For more notes on beef cuts, see the section below.
Soy Sauce
We will use soy sauce to brine the meat and boost the savory flavors of this dish
Acid
For the acid component of the dish, we will be using vinegar for this recipe. However, you can also use fruit juices like lemon. In case you do not have lemons available with you or you can’t find it anywhere near you, a good alternative for it is calamansi juice, just extract them until you get about 1/3 cup of juice.
Sugar
We will use regular white sugar for this recipe but you can also use the less refined washed sugar. Sugar balances the acid in this dish and caramelizes the meat as well.
Garlic
Garlic is a very important flavor in this dish and you can go with as many as you like. I recommend that you go for fresh ones instead of powder.
Aside from these, we will also be using other regular pantry ingredients like black pepper and cooking oil. If you are filling up your pantry, here’s a handy shopping guide:
Best Beef Cuts For Tapa
When picking the best beef cuts for beef tapa, you need to go for tender cuts which marinates well. Here are some suggestions:
- sirloin steak
- flank steak
- flat iron steak
- chuck steak
- ribeye steak
- tenderloin steak
Equipment You’ll Need
- Frying Pan- To cook your cured beef tapa, you will simply be pan frying it and you’ll be needing a medium sized frying pan or skillet.
In need of kitchen tools and equipment? Read this before you buy:
How to Cook Beef Tapa
Cooking the beef tapa can be quite a pressure since it is one of the most famous dishes here in the Philippines and everyone’s expecting that every beef tapa they taste is the absolute best. Don’t worry at all because this recipe is sure to be tasty and it is quite easy to grasp even for a beginner, so let’s get started.
To start the procedure of making the beef tapa, there are two major processes that you need to do. This will make it easier for you to visualize once you’re about to make it.
First, you have to mix the ingredients and make it into a marinade, we will soak the beef sirloin here and we will leave it there overnight.
Second process is, you have to cook the marinated beef. It is a pretty straightforward task of frying, so do not fret about it.
All you have to think about after cooking it is what to partner the beef tapa with! It is nice to eat with fried garlic rice so maybe you can do that too. By the way, you can also make use of pork meat, try our pork tapa recipe!
This recipe also includes a video below. You can also visit our Youtube Channel for more recipes!
Cooking Tips
- To ensure that the meat is cooked inside and out, make sure that the slices of the beef are thin. This will make it easier for the heat to go through the insides of the meat and it will result in a much juicier and tender tapa.
- A popular technique for easier slicing is to partially freeze the meat first before you slice.
- Do not marinate the beef for more than a day because it might break down the meat in undesirable ways since some of the ingredients may be too acidic if left for more than the time recommended. So just give enough time in advance when you want to prepare and make a delicious beef tapa.
- Taste the marinade first before adding the meat. Different brands of ingredients may differ in taste.
- If your pan is too small for the recipe, cook in batches and don’t overcrowd to avoid overcooking.
How to Serve Beef Tapa
You may serve this with freshly cooked white rice but beef tapa is best served tapsilog style. You can even add more to this trio by adding atsara (pickles) and slice tomatoes. And while you’re at it, complete your meal with some hot choco or coffee! By the way, beef tapa is also served with a vinegar dipping sauce at the side.
How to Store Beef Tapa
Since beef tapa is a cured meat dish, you can store a large batch and cook what you will consume for the day. This way, you can have freshly cooked beef tapa everytime. Store marinated beef tapa in the refrigerator for up to a week or in the freezer for up to to months.
When ready to cook, refer to the frying part of our recipe.
Other Breakfast Recipes
For a quick reference about this recipe, see the recipe table below:
Homemade Beef Tapa Recipe
Equipment
- Frying Pan
Ingredients
- 600 g (1.3 lbs) beef sirloin, cut into thin strips
- 1 head garlic, minced
- 2 tbsp (25 g) sugar
- 1 tsp (2.33 g) black pepper
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) soy sauce
- 1/3 cup (80 ml) vinegar, (or lemon/ calamansi juice)
- 1/2 cup water, for cooking
- 2 tbsp cooking oil, for frying
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add-in the beef strips.
- Add-in the black pepper and the minced garlic.
- Massage the ingredients into the beef and make sure it is evenly distributed.
- Add-in the sugar, vinegar (or lemon/calamansi juice), and the soy sauce.
- Mix the ingredients well and make sure the beef is completely soaked in the marinade.
- Cover the bowl and refrigerate for 12 hours or overnight.
- When ready to cook, heat up a frying pan.
- When hot enough, add-in the marinated beef.
- Pour-in the water and cover the pan for about 5 minutes.
- Remove the cover and continue cooking until water is reduced.
- Once water is about to dry, add-in the cooking oil and cooking until the beef is browned.
- Remove from heat and serve with garlic rice and fried egg, enjoy!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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