Name: PORK BELLY BISTEK
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 15 min
Yield: 3 -4 servings
Ingredients: 500 grams thinly sliced pork belly; 1 teaspoon cooking oil; 2 red or yellow onions (sliced into rings, divided); 2 cloves garlic (sliced); 1/2 cup water; 2 cloves garlic (minced); 1/4 cup soy sauce (you can use light or dark); 1 tablespoon oyster sauce (optional); 1/4 cup calamansi juice; ground black pepper (to taste)

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Thin strips of pork belly strip cooked “bistek” style. What makes this different from all other savory Filipino dishes? The flavorful and citrusy sauce which comes from calamansi (or calamondin) and the sharp, pungent onion flavor. So good!

Filipino Style Pork Steak

Bistek means beef steak in Filipino. A term we use for our version of steak. The usual substitute for beef when making bistek are pork chops but today we will be using pork belly.

Tender, fatty (there is just no other word for it) and flavorful bistek. Yum! So good with rice!

Filipino Bistek Ingredients

pork
soy sauce
calamansi
garlic
oyster sauce (optional)
onions

Pork Belly Bistek

Looking for more Filipino recipes? Try these out!

Sear the meat in a little oil after marinating to develop more flavor. Doing this will also help bring out the excess fat which you can discard before making the sauce.

For the onion essence to stand out, add it raw just as you finish cooking. Let the excess heat steam the onion, maybe for a minute or less and then serve.

Filipino style Pork Steak rice bowl

Sometimes I even just put raw onions on top of my rice bowl to have that salad-like flavor.

Watch the video on how to make Pork Belly Bistek

Print Recipe

PORK BELLY BISTEK

Thin strips of pork belly strips cooked “bistek” style. What makes this different from all other savory Filipino dishes? The flavorful and citrusy sauce which comes from calamansi (or calamondin) and the sharp, pungent onion flavor.

Prep Time10 mins

Cook Time15 mins

Marination30 mins

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Filipino

Keyword: filipino bistek

Servings: 3 -4 servings

Author: Mella

Ingredients

500 grams thinly sliced pork belly
1 teaspoon cooking oil
2 red or yellow onions sliced into rings, divided
2 cloves garlic sliced
1/2 cup water

Bistek Marinade

2 cloves garlic minced
1/4 cup soy sauce you can use light or dark
1 tablespoon oyster sauce optional
1/4 cup calamansi juice
ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

In a bowl, combine all ingredients of the marinade. Mix well then add it to the pork belly strips. Marinate for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Remove the pork from the marinade. Sear in a hot pan with a little oil until it turns light brown or slightly caramelized. Do this in batches. Do not overcrowd the pan. Leave about 2 teaspoons of oil in the pan and discard (or keep it for later use) excess fat.
Stir-fry 1/4 cup of the onions and garlic until translucent. Add the marinade and water. Let it simmer for a minute then add back the pork. Lower the heat, cover with a lid and slowly cook until pork is tender. Season with black pepper. Taste test, adjust seasoning as needed. Add more calamansi juice or soy sauce if preferred.
Set heat to low or turn it off then add the remaining onion. Stir until onions are coated with the sauce. Serve with a warm bowl of rice. Enjoy!

Notes

Sear the meat in batches. Do not overcrowd the pan. This will help retain the heat of the pan, making the caramelization easier.
Discard excess fat or keep it for later use, up to you!
If you don't like raw onions, let the excess heat steam it before serving.
Oyster sauce elevates the over all flavor, but it's totally optional.
Other meat cut options for bistek are pork chop and pork shoulder. Both are tougher cuts so you will need more water and longer cooking time to tenderize.

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