Beef Tapa Recipe
Thin slices of beef marinated in lemon juice, soy sauce, sugar and garlic
Beef Tapa has since been made popular by the Filipino breakfast TAPSILOG - a combination plate of TAPa, SInangang(Fried Rice) and ItLOG(Egg). It is served with a side of sliced tomato or a spicy vinegar dipping sauce.
Tapa is the term used to refer to salted, then dried meat. The meat may either be cured or uncured.
Cured tapa uses salitre or saltpeter. This gives the meat it's red color. Saltpeter, a common ingredient found in commercially cured meats, is used for food preservation... not really a very appetizing additive to put in your food especially once you find out it's other uses. See Wikipedia.com for more information on saltpeter.
So, I suggest that you make your own Beef Tapa without using any preservatives, and enjoy knowing that the meal you are serving your family is saltpeter-free.
For this recipe, I like using lemon juice and adding soy sauce for color, sugar to cut the tartness of the lemon and a whole lot of garlic. The original recipe is Calamansi juice but it's not readily available here in NJ. Calamansi is somewhat similar to Key Lime, which is just as hard to find around here.
YOUR BEEF TAPA SHOPPING LIST:
Beef - Round or Chuck or any lean cut
Whole Lemons or Lemon Juice
IN THE PANTRY:
Soy Sauce
Sugar
Garlic
Black Pepper
Cooking Oil
INGREDIENTS
2 pounds beef round or chuck, sliced thinly against the grain
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/3 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 head garlic, minced
Canola or any cooking oil for frying
1 Mix together all the ingredients except the cooking oil. Blend well to coat beef thoroughly with the liquids and seasonings.
2 Cover and let marinate inside the refrigerator for minimum of 4 hours, or even overnight.
3 To cook, drain first the excess...