Bisteak is a super simple dish similar to adobo in a lot of sense. This rich yet uncomplicated dish is truly a comfort food.
You can substitute achote seeds with achote powder if you want instant gratification. But achote seeds are not that hard to work with.
Just soak them in a cup of boiling water. Once cool, rub seeds to the sides of the cup with the back of a spoon. Filter colored water into a cup and add some more boiling water to the seeds. Soak them for a few more minutes and get some more water out of it. That’s it, achote water is ready to go into your sizzling sauce. Simple right?
Now lets dive into the recipe. 🙂
Chamorro Bisteak
By Published: June 12, 2017
- Yield: 4 Servings
- Prep: 2 hrs 0 min
- Cook: 30 mins
- Ready In: 2 hrs 30 mins
Bisteak is a super simple dish similar to adobo in a lot of sense. This rich yet uncomplicated dish is truly a comfort food. You …
Ingredients
- 1/2 lb boneless beef. I used chuck roast today slice them into thin strips. i get mine sliced when i buy them
- 1 cup green beans/ carrots blanched (optional)
- 3 stalks green onion
- 1 cup fresh green peas i used frozen
- 2 tbsp beef bullion powder
- Salt to taste
- 2 tbsp oil
- Marinade:
- 1 cup onion sliced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 1/2 inch piece fresh ginger dice them into chunks
- 2 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp pepper powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 3/4 cup light soy sauce
- 1 cup White vinegar I like my sauce tangy so i add more vinegar than soy. Please adjust according to your taste
- 1 tbsp chamorro chili paste add more if you like it spicier
Instructions
Soak achote seeds in boiling water.
Crush them with the back of a spoon to extract as much color/flavor. Filter, discard seeds and save the water.
Take all of the marinating ingredients in a bowl.
Mix them together to make marinade.
Add beef and marinate in refrigerator for at least 2 hours. If you don't have time to marinate, that's ok don't worry.
To Blanch the veggies:
Bring a medium pot of water with a tbsp of salt to a rolling boil.
Drop beans and carrots and let them cook in boiling water.
As soon as they are cooked enough (about 3 minutes), filter and transfer veggies to prepared bowl of ice cold water.
:- This would stop veggies from cooking further and they stay fresh in the sauce.
Heat oil in a pan and add onion, garlic, white part of green onion and ginger. Saute till they start turning golden.
:- At this point you can pick out ginger if you don't want them in your sauce. 
Now pick out meat from marinade and add them to onion mixture. Cook on high until meat is well cooked.
Save marinade for later.
Beef will release water. So keep cooking, stirring every now and then.
In about 8 minutes, all the water will be absorbed.
At this point pour in the marinade, bullion powder and add more water if you like your bisteak saucy and reduce heat to medium.
:- Cook covered since marinade had raw meat in it and it needs to be completely cooked.
Throw in blanched veggies and peas.
Add flour water to the sauce to help thicken it. Do this only if you are making your bisteak saucy.
:- This is a trick we do in india to a dish called potato sagu and i was surprised to see a youtuber using it for biskeak.
Here is the link to his video: 🙂
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovLHViHD1t8
When sauce comes together, throw in green part of green onion.- Serve hot over rice!! 🙂