Beef Salpicao Recipe (2024)

What is Beef Salpicao?

Beef Salpicao is a Filipino stir-fry that highlights the rich flavors of beef and garlic. It involves quickly searing or stir-frying tender beef cubes, usually sirloin or tenderloin, then seasoning them with a blend of sauces that may include soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce (or Maggi/Knorr seasonings), and sometimes oyster sauce.

This dish is enjoyed as an appetizer or main dish served with steamed white rice. For added texture and taste, it's often garnished with toasted garlic bits on top. Some versions might also include mushrooms or bell peppers.

Ingredients you'll need

Notes and substitutions

• Beef: Choose tender cuts suitable for cubing and quick cooking. Beef tenderloin (or filet mignon) is a prime cut that is the most tender. Ribeye steak and boneless short ribs are flavorful with good marbling. Sirloin steak (top sirloin) or strip steak (New York strip) are good options, too.
• Seasonings: Salpicao is all about beef and garlic flavor. Besides soy sauce, I used a combination of oyster sauce and Worcestershire for a deeper umami flavor with a hint of sweetness and tanginess. Alternatively, you can use oyster sauce with Knorr or Maggi seasoning.
• Paprika: To add a bit of color and a mild, smoky flavor without adding too much heat, use paprika (also sweet paprika) or smoked paprika.

How to make this recipe

Step 1: Prepare the beef. Cut 1 pound of beef into 1-inch cubes. Season them lightly with salt and pepper, then set aside for seasoning to settle.

Step 2: Prepare the sauce. In a bowl, combine 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (or Knorr/Maggi seasoning), 1 teaspoon sugar, and ½ teaspoon paprika. Set it aside for later.

Step 4: Prepare the pan. In the same skillet or wok with the residual garlic-infused oil, increase the heat to high. Add 2 tablespoons of butter and swirl it around the pan until melted.

Step 6: Return the meat to the pan. If you seared the meat in batches, make sure to add all the pieces back in at this point.

Step 7: Add the sauce. Reduce the heat to medium-high. Pour in the prepared sauce, stirring to coat the meat evenly. Add ground black pepper as desired.

Step 8: Add the garlic. Stir in half of the fried garlic. Transfer to a serving dish once the beef is cooked to your desired doneness.

Top your Beef Salpicao with fried garlic slices and chopped chives or scallions. Enjoy it with steamed rice, Sinangag, or Java Rice for a complete Filipino dining experience.

Recipe FAQs

Try these other Filipino classics

• Adobo: A savory pork dish braised in vinegar, soy sauce, garlic, and bay leaves. Chicken Adobo and Adobong Puti are delicious variations.
• Kare-Kare: A rich peanut-based stew typically made with oxtail, tripe, and/or other beef cuts, with vegetables like eggplant, yardlong beans, and banana blossoms.
• Bicol Express: A spicy dish with pork cooked in coconut milk with chili peppers and shrimp paste.
• Binagoongan: A pork stew cooked with shrimp paste (bagoong), and may include coconut milk. Eggplant and chili peppers are optional ingredients.
• Sisig: Traditionally, it's a dish of chopped pig's face, seasoned with calamansi, onions, and chilies, then served on a sizzling hot plate. Tofu and Bangus Sisig are meat-free alternatives.
• Bistek Tagalog: A pan-seared beef steak dish marinated in soy sauce and calamansi, cooked with plenty of onions. Bangus ala Pobre is a similar dish made with milkfish.
• Caldereta: A beef or goat stew in a tomato-based sauce with liver spread, potatoes, and bell peppers. Chicken Caldereta is a delicious variation.

Other beef recipes you may like

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