#91

My wife absolutely loves my version of beef tapa (though more salpicao than tapa, to be honest), the cooking technique of which I learned from my eldest brother. He used to marinate meat using only random condiments he finds in the refrigerator.

Recipe: You marinate the beef (preferably sirloin) with soy sauce, oyster sauce, garlic powder, ground black pepper, a squeeze of lemon, liquid seasoning, MSG, and if you want it spicy, a toss or two of cayenne. I also recently added cornstarch to the marinade since it helps against overcooking (something I learned from watching Chinese cooking on Youtube). There's no measurement here, just use your heart, but the general tip is to not drown your meat in soy sauce. It will also help make the gravy less salty. Marinate the meat for around two to three hours.

It is very important to cut the beef to small chunks, almost little dice or samgyupsal slices, since we're going to flash cook them for four or five minutes. Do not overcook and do not use butter for frying if you plan to cook in batches. Recently, I have been using an air fryer where I cook it at 100 degrees Celcius for 10 minutes. If you have a good air fryer, maybe 5-7 minutes is enough. I bought mine cheap and cooking takes a little bit more time.

For gravy, I boil the leftover marinade, use cornstarch slurry to thicken it, and add water to the level of saltiness I want.

That's it! I also use the same technique with pork chops except I add ketchup to the marinade.