Beef Tapa

"Tapas" is appetizers in Spanish. However, in Filipino food, it is meat that is cured using salt, similar to American beef jerky. This tapa recipe is more of rice-wine cured rather than salt, however it turned out better and more flavorful than I expected. I also served it with fried rice, egg and tomatoes, as this is how I loved eating it for breakfast.

What you need:

• 0.75 to 1 pound beef, thinly sliced and cut into thin strips
• 6 tablespoons rice wine
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 4 tablespoons sugar
• 1 medium-sized Vidalia onion, chopped
• 5 cloves of garlic, minced finely
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon ground pepper
  
• 1/4 cup of flour
• Vegetable oil for frying

What to do:

Combine the beef, rice wine, soy sauce, sugar, garlic, salt, pepper and flour in a bowl. Cover and marinate for at least one hour, but overnight would be better.

Heat around 1/4 cup of vegetable oil (more or less, depending on the width and size of your wok). Stir the marinade for a bit (as it would have formed clumps due to the flour). When the oil is hot, add the beef strips. Stir often to avoid having the beef strips stick together. Fry until the meat is almost well-done, then add the chopped onions and cook for another 45 seconds, or till the onions are translucent. Scoop out and let the grease drain on a cooling rack. Serve with fried rice, sliced tomatoes and fried egg.

Tips, Tricks and Tweaks:

1. Reduce the amount of rice wine to half if you don't like a strong flavor.
2. Remember - the longer you let it marinate, the more time you are giving the flavors to meld together. So prepare ahead of time!
3. This is traditionally a breakfast meal, but we enjoy it for dinner as well.
4. For dipping sauce - just use vinegar with a little bit of crushed chili pepper.

Let's eat!