Tapsilog

Ingredients

• 600 g beef sirloin or flank, sliced 5 mm thick against the grain
• 4 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 tbsp calamansi juice, or 2 tbsp lemon juice mixed with 1 tbsp lime juice
• 3 tbsp dark brown sugar
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp coarsely cracked black pepper
• 1 tsp fine salt
• 5 tbsp neutral oil, plus extra for the eggs
• 4 cups cold day-old cooked rice
• 1 whole head garlic, cloves peeled and thinly sliced
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup atchara (pickled green papaya), to serve
• Cane vinegar, to serve

Before you cook

• Slice the beef 5 mm thick, cutting across the grain so the strips stay tender.
• Mince 6 garlic cloves and thinly slice the whole head of garlic separately.
• Squeeze and strain the calamansi juice.
• Break up the cold rice with wet hands until no clumps remain.
• Marinate the beef the night before if you can; six hours is the minimum for the cure to take.

Steps

1. Put the sliced beef in a bowl with the soy sauce, calamansi juice, brown sugar, minced garlic, cracked pepper and salt.
2. Massage the marinade into the beef with your hands for a full minute so every strip is coated.
3. Cover the bowl and refrigerate it for at least six hours, or overnight for a deeper cure.
4. Lift the beef into a sieve set over a bowl and let it drain for five minutes, keeping the marinade that collects.
5. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a wide frying pan over medium-high heat until it shimmers.
6. Lay the beef in the pan in a single uncrowded layer and fry it for 2 minutes without moving it.
7. Turn each strip and fry the second side for 2 minutes, until the edges catch and darken.
8. Pour in 4 tablespoons of the reserved marinade and let it bubble for 1 minute until it glazes the meat.
9. Move the tapa to a warm plate and cover it loosely with foil.
10. Wipe the pan clean, add the remaining 3 tablespoons of oil and set it over medium heat.
11. Add the sliced garlic and cook it for about 3 minutes, stirring, until it turns pale gold.
12. Scoop out half the garlic with a slotted spoon and drain it on kitchen paper for the garnish.
13. Tip the loosened rice into the garlicky oil and press it flat against the pan.
14. Toss and press the rice for 4 to 5 minutes until it is hot through and lightly toasted, then salt it to taste.
15. Fry the eggs in a separate hot, oiled pan for about 2 minutes, until the whites are set and lacy at the edges but the yolks still move.
16. Divide the garlic rice between four plates and set the tapa and a fried egg alongside.
17. Scatter the reserved crisp garlic over the rice and serve with atchara and a small dish of cane vinegar.