Bistek

Slice the beef thinly and marinate it in the soy sauce, lemon (or calamansi) juice and ground black pepper in the fridge for at least 1 hour; overnight gives the best result.

Heat the cooking oil in a pan over medium heat, then fry half of the onions for 2–3 minutes until soft. Set aside.

Drain the beef, keeping the marinade. Fry the beef in the same pan over medium-high heat for 1 minute per side. Remove from the pan and set aside.

Add more oil if needed. Sauté the garlic and the remaining raw onions over medium heat for 2–3 minutes until the onion softens.

Pour in the reserved marinade and the water and bring to a full boil; boiling the raw-meat marinade makes it safe to use as sauce.

Add the beef. Cover the pan and simmer over low heat for 20–30 minutes until the meat is tender, adding water as needed.

Season with ground black pepper and salt as needed. Top with the pan-fried onions.

Transfer to a serving plate and serve hot.