Tapsilog

Ingredients

Tapa

• 700 gbeef sirloin or flank, sliced very thin
• 6 clovesgarlic, crushed
• 4 tbspsoy sauce
• 3 tbspcalamansi juice, or lemon
• 2 tbspbrown sugar
• 1 tspblack pepper
• 1 tspsalt

Sinangag

• 800 gcooked rice, cold from the fridge, at least a day old
• 8 clovesgarlic, finely chopped
• 3 tbspoil
• salt

Itlog

• 4eggs
• oil, for frying

To serve

• spiced vinegar with garlic and chilli
• sliced tomato
• atchara, pickled papaya

Directions

1. Slice the beef very thin, about 3 mm, across the grain. Cutting across the grain shortens the fibres, which is what makes thin beef tender rather than stringy. Mix the soy, calamansi, sugar, garlic, pepper and salt and work it into the meat with your hands. It keeps a week refrigerated and freezes well, which is why households make a large batch.
2. Use cold rice at least a day old, straight from the fridge. Fresh warm rice is too moist and it clumps into a sticky mass in the pan, which is the single commonest failure. Break the cold rice up with your hands before it goes anywhere near heat.
3. Fry half the chopped garlic slowly in oil until golden and crisp, then lift it out and set it aside. Watch it closely, since garlic goes from golden to burnt and bitter in seconds.
4. Fry the remaining garlic briefly, then add the rice to the hot garlic oil. Toss it over a high heat for 5 minutes, breaking up any clumps. Use a wide pan and a high heat so the rice fries rather than steams.
5. Season it with salt and keep it moving. Now fry the tapa in a very hot pan. Cook it in a hot dry pan or with a very little oil, in a single layer. Cook it fast over a high heat and take it out while the edges are caramelised and the middle still tender. Do not crowd the pan, which steams it grey.
6. Fry it in hot oil so the white is crisp and lacy at the edges and the yolk stays completely runny. Spoon hot oil over the white rather than turning it, which sets the top while leaving the yolk liquid.
7. Scatter the reserved crisp garlic over the rice. Serve a small dish of spiced vinegar alongside. Add sliced tomato and atchara. Serve it immediately, and eat it by breaking the yolk over everything.

Technique

• The silog suffix now covers dozens of combinations.
• Tapa keeps a week refrigerated and freezes well.
• Silog joints are open around the clock in Manila.

Substitutions

• Lemon or lime in place of calamansi.
• Any thin-sliced beef, cured the same way.

Variations

• Tocilog, with sweet cured pork.
• Longsilog, with Filipino sausage.
• Bangsilog, with fried milkfish.

History

Portmanteau of tapa, sinangag and itlog; the silog naming pattern spread through Manila’s late-night eateries from the 1980s.

Frequently asked questions

What is Tapsilog?

Tapsilog is a breakfast from Philippines: cured beef tapa with garlic fried rice and runny egg. Portmanteau of tapa, sinangag and itlog; the silog naming pattern spread through Manila’s late-night eateries from the 1980s.

How long does Tapsilog take to make?

Tapsilog takes 20 min plus overnight curing of preparation and 20 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Tapsilog?

Yes, within limits. Lemon or lime in place of calamansi. Any thin-sliced beef, cured the same way.

What is the most important thing to get right in Tapsilog?

Slice the beef very thin, about 3 mm, across the grain. Cutting across the grain shortens the fibres, which is what makes thin beef tender rather than stringy. Mix the soy, calamansi, sugar, garlic, pepper and salt and work it into the meat with your hands. It keeps a week refrigerated and freezes well, which is why households make a large batch.