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Photograph by Isa Zapata.  Food Styling by Cyd McDowell.  Prop Styling by Paige Hicks

Tapsilog, a popular Filipino meal, is a portmanteau of the dish’s three components: tapa (beef), sinangag (garlic fried rice), and itlog (fried egg). It’s one of many variations of silog (garlic fried rice plus fried egg), others of which include tosilog (made with pork), bangsilog (fish), and Spamsilog (Spam).

Tapa has origins in the pre-refrigeration era, when it was cured and dried in a fashion similar to beef jerky as a means of preservation, but today the meat is most often marinated before being fried or grilled. There are countless ways to make the marinade and prepare the protein (read more about silog and its variations here!), but the method below is my personal favorite.

While my recipe is fairly straightforward, there are a few ways to ensure a great result. First, make sure that the garlic in the tapa marinade is coarsely—not finely—chopped; otherwise, it will burn in the hot oil. Second, really drain the marinade from the beef (I like to press it firmly against a fine-mesh sieve to get rid of as much liquid as possible). Third, have a pair of long tongs handy when you start frying, as the oil will splatter when the meat cooks and you’ll want to stand back. Though silog is traditionally served for breakfast—occasionally alongside spicy vinegar, fresh tomato, cucumber, or atchara (a kind of pickled papaya)—it makes a savory, satisfying meal any time of day. —Arlyn Osborne

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What you’ll need

Ingredients

4 servings

tapa

1

lb. sirloin, thinly sliced against the grain into bite-size strips

6

garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

cup (packed) light brown sugar

¼

cup low-sodium soy sauce

1

Tbsp. distilled white vinegar

1

Tbsp. cornstarch

½

tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

½

tsp. freshly ground black pepper

¼

tsp. kosher salt

¼

cup vegetable oil

assembly

4

cups chilled leftover cooked jasmine rice

1

tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, plus more

¼

cup (or more) vegetable oil

12

garlic cloves, finely chopped

4

large eggs

Preparation

  1. tapa

    Step 1

    Pat beef dry with paper towels. Whisk garlic, brown sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, cornstarch, red pepper flakes, black pepper, and salt in a medium bowl. Add beef to marinade and toss well to coat. Cover and chill at least 6 hours and up to 1 day.

    Step 2

    Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over high. Drain beef in a sieve, letting as much excess marinade drip off as possible. Add half of beef to skillet, arranging in a single layer and cook, turning halfway through, until beef is cooked through and deeply browned in spots, about 3 minutes (be careful; the marinade will splatter). Transfer beef to a plate. Discard any garlic remaining in pan and repeat process with remaining beef. Keep warm. Clean skillet and set aside.

  2. assembly

    Step 3

    Place rice in a large bowl and break up with a rubber spatula. Stir in 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt; set aside.

    Step 4

    Heat oil in reserved skillet over medium-low. Cook garlic, stirring occasionally, until golden brown and crisp, about 5 minutes. Drain garlic in a fine-mesh sieve set over a small bowl; transfer to a small plate.

    Step 5

    Pour 2 Tbsp. garlic oil back into skillet and heat over medium-high. Add reserved rice mixture and stir to coat in oil. Cook, stirring occasionally, until heated through, about 5 minutes. Set 1 Tbsp. fried garlic aside for serving and stir remaining fried garlic into rice. Transfer to a bowl and keep warm.

    Step 6

    Heat remaining garlic oil in the same skillet over medium-high (you should have 2 Tbsp.; add vegetable oil to make up the difference if needed). Crack eggs into skillet and season with salt. Cook until whites are almost set, about 2 minutes. Carefully tilt skillet so oil pools on one side. Spoon oil over egg whites until fully set, about 1 minute.

    Step 7

    Divide rice mixture, meat, and eggs among plates and top with reserved fried garlic.

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  • I had some sirloin to make beef stroganoff on this icy Texas day, but saw this recipe and quickly changed my mind. And we are SO glad I did! This is incredible. My son says it is his favorite new meal. These eggs are - just- my goodness, the bottom of them is amazing. The whole meal is amazing. Two people, no leftovers (except rice) I AM watching my figure lol. MAKE THIS NOW!

    • Alohalife

    • Austin TX

    • 2/4/2022

  • Pretty good. Followed the recipe but didn't fry the meat- instead used skewers on a foil-covered sheet under the broiler to avoid extra oil and spatter. Added slivered red onion to the marinade and skewers. Without the nostalgia-tradition of Filipino breakfast, instead making this for casual dinner in freezing-fog Oregon, I added Tajin (lime-chile salt) for acidity and wished I had some bitter greens to balance the sweetness. I might make again with less sugar. The garlic rice I'll definitely make again, with gratitude. Hey, BA, when are you going to show real measures for garlic, like "2 tsp finely-chopped" instead of '4 cloves' which could be anywhere from 1-5 tsp? Yes, cooking is an art. It's also a science.

    • troutapple

    • Tucson

    • 1/29/2022

  • SO. Damn. Delicious!!! Thank you!

    • MaryDT

    • Kenmore WA

    • 1/29/2022

  • An old time favorite…always delicious! Very easy to cook and may be eaten any time of the day! (BTW, 👍 Filipinx)

    • Tess Lain

    • Hawaii

    • 1/25/2022

  • FILIPINO. Stop trying to make Filipinx happen. The language is gender-neutral. 🙄

    • Filipino NOT Filipinx

    • Manila

    • 1/22/2022

  • This was oh so scrumptious. We can eat this every day. Thanks BA!

    • Anonymous

    • Germany

    • 1/20/2022