Two very good friends announced this week that they are expecting! I am so, so very excited for them. These are moms who were pregnant around the same time I was carrying Little MrC. Our older kids are batch 1 of our barkada babies. Now, with the recent delivery of another good friend to her first baby boy, plus those two new ones on the way, batch 2 is officially here!
Part of me is starting to wonder if it’s time for us to have another kid. Believe me when I tell you that a lot of people have been telling us to go for it already, with my grandfather being the most persistent of all. I’m honestly not sure I’m ready for another baby just yet. I can barely make it through the day, drama-free, with my one little boy. Oh my gosh, the thought of having to get up at 5am to cook breakfast and baon while pregnant sounds a little wacko to me. But anyway, I am setting these baby thoughts aside for now to focus on baon, which is what this post is about, anyway.
First, a few adjustments.
I never realized that I could use a WordPress plugin for my recipes until a couple of hours ago. Oh my gosh it makes life so much simpler! So instead of the downloadable PDF recipe, I will now have recipe cards in these cooking at home posts. Super bonus, there is a template that matches my blog look perfectly. It is so meant to be.
Also, last week I said I’d share more seafood recipes, with it being Lent and all. But alas, I realized yesterday that I rarely cook seafood, and already I shared the one fish dish I am confident about last week. So, sorry but this week’s featured recipe is a beef dish. And I promise to prepare more dishes that don’t contain any meat with feet in the coming days so that I will have something to share next week. Anyway for Lent, I am abstaining from meat with feet, so I really do have to figure out what I can cook anyway.
This week’s recipe.
On we go, here is my featured recipe for the week. It’s a beef tapa recipe that was sorta kinda based on my grandmother’s tapa. We can never get it exactly right though, because she buys a certain portion from a certain cut of meat from her one and only supplier, and that’s what makes all the difference. Me, though, I’m happy with any cut of good beef. Just make sure it’s sliced real thin, and there’s a little bit of fat in there.
This is a dry, sweet-salty tapa. I have yet to try making one that’s a little saucy, kinda like Tapa King. If you have a recipe for that kind of tapa, please share! I chose this recipe for the week coz my friend, Jane, requested for it. So yes, I do accept requests! Though it might be a wee bit ambitious right now, but I will definitely try to make whatever it is that you ask for.
- 1/2 kilo Top round beef, sliced super thin
- 1 tablespoon white sugar
- 1/2 tablespoon iodized salt
- 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce
- Cooking oil for frying
- Wash the beef slices well to remove majority of the blood.
- Combine the sugar and the salt and massage the mixture into the beef.
- Add soy sauce for colour.
- Marinade for at least an hour, but best if you could do this overnight
- Fry each strip of beef until it is dark brown. Be careful not to burn this!
- When choosing your beef, try to find a portion that has a strip of fat on one side.
- Since the marinade used for this tapa is very basic, you will really need to find good beef, otherwise it won’t taste as good.
- If you can’t find top round, tenderloin will do. Just make sure that it’s sliced thinly.
Download time!
I don’t know if there’s a plugin for a downloadable menu plan or grocery list, but I don’t think I’ll go that far. So this week, you still get my boring old PDFs, but that’s okay, right?
Lunch Box Meal Plan for March 7-13
So, I just want to know if you’ve been able to try any of the recipes I’ve posted so far. I’d love feedback. My boys seem to think that everything I cook is delicious. A second opinion is definitely in order!
Last Friday, my husband ordered prime rib tapa and now your recipe gave me an idea of making tapa using steak! Haha
I miss tapa! We don’t eat much beef in the house but I do eat it when we are back home. It just simply works with fresh tomatoes and eggs! Yum, this makes me hungry!
Excited to try your grandma’s tapa recipe!!! i love tapa! also you are such a great mom preparing a lunch box menu! Thanks for the inspiration! 🙂
Awww thank you, Maricel! I learned from the best. My mom was always very hands-on 🙂
I never had tapa before I guess, Your recipe is super easy maybe I will try to cook this sometime.
Like week I asked my husband to make pork tapa and it tasted like bistek. I will tell him about this so next time we can enjoy a real tapa recipe hehe.
And by the way sis, I can relate with the new baby. My son is going 4 and everyone is asking us when we will have another baby. I told them when he’s ready to have a sibling and when we are ready too. I know if it’s God’s will, it will come even unplanned.