Is beef salpicao Spanish or Filipino? Tapas or pulutan? We’re not sure! But this recipe leans Filipino thanks to good old Worcestershire sauce and Knorr—controversial for purists who insist on just garlic and olive oil. The sauces instantly add an intense, umami-rich flavor to this fast-cooking dish.
Ingredients
Salpicao Sauce
- ÂĽ cup Worcestershire sauce
- ÂĽ cup soy sauce
- 1 tbsp brown sugar or honey
- ½ tbsp Knorr Liquid Seasoning
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- pinch of freshly cracked black pepper
Salpicao
- 200g beef tenderloin or ribeye, cut into 1-inch cubes
- salt and pepper, to season
- 2 tbsp canola or olive oil
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 1 ½ tbsp cold unsalted butter, cubed
- chopped chives, for garnish
- fried garlic, for garnish
Combine all salpicao sauce ingredients in a saucepot. Over high heat, bring to a boil for one minute, making sure the brown sugar or honey is incorporated into the sauce. Once it boils, remove from heat and set aside.
Add beef to a bowl. Season with salt and pepper.
Heat oil in a pan over high heat. Once the oil is hot enough—you’ll know when it starts to shimmer—add the beef. Leave undisturbed until one side of the beef has browned and formed a crust.
Add minced garlic to the pan. Stir quickly for a few seconds to mix, then pour about 3-4 tbsp of salpicao sauce to the pan. (Add less or more sauce to taste.) Cook the beef and garlic in the sauce, about one minute.
Quickly add cold butter cubes to the pan. Constantly swirl your pan or stir with a wooden spoon, slowly melting the butter into the sauce, creating an emulsion.
Once the butter has melted into the sauce, transfer beef salpicao to a serving plate, top on a bowl of rice. Garnish with chopped chives and fried garlic.
