Name: Bistek Tagalog
Ingredients: 1/2 kilo beef sirloin or pork (cut into 3 " strips); 2 tablespoons soy sauce; 2 tablespoons calamansi juice; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 teaspoon pepper; cooking oil; 1 big red onion (sliced thinly to make rings)

Why it works: Beef and onion are a kitchen classic. They rank in the top 7% of all ingredient pairs, and cooks put them together in 17,092 recipes. Both carry 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine, which smells earthy, pea. The science ↓

Bistek Tagalog

Time30 minutes

Ingredients

1/2 kilo beef sirloin or pork (cut into 3 " strips)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons calamansi juice
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
cooking oil
1 big red onion (sliced thinly to make rings)

Directions

Marinate

Marinate beef in soy sauce, calamansi, salt & pepper for 30 minutes.

Cook

In a pan, heat oil and stir-fry beef until cooked and tender.
Set aside the cooked beef.
Saute onion rings in oil.
Serve beef in a platter topped with onion rings.

Nutrition, whole recipe (rough)

670Calories

55 gProtein

43 gFat

12 gCarbs

What these numbers assume: 7 portions

Ingredient	Portion assumed	kcal
Beef	100g cooked	250
Pork	100g cooked	242
Olive Oil	1 tbsp (14g)	119
Onion	1 medium (110g)	44
Soy Sauce	1 tbsp (15ml)	9
Black Pepper	1 tsp ground (2.3g)	6
Salt	1 tsp (6g)	0

One typical portion per ingredient; the recipe's quantities are not counted. A rough guide only, not for medical or dietary planning.

Recipe from the Recipes Wiki (Fandom).

Steps grouped into stages for easier reading; the method is the source's own.

Explore the science

The flavor team

The pairs that carry this dish. Each one is judged two ways: how much their aromas overlap, and how often cooks already put them together.

Beef + oniontop 7% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together17,092 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Beef + peppertop 10% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together18,971 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Pepper + oniontop 11% of all pairs

Smell alikemoderate

Cooked together68,474 recipes

Shared aroma: 2-isopropyl-3-methoxypyrazine (earthy, pea).
Sauce + oniontop 19% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together10,474 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).
Beef + saucetop 24% of all pairs

Smell alikelow

Cooked together3,650 recipes

Shared aroma: ethanol (alcoholic, ethereal).

Sauce and onion barely smell alike, yet cooks put them together in 10,474 recipes: they work on texture and structure more than aroma.

Ranks compare each pair with 20,000 random ingredient pairs on CompKitchen. How we score pairs

What each ingredient does

Beef sirloin or pork: Forms the main protein, which becomes tender when stir-fried after marinating.
Soy sauce: Adds salty, savory flavor to the meat during marinating.
Calamansi juice: Adds sour acidity that brightens the marinade and flavor of the beef.
Red onion: Adds sweetness and sharp aroma when sauteed into rings.