“This dish is cooked by Ilocanos specially during black Saturday where during holyweek where you need to have meat fasting, and on black Saturday they will go early to the market to buy meat and cooked it to break the meat fasting. As far as I remember, they also put a drop of papaitan to taste. For the pure Ilocano instead of using Patis or salt they use bagoong. To some Ilocano’s this is a “pulutan” which means – finger foods eaten when drinking liquor. But you can also eat this with steam rice as a main dish.”

Imbaliktad A Baka Recipe (Ilokano Stir Fry Beef)

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 kilo fresh lean beef, cut into strips or slices
1/4 kilo fresh beef liver, cut into strips
3-4 cloves garlic, chopped
2 thumb size ginger, cut into thin strips
1 medium size onion, chopped
1 tomato, sliced
1-2 pieces red hot chili pepper, sliced
3-4 tbsp. vinegar (Sukang Iloko if possible)
1/2 tsp. cracked peppercorns
3-4 stalks spring onion, chopped
salt to taste or patis (Ilokano original using bagoong)
a drop of Papaitan
cooking oil

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. In a frying pan or wok saute at heat at high heat the garlic, ginger, tomatoes and onion until fragrant. Stir in the beef, cracked peppercorns and chili and stir cook for 1 to 2 minutes or until the red color of the meat start to disappear.
2. Add in the beef liver, cook for about 3 minutes.
3. Add in the vinegar, drop of papaitan, and bagoong (or patis). Let it cook undisturbed for about half a minute.
4. Season with salt to taste and garnish with chopped spring onion, stir cook for another half a minute and serve immediately.

You may also try our:

IGADO (Ilocano’s Delicacy)