Tapa is a meat viand typically made from thinly-sliced beef (tapang baka), and served with rice and egg in the much-loved tapsilog. It is marinated with a mildly sweet sauce, suited to the Pinoy palate, and is a favorite in eateries all over the country.
Filipinos never tire of tapsilog, Plus, by preparing this from your home, you guarantee freshness and top-quality ingredients compared to the store varieties. This viand can come in several ways — as lunch boxes, sandwiches, frozen bulk purchases, etc. — so you have a number of business options.
Start-up capital is P5,000, and time to finish is 1 day.
Materials Needed:
- Meat pounder, P50
- Stainless steel bowl, P150
- Plastic container, P50
- Frying pan, P200
Ingredients:
- 1 kg lean beef (beefsteak cut, round, or rump), sliced 1/4 inch thick, P250
- Salt, P3
- Ground black pepper, P3
- Sugar, P10
- 2 tbsp finely chopped garlic, P10
- 1/2 tsp distilled white vinegar, P10
- Soy sauce (optional), P10
- Vegetable oil, P10
- MSG (vetsin)
Getting Started
- Use the meat pounder to tenderize and thin out the meat.
- Place the meat into the stainless steel bowl, together with salt, pepper, sugar, chopped garlic, MSG, white vinegar, and 3 to 4 tbsp of soy sauce. Mix well.
- Transfer everything to a plastic container, and let meat marinate for about 12 hours in the refrigerator. Remove and mix again.
- You can opt to repack and freeze the meat for a later date. When the meat is ready to be served, fry in a hot pan, using vegetable oil. Tapa is usually eaten together with fried rice and egg.
Tips:
- The finer the quality of the meat, the less tough the resulting tapa should be.
- Don’t be afraid to experiment — create tapa sandwiches, chicken tapa, vegan tapa, etc.