Filipinos usually call this dish “Pork Steak” which I always thought was a misnomer.  It’s  based on the Filipino favorite “Bistek” which uses beef.

The basics of this manner of cooking is marinating your meat or fish in a soy sauce, calamansi, black pepper marinade for at least an hour.  The meat or fish is then fried…nice and crisp for the fish (usually “bangus” or milkfish) and fast, high-heat, stovetop grilling for the meat.

This is served with fried sliced onions, fried potatoes and rice.  The flavor-filled marinade is then put in the hot pan for a quick boil.  This is used as topping for the dish.  It’s a lovely mix of flavors with the potatoes sopping up the sauce and the sweet onions contrasting with the salty-tartness.

I’ve made some changes, on Spouse’s suggestion, and now serve it with stir-fried red and green bell peppers, along with the onions and rice.

Pork Steak:

1 lb. thin pork chops

juice of 1 small lemon or 5 calamansi

1/4 c. soy sauce

freshly ground black pepper

1 red onion, sliced

1 red bell pepper, sliced

1 green bell pepper, sliced

2 tbsps. vegetable oil

Heat a 10 or 12 inch skillet over high heat and add half a tablespoon of oil.  Place the onions and stir-fry until it’s almost translucent, but not quite.  Transfer to your serving dish.  Wipe the pan clean with a paper towel.  

Add another half tablespoon of the oil and add peppers.  Quickly stir-fry until crisp-tender.  Transfer to the dish with the onions.  Wipe the pan and add another half tablespoon of oil.   Add half the pork chops and cook on each side about 1-2 minutes, depending on your doneness preference.  Transfer to the serving dish.

Now put the marinade in the hot pan and give it a once-over boil.  Pour this over the steaks and serve with rice.