Fancy Bistek

RECIPE BY

Tim Flores

Tim Flores owns Kasama in Chicago with his wife Genie Kwon, a pastry chef. Kasama reflects Tim’s Filipino heritage in homestyle dishes served by day and a tasting menu in the evenings. After studying graphic design, Tim was drawn to working as a chef but it wasn’t until he opened Kasama in 2020 that he decided to lean into his background. “I’d been cooking contemporary American and French cuisine but as we kept working on the concept I thought, why wouldn’t I do the food I grew up eating?

In the evening, Tim Flores’ Chicago restaurant Kasama turns from casual hangout to a fine dining tasting menu restaurant showcasing the flavours of The Philippines.

Bistek is a Filipino classic: a simple braise of sliced beef, onions, soy sauce and calamansi. Tim does a daytime bistek with rice and eggs but the nighttime degustation features this dressed-up version of bistek, made with Wagyu striploin cubes and plated with elegant restraint.

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Beef Jus

2.3kg (5 lb) roasted beef bones
2 roasted onions
2 roasted carrots
3 bay leaves
5.6L (6 qt) water
1 cup soy sauce
1 cup calamansi juice

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Caramelised onions

2 tbsp canola oil
3 onions, julienned
3 tbsp sherry vinegar
3 tbsp dark brown sugar

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Wagyu

1 Westholme striploin or ribeye

Beef Jus

Place bones, onions, carrots and bay in a stockpot and cover with water.
Simmer until thick and reduced.
Season with soy sauce and calamansi.

Caramelised onions

Heat canola oil in a pan over medium and add onions.
Cook for approximately 20-30 minutes until they turn light brown.
Deglaze the pan with sherry vinegar and dark brown sugar, then cook until reduced and slightly thickened.