Bistec a la Criolla is a traditional and popular dish in Colombia. This beef recipe is very easy to make and full of flavor.
What is Bistec a la Criolla?
It's a beef dish cook with Colombian style creole sauce or hogao is full of flavor and wonderful served over white rice with fried ripe plantain and avocado on the side.
This is one of those recipes that many Colombians and I grew up eating at least once a week. Bistec a la Criolla is one of my favorites because I love rich creole sauces over white rice.
Ingredients You'll Need
This dish has a list of simple ingredients. You will find the complete printable recipe card below.
Steak: I like to use skirt steak, but sirloin tips or filet will work too.
Oil: I recommend using a neutral oil like vegetable or canola.
Vegetables: Garlic cloves to marinade the meat, onions and tomatoes.
Spices and Condiments: Yellow mustard, cumin, salt and black pepper. I use mustard to marinade the steak, but you can omit it.
Herbs: Fresh cilantro or parsley.
How to Make Bistec a la Criolla
- Place the steaks between sheets of wax paper, then pound until each steak is about ½ inch thick.
- Place the pounded steaks in a zip lock plastic bag. Add the mustard, cumin, 3 garlic cloves, cilantro, salt and pepper.
- Refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight. Be sure the steaks are evenly covered.
- In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the sliced onions and cook for about 3 minutes. Add the steaks into the skillet and cook for 3 minutes per side. Add the tomatoes, cover and cook for 7 minutes more.
I’ve talked a lot about Sunday dinners at my grandmother's house on this blog, it was always a table with arroz con pollo, sancocho, mondongo, albóndigon and many traditional Colombian dishes for the whole family to enjoy. However, on my twenties I would often eat lunch at my mamita's house during the week, as well. One of my favorite meals she made was this simple bistec a la criolla served over white rice. It's comfort on a plate!
This Bistec a la Criolla recipe is simple and quick to make, you'll will have dinner on the table in 30 minutes. It's perfect for a weeknight meal or lunch. This is my son’s most requested Colombian meal. I make this dish at least twice a month.
Tips to Make this Dish
*I highly recommend to marinade the steak at least one hour, but I prefer to leave it in the fridge over night.
*You can store this dish in the fridge in a sealed container up to 3 days.
Bistec a la Criolla Recipe (Colombian -Style Creole Steak)
Ingredients
- 2 pounds sirloin or skirt steak trimmed and cut into 4 equal portions
- 3 garlic cloves minced
- ½ tablespoon yellow mustard
- 1 tablespoon ground cumin
- Salt and black pepper to your taste
- 2 tablespoons fresh cilantro or parsley chopped
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 cup onion sliced
- 2 tomatoes diced
Instructions
- Place the steaks between sheets of wax paper, then pound until each steak is about ½ inch thick.
- Place the pounded steaks in a zip lock plastic bag. Add the mustard, cumin, 3 garlic cloves, cilantro, salt and pepper.
- Refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight. Be sure the steaks are evenly covered.
- In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the sliced onions and cook for about 3 minutes. Add the steaks into the skillet and cook for 3 minutes per side. Add the tomatoes, cover and cook for 7 minutes more.
Millie
Es muy delicioso!!!
Pablo V
I am a big fan of your recipes. Living in the US for about 22 years (half of my life), I am the home cook for my wife and four kids and love to be; a few years ago I had an increasing desire to cook more traditional Colombian foods and that landed me on your site, and I am stuck here for the authenticity of your recipes. I even bought your contributed authorship book on Amazon.
On this everyday Colombian dish, I used Sirloin and just added two spoonfuls of pickle juice to the marinade and it came out fantastic, I've used pickle juice on homemade brisket before. The marinade tenderized the meat nicely, and of course, I paired it with sweet plantains, white rice, and a lettuce-cucumber-lemon salad. Your hogao recipe is bulletproof. I have cooked many international recipes over the years, but when it comes to Colombian food I recognize the veracity of your inherited recipes.
Kathleen
So simple and delicious! Authentic was the comment I received for the photos I took for my daughter to show her new Colombian friend. I will be back to try more recipes from this site!
Kathleen
My first attempt at Colombian food was a huge success thanks to this recipe and the rice recipe as well as the simple Colombian side salad recipe on this site as well. I was inspired because my daughter just met a young Colombian woman and I searched for Colombian food and found this site...very authentic was the comment my pictures received from my daughter's new friend. I will be trying more from here next time around. This recipe was so simple and so flavorful!