Beef ampalaya

INGREDIENTS

1 kilo lean beef, thinly sliced into strips

2 large size, ampalaya, split in halve de-seaded, sliced crosswise

1 medium onion, chopped

1/2 head garlic, minced

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup oyster sauce

1/4 cup cornstarch

1/2-1 tsp. sugar

salt and pepper

cooking oil

DIRECTIONS

Marinade the beef strips with soy sauce and pepper at least 15 minutes.

In a small wok or large skillet heat oil

and stir fry the beef strips until it turns brown and sizzles.

Set aside.

Heat oil again and saute garlic, onion and ampalaya.

Then add the oyster sauce and ¼ cup water and simmer for at least 3 minutes.

Add the cooked beef and put a little magic sarap,

about ½ tsp. then add the sugar.

Season with salt and mix then simmer again for a few seconds.

Turn off heat and serve hot.

Share and enjoy cooking.

Adobo Recipe

There are probably 500 ways to cook adobo but the one that is most familiar to the children is the adobo with vinegar and soy sauce. I call it my classic adobo recipe because I also cook white adobo.

Ingredients:
1 kilo pork shoulder or loin cut in 1/2 inch cubes (variation: use half chicken and half pork)
1/3 cup vinegar
2 Tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon salt
4 cloves crushed garlic
1 small bay leaf
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 cup water
2 Tablespoon cooking oil

Direction

1. Combine all ingredients except cooking oil and let stand for at least 30 minutes. The longer the marination, the more flavorful.
2. Simmer covered for 1 hour or until meat is tender. Stir occasionally and make sure meat does stick to the pan. Liquid will reduce and thicken. Drain and keep sauce to the side.
3. Heat cooking oil in a pot. Brown the meat on all sides. Transfer to a serving dish.
4. Pour off the remaining oil from the the pot. Add the sauce in number 2 and cook for two more minutes while scraping off some of the meat that adhered to the pot.
5. Pour sauce over meat. Serve hot.

Taste Variation
1. Use all the ingredients except the Soy sauce.
2. Add more garlic, salt and vinegar instead. This is what we call the white adobo.
3. Add 1 more tablespoon of sugar if you desire a sweeter taste.
4. Add more vinegar if you want your adobo to keep longer.
5. Adobo tastes better a day after it is cooked because all the ingredients and flavorings have seeped in.

Nilagang Baka

Ingredients:

1 kilo of beef (you can put a mixture of meat, some bones and fatty parts to have a more sumptous soup)
you can also replace the beef with pork
5 pieces of potatoes peeled and halfed
1 big onion peeled and cut into two
1 ginger peeled
one cup of string beans (bitsuwelas)
1 cup of cabbage
you can also use some bokchoy or petsay
1 liter of water
1 beef bouillon cube
salt
black pepper
banana saba 3 pieces cut into two

Procedure:

This is a very simple and yet delicious soup dish perfect for sunday lunches. In a big casserole or crock pot start by putting the meat, onion, ginger and water. Boil for about an hour or more until the meat becomes tender. Add your bouillon cube, some salt and pepper to taste. Put only the vegetables during the last part of cooking, about ten minutes before turning off the stove. The vegetables will remain crispy and sweet.

Grilled Steak

Ingredients:

Steak (preferably with fat)
Ground black pepper to taste
Fish sauce to taste (or salt)
Worcestershire sauce to taste
Creole seasoning (optional)

Procedure:

Pour some fish sauce onto the steak.  Or if using salt, rub some salt all over the steak.  Make sure that the meat is properly coated.
Pour some Worcestershire sauce all over the meat.
Coat the meat with some ground black pepper and Creole seasoning.
Marinate this for at least an hour.
Grill according to your preference.

Enjoy!