Beef with Ampalaya Recipe

Bitter gourd sauteed with beef sirloin

Prep Time20

Cook Time18

Total Time38

Course: Lunch, Vegetable

Cuisine: Filipino

Keyword: ampalaya, beef recipes, bitter melon

Servings: people

Calories: 1707kcal

Author: Vanjo Merano

Combine beef with all the marinade ingredients. Mix well. Marinade for 30 minutes.
1 ½ lb. beef sirloin, 5 tablespoons cooking oil, 3 tablespoons oyster sauce, 1/4 cup soy sauce, 2 teaspoons Sesame oil, 2 ½ teaspoons cornstarch, ¾ teaspoon baking soda, 6 cloves garlic, 1 thumb ginger, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
Heat 2 tablespoons of cooking oil in a pan. Add the marinated beef slices. Stir fry for 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Set aside.
Heat the remaining cooking oil on the same pan used to cook the beef. Saute the onion until it softens.
1 onion
Add the bitter gourd. Continue to stir-fry for 1 minute. (see notes below)
2 pieces bitter gourd
Add the beef back into the pan. Pour water. Cover and let boil.
3/4 cup water
Remove the cover and simmer while stirring occasionally until the sauce thickens. (see notes below)
Transfer to a serving bowl. Serve!

Stir-frying the ampalaya - Stir-frying the ampalaya briefly helps lock in the beef's flavors while preparing the ampalaya's texture for the next cooking steps. Additionally, it allows the ampalaya's flavor to slightly mellow, reducing its raw bitterness.
Stirring while simmering - Stirring ensures the sauce thickens evenly and prevents it from sticking to the pan or forming lumps. It also helps evenly distribute the flavors across the beef and ampalaya.