Ampalaya con Carne is a tasty stir-fry made with bittermelon and tender beef. It is a vegetable aspect dish full of taste and good-for-you vitamins. Scrumptious with steamed rice!

Ampalaya is usually a tough vegetable to organize. The gourd is named a dietary powerhouse with many well being advantages and natural properties, however with its myriad of nutritional vitamins and minerals comes a pronounced bitter style, which could be off-putting to most.

To rid of its pure acridness, it’s customary for the cook dinner to salt the vegetable and squeeze off its juices earlier than cooking. This technique does enhance palatability however with a caveat: essential vitamins are additionally dispelled in the course of the course of. Opposite to fashionable kitchen practices, I don’t salt my ampalaya earlier than cooking as I need to reap its full advantages. By following my easy ideas, you may discover that salting is pointless for a profitable ampalaya dish.

Ingredient notes

• Ampalaya– also referred to as bittermelon. Select the youngest and greenest gourds you will discover, because the bitter style intensifies because the vegetable matures and yellows.
• Beef– high sirloin, tenderloin, and flank steak are nice decisions. The recipe additionally features a velveting approach, which can assist flip extra budget-friendly cuts, equivalent to chuck roast, into tender choices. You may as well use floor beef or diced pork stomach. Not within the temper for meat? Do this ginisang ampalaya with shrimp!
• Oyster sauce and soy sauce– the mix creates a scrumptious medley of saltiness, umami, and sweetness
• Sesame oil – for aroma and taste enhance
• Cornstarch– helps velvet the meat and thicken the sauce
• Onions and garlic– taste base of ginisa dishes
• Sugar– in small quantities might help neutralize bitter tastes and stability saltiness. Sprinkle about ½ teaspoon into the dish.
• Water– or beef broth in the event you choose a deeper taste
• Salt and pepper– enhances the general style and provides zing

Ampalaya con Carne cooking course of

This recipe has two important elements for the perfect outcomes. First, the ampalaya should be ready correctly to attenuate bitterness. The second step is to make sure the meat is juicy and tender.

Find out how to put together ampalaya

• Use a spoon to scrape off all of the white piths. This half has the very best alkaloid content material and essentially the most bitterness.
• Slice the ampalaya skinny, uniform thickness so it can cook dinner evenly and rapidly.
• Soak in salted water till prepared to make use of to forestall discoloration and take away a number of the bitterness.
• Should you choose to salt the ampalaya slices, place them in a bowl and sprinkle them with rock salt. Let stand for about 10 to fifteen minutes. Squeeze to expel extra juices and rinse properly.

Find out how to put together beef for stir fry

• Slice the meat thinly in uniform sizes to make sure fast and even cooking. Minimize throughout the grain for a extra tender chew. Freeze for a couple of minutes till barely agency to make slicing simpler.
• Velvet the meat utilizing cornstarch or baking soda to make it comfortable and juicy.
• Marinate for a minimum of 20 minutes earlier than cooking so as to add depth of taste.

Find out how to serve and retailer

• Serve this beef and bitter gourd stir fry as a principal dish with steamed rice and your favourite fried fish. It is a hearty and nutritious meal excellent for lunch or dinner.
• Leftovers needs to be saved in a container with a tight-fitting lid. They are often refrigerated for as much as 3 days or frozen for as much as 2 months.
• Reheat in a large pan over medium warmth to 165 F or within the microwave at 1 to 2-minute intervals till heated, stirring properly after every interval.

Did you make this? Be sure you go away a evaluate under and tag me @kawalingpinoy on Fb and Instagram!

Ampalaya con Carne is hearty, tasty, and nutritious! This bittermelon and beef stir fry is straightforward to make and pairs properly with steamed rice.

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Prepare dinner Time: 15 minutes minutes

Complete Time: 30 minutes minutes

Course: Principal Course

6 Servings

Components

• 2 massive ampalaya
• ½ pound high sirloin, sliced into skinny strips
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 4 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 onion, peeled and sliced thinly
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
• ½ cup water
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• salt and pepper to style

Directions

• Minimize ampalaya lengthwise into halves. With a spoon, take away seeds and scrape off inside pith. Sliced thinly and place in a bowl of chilly water till wanted. Drain properly when prepared to make use of.

• In a bowl, mix beef, ½ of the oyster sauce, ½ of the soy sauce, sesame oil, and three teaspoons of the cornstarch. Marinate for about 15 to twenty minutes. Drain properly, reserving marinade.

• In a large skillet over excessive warmth, warmth 1 tablespoon of the oil. Add beef and unfold throughout pan. Permit to sear for about 1 to 2 minutes or till evenly browned after which flip to brown evenly. Take away from pan and put aside.

• In the identical pan, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Add onions and garlic and cook dinner, stirring frequently, till softened.

• Add ampalaya and gently stir to mix. Prepare dinner for about 2 to three minutes or till tender but crisp. Return beef to pan.

• In a small bowl, mix water, the remaining soy sauce and oyster sauce, the remaining 1 teaspoon cornstarch, and sugar. Stir till sugar and cornstarch are dissolved.

• Add to pan and proceed to cook dinner, stirring frequently, for about 1 to 2 minutes or till beef is heated and the sauce thickens.

• Season with salt and pepper to style. Serve sizzling.

“This web site supplies approximate vitamin info for comfort and as a courtesy solely. Diet knowledge is gathered primarily from the USDA Meals Composition Database, every time out there, or in any other case different on-line calculators.”