Beef and Ampalaya with Oyster Sauce

If this was the Expat Daddy cooking, then this would be Beef Broccoli in Oyster Sauce. See, Beef Broccoli is one of the 4 signature dishes of the Expat Daddy, the others are his Sweet and Spicy Adobo which I have already posted here, the Sweet and Sour (Hamour, Maya-maya or squid) which he had cooked a couple of weeks back but I was not able to watch and note the exact measurement of ingredients so I couldn't post it yet. I'll have to wait until he cooks it again, and then of course his clan-famous barbeque (pork and chicken) which is a bestseller whenever and wherever he serves it! :)

This dish is very easy to make and very fast cooking time also, just about 15 minutes or so. But, you have to make sure that you use prime cut beef from the loin area, either tenderloin or sirloin. Unfortunately, this is a bit more expensive compared to other lean meat parts such as chuck or brisket for the main reason that this part is the most tender part of the beef, where the steak cuts are mainly derived from, that's why this part is also best for grilling. As I've earlier mentioned, this is a quick stir-fry, 15-minute dish, so you don't want to use tough meat meant for slow cooking. Another tip is that this dish needs to be cooked on very high heat, to avoid the meat from rendering its juices. We'd like to be able to serve meat which is tender and juicy not dry and tough :).
Ingredients
1kg beef, cut into thin strips
1 ampalaya, halved and sliced about 1/2 cm thick
2 small onions, quartered
1in ginger, julienned
4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3 tbs cooking oil
1/4 cup oyster sauce
4 tbs light soy sauce
1 cup water
1 tbs corn flour
1 tbs sugar
1/4 tsp white pepper
salt to taste
Method:
Put wok over high heat and pour in oil. When hot add the ginger, cook until brown, then add ginger and cook until fragrant.
Add the beef, when all strips had changed color and no longer pink, add the half of the oyster sauce. Stir fry for 5 minutes.
Add the ampalaya and onion, continue stir-frying to avoid from sticking unto the pan. Add half of the water.
In a small bowl, mix half cup water, the rest of the oyster sauce, sugar and pepper. Mix well until free of lumps. Pour into the wok. Adjust taste with salt if desired.
Turn off heat once desired thickness of sauce is achieved.
Serve with hot rice. Enjoy!