Beef strips with bitter melon and toasted sesame seeds

Cooking and preparing for my family is not tiring, but what’s tiring and stressful is to think what to cook for them. I really love cooking for my family, but there comes a point that I am already clueless what to prepare for them. That’s why every week, I make it a point to create a menu every meal and stick it to our fridge so I wouldn't forget what to cook and what additional ingredients to buy. Since Mark decided to bring packed lunch to his work, I also need to cook something that doesn’t get spoiled easily. Define pressure ☻

What’s also tiring is the fact that I need to crunch my schedule. I have to wake up before he wakes up since I need to prepare his food before I go to work. So last Saturday, even if I had only less than 3 hours of sleep, I still managed to come up with a very simple dish. Preparation time was more of a hassle, since I was a bit sleepy while preparing the veggies. Thankfully,  my family loved the dish that I prepared. Even my little sister, who doesn't eat foods that are not familiar to her taste buds, enjoyed it. I suppose, cooking with LOVE and PASSION really adds up to the flavor of the dish.

So enough with the story, let me share the dish I prepared last Saturday. =) 

Ingredients:

2 bitter melon (ampalaya)

¼ beef sirloin, cut into strips

2 garlic, minced

1 small onion, chopped finely

1 tsp. magic sarap

½ cup of water (you may add more water if you want it to be saucy)

2 tablespoons cornstarch, dissolved in 1 cup of water

3 tablespoons oyster sauce

1 tablespoon of toasted sesame seeds

Procedures:

♥ Sautee the garlic and onions. While sautéing, start to blanch the ampalaya.

♥ After sautéing, add the beef strips. Cook until you no longer see the pinky color. Add the dissolved cornstarch.

♥ Add the water, oyster sauce and the blanched ampalaya. Let it simmer. Continue to stir until the sauce gets thicker.

♥ Top with toasted sesame seeds.

♥ Serve and eat with love.

 Sharing Mark's packed meal ♥