I feel a recipe is only a theme, which an intelligent cook can play each time with a variation. —–Madam Benoit
Went home late.. Tired from work, yet still need to cook dinner. Checked the fridge and found marinated beef strips (more known as beef tapa in Tagalog) which I prepared in the weekend. This, cooked alone as stir fried tapa will make a meal but I thought of giving it a twist by adding some veggies (of course those that are available in my fridge). Yes, I have to have vegetables in my meal!
You'll need:
- 1/4 kg beef (I'm using beef marinated in soy sauce, lemon juice, garlic, pinch of pepper and salt
- 1 clove of garlic, chopped (I grated it!)
- 1 head onion, chopped
- 1 carrot, cut into strips
- Broccoli
- Cauliflower
- Zest of 1 lemon
- Salt to taste
- Dash of ground black pepper
Procedure:
- Heat a small amount of oil in a pan. Sauté onion and garlic.
- Add the beef and stir fry for about 3 minutes. I do not want eating rare meat so just to be certain that my meat is well cooked, I added half a cup of water and cooked it until the water has dried up.
- Add the vegetables and lemon zest (this will give a good aroma). Sprinkle some salt and pepper. Be extra cautious when adding salt as the beef had been marinated so it has flavor already into it.
- Cook till the vegetables are done but still crunchy.
- Serve.
I admit, at first, I really don’t like the taste of this vegetable. According to http://www.whfoods.com/ this smell comes from the sulfur compounds that are being released during the process of cooking. Well, take a look on what nutrients you can get from a cup of broccoli http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=9. A lot right? So you better start eating if you're not yet into it.
Well, here's a broccoli recipe shared by my colleague in Philippine Bureau of Statistics. Give it a try and I’m sure, you’ll gonna enjoy this simple healthy dish.
You'll need:
- ½ kg of broccoli (separate the florets, washed & drained)
- Pinch of salt
- 1 can of century tuna (in vegetable oil)
- Lemon or calamansi juice (optional)
Get cooking:
- Put in a casserole the broccoli floret, then the tuna. Add some salt. Be careful on the amount of salt you are putting into it as the tuna is already flavored. No need to add water as the juice from the tuna is enough to steam the vegetables.
- Cook, tossing occasionally to ensure all the florets are evenly cooked. This will take only minutes. Do not overcook as it will become mushy. You know that its done when they are bright green and taste still a bit crisp.
- Serve. If you are into a citrusy taste, you may want to squeeze a bit of lemon or calamansi juice. A calamansi flavored century tuna works well too.
Bon appetite!!
