Beef with Bitter Gourd and Shitake Mushroom (Ampalaya Con Carne)

Here is another delightful recipe. I'm not sure where this dish original came, all i know is that this dish is the most popular and the "El Presidente" of all Amplaya (Bitter Gourd)recipes. This is my version of Ampalaya Con Carne. Hope you'll like it. Ingredients: 1/2 lb beef sirloin, sliced into thin strips 1 large bitter gourd (ampalaya) cleaned and sliced into squares 1/2 cup soy sauce 1 tablespoon Brandy 1 medium-sized onion, thinly sliced lengthwise 1 small thumb ginger, julienned 6 cloves garlic, minced a cup of Shitake mushrooms, (if you buy the dried Shitake soaked it for at leas an hour before cooking) (i recommend the canned Shitake mushrooms if you are in a hurry) 1 stalk of leeks, slice into small parts 1 tablespoon cornstarch 1/4 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 cup water (add more if you like more sauce) 4 tablespoons cooking oil Procedure: 1. Combine beef, soy sauce, salt, ground black pepper, cornstarch, and brandy. Mix all the ingredients evenly and marinade for at least 30 mins or 1 hour. 2. Heat a frying pan and pour-in 3 cooking oil. 3. When the oil is hot enough, pan fry the marinated beef in medium heat until the outer part turns medium to dark brown (about 3 to 4 minutes per side). Do not over fry it! 4. Add water and simmer until the beef is tender. 5. On a separate pan, heat it then pour in another small amounts of cooking oil. 6. When the oil is hot, sauté the garlic, onion, and ginger. 7. Add the sliced bitter gourd and stir fry for 5 minutes. 8. Add the beef and mushrooms and simmer for another 5 minutes. You can add a little water if you like. Add leeks. Season more a little of salt and pepper according to taste. 9. Serve hot! Actually, i don't measure my ingredients and i seldom taste it while cooking... If it smells good then it is done! ^_^