STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS WITH PICTURES

Cut the boneless ribeye steak into 2/3 of an inch cubed. Then, marinate with salt, black pepper, baking soda, and 1.5 tbsp of cooking oil. Set it aside.

Cut 1 large size potatoes and 2 small size carrots into bite-size chunks. Put the potato and carrot in a saucepot and add 2 cups of beef stock. Bring to a boil then simmer for 10 minutes or until they are fork-tender.

Meanwhile, preheat your frying pan then add 2-3 tbsp of cooking oil. Add the beef and sear over high heat until golden brown. The total searing time should be less than 2 minutes or else you will overcook the beef.

Empty a center space and add the garlic and ginger. Follow up with the seasonings: 2 tbsp of soy sauce, 2 tbsp of oyster sauce, 2 tsp of dark soy sauce, 1 tsp of cumin powder, and 1/2 tsp of 5 spice powder. Let the heat slightly caramelize the soy sauce, which will create a more complex flavor. You can actually smell the difference.

Add the onion, red and green bell pepper. I like to keep them fresh and crunchy so I only stir them for 30 seconds. You can cook them longer if you want.

By now, the potato should be fork tender. Pour it into the pan. The stock will deglaze the bottom.

Check the consistency of the sauce. If the potatoes are pre-cooked for too long, they will start dissolving and thickening the stock. I didn’t overcook my potatoes, they were just fork tender so the sauce is quite running. Add some cornstarch water (2.5 tsp of cornstarch + 1 tbsp of water) and keep mixing until the sauce is slightly creamy. Oh, the total cooking time for the beef should be just a few minutes, and try not to overcook the beef.

Turn off the heat. Give it a taste, the beef stock that I used was low-sodium so I don’t need to add any more salt. If you are using unsalted stock, you may need to adjust the flavor base on your taste.