Okra and Beef Belly Stir-fry
The Perfect Match: Chewy Beef Belly and Crisp Okra! Easy Okra Beef Belly Stir-fry Recipe
I recently bought 1kg of fresh okra from the market, and it’s so versatile that I find myself cooking with it every day! Okra doesn’t have a very strong or distinct flavor, making it a great ingredient that complements many dishes. My first experience with okra was in a soy-sauce simmered dish, which is why I feel it pairs exceptionally well with soy-based sauces. Today, I decided to make a simple ‘Okra and Beef Belly Stir-fry’ by grilling beef belly with some leftover vegetables from my fridge and sautéing okra as a garnish. Honestly, what could possibly go wrong with beef belly? The garnish vegetables can be whatever you have on hand or prefer – zucchini, eggplant, onions, mushrooms, etc. – any vegetables you enjoy can be stir-fried and used. The savory flavor of the beef belly (also known as brisket point) combined with the mild vegetables, all seasoned with a soy sauce blend, creates a dish so flavorful it needs no other sauce. This ‘Okra and Beef Belly Stir-fry’ is a delicious one-pan meal.
Ingredients- Beef belly 5-6 slices
- Okra about 10 pods
- Sweet pumpkin 1/6
- Garlic 10 cloves
- Red bell pepper 1/5
- Crab soy sauce 1 Tbsp
- Sukiyaki sauce 1/2 Tbsp
- Sesame oil 1/2 Tbsp
Cooking Instructions
Step 1
To help preserve the freshness of the okra, first soak them in water with 1 tablespoon of vinegar for about 5 minutes. Then, rinse them thoroughly under running water and pat them dry.
Step 2
Cut the cleaned okra into bite-sized pieces, about 1-1.5 cm thick. Slicing them too thinly might make them mushy when cooked, so aim for a moderate thickness.
Step 3
Peel and deseed the sweet pumpkin, then slice it thinly into rounds about 2-3mm thick. Also, seed the red bell pepper and slice it into manageable pieces, similar in size to the okra.
Step 4
Heat a pan over medium heat. Add the beef belly slices without any added oil. Beef belly releases a good amount of its own fat, so there’s no need to add extra oil to prevent sticking. Grill the beef belly until it’s nicely browned on both sides.
Step 5
Once the beef belly is well-cooked, transfer it to a plate and let it rest for a moment, perhaps placing it on a paper towel to absorb any excess grease. This step helps keep the beef tender and allows the pan to absorb the rendered fat for cooking the vegetables.
Step 6
In the same pan used for the beef belly, add the prepared okra, whole garlic cloves, thinly sliced sweet pumpkin, and bell pepper. Stir-fry the vegetables until they are tender-crisp, about 3-4 minutes. Covering the pan for a minute or two can help them cook evenly.
Step 7
When the vegetables are nicely stir-fried, return the cooked beef belly to the pan. Drizzle 1 tablespoon of crab soy sauce and 1/2 tablespoon of sukiyaki sauce around the edges of the pan. Add 1/2 tablespoon of sesame oil. Quickly toss everything together to coat the ingredients evenly with the sauce. Your delicious Okra and Beef Belly Stir-fry is now ready to serve!
