Stir-Fried Beef with Sugar Peas

Ingredients:
1 lb. lean steak (any boneless cut)
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. oyster sauce (optional)
2 tbsp. cornstarch 1 tsp. sesame oil (optional)
1 tsp. sugar
2 c. sugar (snow) peas*
4 tbsp. vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 c. sliced water chestnuts or bamboo shoots
1/2 c. sliced mushrooms

Directions:

• Cut beef across the grain into thin slices. (Meat is easier to cut thinly when it is partly frozen.)
• Marinate beef in mixture of soy sauce, oyster sauce, cornstarch, sesame oil, and sugar. Set aside.
• Remove stems and strings from sugar peas, leaving pods intact. Rinse and pat dry with paper towels.
• Put 2 tbsp. vegetable oil in a hot skillet or wok. Add salt, sugar peas, water chestnuts or bamboo shoots, and mushrooms. Cook, stirring constantly, until peas become a dark green (about 2 minutes). Remove to a bowl.
• In the same skillet, add remaining 2 tbsp. vegetable oil. Add beef mixture and stir constantly until beef is almost done (about 5 minutes).
• Return sugar peas, water chestnuts, and mushrooms to the skillet and mix well until heated through.

Remember to work quickly when you make any stir-fried dish. Have everything cut and measured before you start cooking. Cook the meat and vegetables just until they are tender.

* If you have trouble finding sugar (snow) peas, use broccoli, green beans, or any other chopped green vegetable. Pork, chicken, or tofu may also be substituted for beef.