Recipe: Beef and Sugar Snap Peas in Oyster Sauce (Chinese)

BEEF AND SUGAR SNAP PEAS IN OYSTER SAUCE

1 pound flank steak, trimmed of fat
1 egg white
3 tablespoons cornstarch
2 cups plus 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound sugar snap peas, with strings and tips removed
1/3 cup oyster sauce, preferably Hip Sing Lung brand
1 tablespoon dry

Slice the flank steak in half lengthwise. Slice the halves against the grain on a 45-degree angle into 3-inch-long, 1-inch-wide, 1/8-inch-thick pieces. Combine the beef slices with the egg white, cornstarch, and 3 tablespoons cold water. Mix well.

Heat 2 cups of the vegetable oil in a wok to 280 degrees or put a slice of beef in the oil and, when the bubbles rise from it like champagne bubbles in a glass, add the rest of the meat. Turn slowly in the poaching oil until the beef is cooked and tan in color with just a little bit of pink left, approximately 5 minutes. Drain in a colander.

Put the snap peas in a colander, rinse, and drain.

Heat the 2 remaining tablespoons oil to smoking in a wok. Add the snap peas and stir-fry until bright in color, approximately 1 minute. Add the beef and stir-fry for 1 minute.

Add the sherry and toss 3 times. Turn off the heat and add the oyster sauce. Toss 5 times and serve.

Serves 4 to 6
Source: Potsticker Chronicles by Stuart Chang Berman