Beef and Vegetables in Oyster Sauce

Oyster sauce, a favourite seasoning in Cantonese dishes, is thick and brown and, as the name implies, made from the extract of oysters. It is available in both bottles and cans and should be refrigerated after opening.

1 lb. beef round steak

¼ cup oyster sauce

1 Tbsp. soy sauce

1/8 tsp. white pepper

1 Tbsp. cooking oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, cut into thin wedges

4 cups bok choy, cut into 1-inch pieces

2 cups peapods, strings removed, or one 6 oz. package frozen pea pods, thawed

2 small tomatoes cut into thin wedges (1- ½ cups)

2 cups hot cooked rice

ü Trim fat from beef. Partially freeze beef. Thinly slice across grain into bite-size strips. Set aside.

ü For sauce, in a small bowl stir together oyster sauce, soy sauce, and pepper. Set aside.

ü Heat wok over high heat, and then pour in cooking oil (add more oil as necessary during cooking). Stir-fry garlic in hot oil for 15 seconds. Add onion; stir-fry for 2 minutes. Add bok choy and pea pods; stir-fry about 3 minutes or until vegetables are crisp-tender. Remove vegetables from the wok

ü Add half of the beef to the hot wok. Stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes or until slightly pink in the centre. Remove beef from wok. Repeat with remaining beef. Return all of the beef to wok. Push beef from centre of wok.

ü Stir sauce. Add sauce to the centre of the wok. Cook and stir until bubbly. Return cooked vegetables to the wok. Add tomatoes. Stir all ingredients together to coat with sauce. Cook and stir for 1 to 2 minutes more or until heated through. Serve immediately aver hot cooked rice. Makes 4 servings.