Stir-fry Beef & Snow Peas

Marinated beef full of chinese flavors that you can make ahead and simply stir-fry when you are ready to eat. A recipe my mom used to make for my family growing up by Kathy Johnston.
Serves 4 - 5.

• 1 1/2 lbs. Beef Top Round Steak, thinly sliced
• 3 slices Ginger Root, minced
• 2 tbsp Soy Sauce
• 2 cloves Garlic, minced
• 3 tbsp Oyster Sauce
• 2 tbsp Olive Oil
• 2 tbsp Aji-Mirin, Sweet Cooking Rice Wine
• 2 tsp Corn Starch
• 1 tsp Salt
• 4 tbsp Water
• 2 tsp Sugar
• 1/4 tsp Sweet Chili Sauce (more if you want it spicy)
• 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 2 cups White Rice, steamed
• 2 stocks Celery, diagonal sliced
• 1 Carrot, diagonal sliced, then halved
• 1/2 Yellow Onion, thinly sliced
• 1 Green Bell Pepper, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup Water Chestnuts
• 1 1/2 cups Snow Peas, tips cut off

1. In a large bowl, mix all ingredients, excluding stir-fry vegetabls, till meat is coated.
2. Cover in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 - 60 minutes to marinate.
3. Heat wok over high heat with 1/2 cup Olive Oil.
4. Add meat and marinade, cook about 4 minutes or until meat is almost no longer pink, remove and set aside.
5. Add veggies to wok with 2 tbsp olive oil and 2 tbsp marinade sauce from beef, cook veggies till crisp-tender, about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
6. Return meat and sauce to wok, cook 2 - 3 minutes more or until meat is done.
7. Pour over white rice and serve family style.

Chinese Pork Dumplings

One of my childhood favorites, my mom's recipe and I have loved them as a kid and still as an adult. Very tasty filling that can be made with either ground pork or ground beef.  Normally I wouldn't recommend using a premade biscuit but this is how my Mom makes them, you can easily substitute the biscuits for won-ton wrappers by Kathy Johnston.
Makes 12 Dumplings.

• 1 thin tube Grand's Biscuits or Won-Ton Wrappers
• 4 stocks Green Onions, sliced
• 1 clove Garlic, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup Water
• 2 tsp Corn Starch
• 1 tbsp Sugar
• 1/2 tsp Worcestershire
• 1 1/2 tsp Sesame Oil
• 2 tbsp Oyster Sauce
• 1 tbsp Soy Sauce
• 1 lb. Ground Pork or Beef
• Salt & Pepper to taste

1. In a large skillet, brown meat and garlic over high heat in 1 tbsp Olive Oil, drain and return to pan.
2. Reduce heat to low, add onion and cook 2 minutes.
3. In a small bowl, mix water and corn starch till smooth.
4. Add corn starch mixture, sugar, Worcestershire, sesame oil, oyster sauce and soy sauce to meat.
5. Return heat to high and cook for 2 – 3 minutes, stirring frequently.
6. Remove from heat and set aside.
7. Lightly grease bamboo steamer baskets to prevent sticking, set aside.
8. Flour board and rolling pin, roll out biscuit dough till paper thin and about the size of a small taco shell, flour well and flip between rolling.
9. Fill with 2 tbsp filling, pull up sides and pinch, twist top and pinch to seal. Should look like a pretty onion or upside down garlic clove.
10. Place dumplings in bamboo steamer baskets, leaving about 1” around each dumpling.
11. Steam 15 – 20 minutes (if using won-ton wrappers, adjust cooking time accordingly), starting on high heat for 3 minutes, reduce to medium-low for remainder of cook time. Dumplings are done when they start to become translucent.