Chinese New Year coincides with Valentine's day tomorrow--this Asian Beef in Vodka Sauce would be an appropriate dish to usher in the New Year and fire up your Valentine!

A friend from China told me it is considered "Good Luck" to eat noodles, the noodles symbolize longevity. Be forewarned: Some consider it "Bad Luck" to break the noodles, thus shortening the life span, before boiling them!

Susanna Foo is one of my favorite Asian chefs and often adds vodka to her creations; dry sherry, stock or water could be substituted for the vodka in this recipe. Oyster sauce, with salty hints of garlic and sugar, adds a great deal of flavor and is an appreciated work-horse in many Asian recipes. To easily slice thin pieces of meat, I partially freeze the protein. I served the dish with (extra-long!) green tea soba noodles.

Tomorrow officially welcomes the "Year of the Tiger". I'd suggest amping up the heat of this dish by adding additional chili sauce to entice a mighty roar from your Valentine! And remember, don't break the noodles!

Yield: 4 servings Cost: apx. $16.50 Time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

1 1/2-2 pounds sirloin steak, partially frozen 1 tablespoon sesame oil, divided 3 scallions, washed and chopped 2 cups sugar snap or snow peas, ends trimmed and washed 1 red bell pepper, seeds and membranes removed; cut into matchstick pieces 2 cups (3 1/2 ounces) shiitake mushrooms, woody stems removed, wiped clean and sliced 2 tablespoons minced fresh ginger 1/2 cup vodka 4 tablespoons oyster sauce 2 teaspoons cornstarch 2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar 1-3 teaspoons chili sauce (paste) with garlic Toasted sesame seeds for garnish, optional

Instructions

1. Slice beef thinly across the grain and lightly season with kosher salt. In a large nonstick skillet or wok, heat half of the oil over high heat; stir fry beef until lightly browned and almost cooked to desired level of doneness (beef will continue cooking in the sauce). Transfer to a plate. 2. Add remaining oil to pan and stir fry onions, peas, red pepper and ginger for 1 minute or until slightly softened. Pour in vodka or water, stirring to scrape up brown bits; reduce vokda 1-2 minutes. 3. Meanwhile, in a small dish, combine oyster sauce, soy sauce, cornstarch, vinegar and 1 teaspoon of chili sauce. Taste sauce and add additional chili sauce, if desired. Reduce heat to medium and pour oyster sauce mixture into pan. Whisk in 1 cup water, and simmer until slightly thickened. Return mean to pan; and reheat meat in sauce.