Beef Stir-Fry with Vegetables

1 lb Good-quality sirloin tips,

-cut into 1-inch cubes 1 tb Dry sherry

1 tb Cornstarch

1/2 ts Sugar

2 tb Plus 1/2 teaspoon vegetable

-oil 1/8 ts Fresh ground black pepper

2 Cloves garlic -- pressed

1 tb Oyster sauce

2 Large stalks of broccoli

-stems removed and cut into -florets 2 Carrots -- peeled and sliced

-on a diagonal 1/2 c Beef broth

8 Spears water-packed baby

Corn -- drained 20 Fresh snow peas

1 Scallion -- both white and

-green parts -- chopped

Marinate the sirloin at room temperature in a mixture of sherry, soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of the cornstarch, the sugar, 1/2 teaspoon of the oil, the pepper, and garlic for an hour. Heat 1 Tablespoon of the remaining oil in a wok over high heat. Stir-fry beef quickly, until the meat is brown outside and pink inside. Remove. Mix the remaining 2 teaspoons cornstarch with the oyster sauce. Reheat the wok with the remaining tablespoon oil. Add the broccoli and carrots; stir-fry for 30 seconds. Add the broth, cover the wok, and steam for approximately 1 minute or until the vegetables are tender but retain their crunch. Add the corn, snow peas, scallion, beef, and oyster sauce-cornstarch mixture. Heat quickly, until the sauce is clear and thickened. Serve immediately over rice or chinese noodles. Makes 4 servings. From the novel The Cereal Murders by Diane Mott Davidson. Formatted for MM by Pegg Seevers 7/11/94