Instructions: NOTE: Vong dries his own orange peel. You can do so by simply leaving the orange peel exposed to air overnight.

Slice flank steak into pieces about the size of a half-dollar and about 1/4-inch thick or slightly thicker.

Put the scallion, fresh ginger, dried orange peel and red peppers in a bowl and set aside.

Break the egg into the meat. Add salt and pepper and mix well. (Vong uses his hand.) Add enough cornstarch. (Here youll just have to guess; Vong appears to scoop 3-4 tablespoons into the meat.) Mix thoroughly to coat each piece.

Pour enough vegetable oil into a deep pan to cover the meat well. Heat it at least to 375-400 degrees, and add the meat, one piece at a time, so that two or more pieces dont adhere during the cooking. Cook, stirring, until the beef begins to brown lightly and becomes crisp. Vong removes a piece and checke the crispness with his fingers. With a strainer he removes all the meat from the fat to check it, returning it to brown a bit more as needed.

When its light brown and crisp, remove and drain the meat.

Pour the oil into another container, returning 2-3 tablespoons of oil to the pan in which youve cooked the meat. Add the ingredients from the first bowl (green onion mixture) and a pinch of monosodium glutamate if you wish.

At this point Vong also adds a paste-like chili pepper (available in Chinese groceries), a small ladle of equal amounts of soy sauce and chicken broth, probably about 1/2 cup of each; about 4 tablespoons sugar, 2 teaspoons vinegar and a tablespoon or so of cornstarch that has been dampened in water to form a thick paste.

Cook and stir this mixture well, until sugar is melted and almost caramelized and the sauce is thick. It should take no more that 3-4 minutes.

Add the cooked beef, stir to coat, and serve over deep-fried rice noodles or, if preferred, plain boiled rice.

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