Instructions: 1. Mince or grind beef. Mince ginger root. Shell and parboil peas.

2. In one cup, combine soy sauce, sherry, salt and sugar. In another, blend cornstarch and cold water to a paste.

3. Heat oil. Add ginger, then beef and stir-fry until beef begins to brown.

4. Stir in soy sauce mixture to blend.

5. Add parboiled peas and stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes more. (Taste peas to see if theyre done.)

6. Stir in cornstarch paste to thicken and serve at once.

NOTE: If the mixture becomes too dry in step 5, add a few spoonfuls of liquid from the parboiled peas. VARIATIONS:

In step 1, mince or grind 4 to 6 water chestnuts with the beef.

In step 1, add to the beef and ginger root the seasonings and 2 teaspoons cornstarch. Blend well and let stand 15 minutes. Omit steps 2, 4, and 6.

In step 3, before adding the beef, add to the hot oil 1/4 pound fresh mushrooms and/or 1 onion, sliced thin. Stir-fry until slightly softened; then remove from pan. Add more oil and stir-fry beef as indicated. Return mushrooms and/or onion in step 5, when adding the peas.

Do not parboil the peas. After step 4, remove the beef from pan. Add more oil and heat. Then add the peas; 1/4 cup celery and 1/2 cup onion, both diced, and stir-fry to coat with oil. Stir in and quickly heat 1/2 cup stock, 1/4 teaspoon sugar and 1 teaspoon soy sauce. Cook, covered, until vegetables are nearly done. Return beef and reheat; then pick up step 6.

After step 4, stir in 2 cups cooked rice. Then add the peas and a few tablespoons of their parboiling liquid to moisten the mixture. Cook, stirring, to heat through.

Prepare 1/8 pound thin rice-flour noodles as a deep-fried, crisp white garnish. (See "HOW-TO SECTION".) Arrange on a serving platter with beef and peas on top.

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