Chinese New Year is Sunday and welcomes the Year of the Snake. Celebrations include a festival Friday and Saturday at the Chinatown Cultural Plaza from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Visit www.chinatownhi.com for a calendar of events.

This week, we’re featuring a dish from a favorite popo, June Kam Tong, and her latest cookbook, "Popo’s Kitchen, Vol. 2, Local Homestyle Cooking" ($16.75). For a copy, call 734-1063.

STIR-FRY BEEF WITH MUSHROOMS

4 tablespoons oil, divided

Cilantro (Chinese parsley) for garnish

» Beef mixture:

1 tablespoon oyster sauce

1 tablespoon hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon sugar

1 clove garlic, peeled and minced

3 slices ginger, peeled and slivered

1 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine

1 teaspoon cornstarch

1/2 pound beef, thinly sliced

» Mushroom mixture:

1 cup chives, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 (15-ounce) can sliced bamboo shoots

1 (15-ounce) can button mushrooms

» Cornstarch mixture:

1/2 cup beef broth

2 tablespoons cornstarch

Salt, to taste

For beef, mix oyster sauce, hoisin, sugar, garlic, ginger, wine and cornstarch in bowl; mix in beef to coat.

In separate bowl, combine chives, bamboo shoots and mushrooms; set aside. In another bowl, mix beef broth, cornstarch, and salt; set aside.

Heat wok; add 2 tablespoons oil and heat until smoky. Add beef mixture and sear on high heat until medium rare. Remove and set aside.

Reheat wok with 2 tablespoons oil. Stir-fry mushroom mixture. Add cornstarch mixture to thicken. Return beef to pan and heat well. Garnish and serve. Serves 4.

Approximate nutritional information, per serving: 350 calories, 25 g fat, 5 g saturated fat, 40 mg cholesterol, 1000 mg sodium, 17 g carbohydrate, 4 g fiber, 7 g sugar, 15 g protein

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More Hawaiian Electric Co. recipes are available at www.heco.com.