The First New Year : When Peanut Butter was as prized as a 1,000-year-old egg

2 tablespoons minced ginger root

2 tablespoons minced garlic

1 teaspoon hot chile paste

Combine soy sauce, rice wine, black vinegar, sugar, green onions, ginger root, garlic and chile paste in small bowl and mix well. Sauce will keep 1 week, refrigerated.

MONGOLIAN BEEF

1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce

1/4 cup rice wine or sake

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

1 1/2 pounds top sirloin beef, cut into paper-thin slices

1 tablespoon safflower or corn oil

1 pound Chinese or Napa cabbage

5 cloves garlic, smashed

6 cups chicken broth

1 teaspoon salt

1 (1.8-ounce) package cellophane noodles (bean threads), softened in hot water to cover

1 1/2-pound square hard tofu, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 pound fresh shiitake, button or other wild mushroom, cleaned, stems trimmed

1/2 to 3/4 pound fresh spinach, cleaned and trimmed

Trim cabbage stems, separating leaves. Cut in half lengthwise, then cut in 2-inch squares.

Combine soy sauce, 1 tablespoon rice wine and sesame oil in bowl to make marinade. Add sliced beef and toss lightly.

Heat safflower oil in wok over high heat until very hot. Add harder cabbage stem sections and garlic and toss lightly over high heat 1 1/2 minutes. Add leafier sections of cabbage and toss about 1 minute until slightly tender.

Add remaining 3 tablespoons rice wine, chicken broth and salt and heat until boiling. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, about 20 minutes. Transfer soup to Mongolian firepot, electric wok or pot placed over portable burner or hot plate placed in center of table and keep at simmer.

Arrange beef, cellophane noodles, tofu, mushrooms, and spinach on plates or several platters and bring to table.

Place bowl of Mongolian Dipping Sauce at each place setting. Add tofu, mushrooms and cellophane noodles to broth and cook for several minutes. Each diner helps himself by dipping meat in simmering broth until cooked, then dipping meat in sauce. Diners can also eat tofu, mushrooms and lightly cooked spinach, dipping in broth. At last, each diner spoons broth and noodles into serving bowl to eat.

Makes 6 servings.

Each serving contains about:

782 calories; 3,767 mg sodium; 51 mg cholesterol; 26 grams fat; 93 grams carbohydrates; 54 grams protein; 7.65 grams fiber.