Szechuan Celery with Beef

This recipe is so good and so easy! It also fulfills two goals--one is use try to learn more stir fry dishes so that I might be able to invite people over (when that is a thing again) and vook for them a meal you might get in a half way decent Chinese American restaurant and the other is to find more and different wasy to use ground beef because, well, you know, we bought a half a cow in the pandemic and that brings with it a fair amount of ground beef! This comes from Fuchoa Dunlop's Every Grain of Rice, which if you only have one Chinese cookbook, this should probably be it. 300 grams (11 ounces) celery 3 tablespoons cooking oil 100 grams (4 ounces) ground beef 1 1/2 tablespoons Sichuan chili bean paste 1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped ginger Light soy sauce to taste (optional) 1 teaspoon Chinkiang vinegar 1. Destring the celery, if necessary, and cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch strips. Finely dice the strips. Bring some water to the boil and blanch the celery for 30 seconds. Drain well. 2. Heat the oil in a seasoned wok or pan over high heat. Add the ground beef and stir-fry until it is cooked and fragrant, stirring and pressing it to separate the strands. Add the chili bean paste and continue to stir until the oil has reddened. Add the ginger and stir-fry for a few seconds to release its fragrance, then add all the celery. 3. Continue to stir-fry until the celery is piping hot and well-combined. Season with a little soy sauce, if desired. Finally, stir in the vinegar and serve immediately.