In the Chinese culture, red symbolizes good fortune and prosperity. And Wenty Ha, owner of Red Velvet Asian Café in San Juan Capistrano, is certainly surrounded by a lot of red. Born to a Chinese family in Vietnam, Ha recollects climbing up on a little stool in the family kitchen to fry eggs, helping her mother cook for her family of 10 brothers, a sister, aunts and uncles. She came to the U.S. in the 1970s and opened a number of donut shops, but her dream was to own a high-class but affordable restaurant. “I would like to establish a middle-of-the-road restaurant – one that is able to serve great food and give my patrons a very comfortable atmosphere,” she says. She also wanted to offer her customers something that’s steeped in Chinese culture – tea. “I saw the benefits in tea,” she says. “I wanted to be able to share that experience with my customers, as well. I wanted to provide an alternative to coffee drinkers – show them the advantages of drinking tea. There are many types of tea, and there is one that fits everyone,” she says. Her pick for the best: Dragon Pearl of Jasmine. And here, she shares a house-favorite dish.


BLACK PEPPER BEEF

Ingredients
1/2      lb. lean sirloin steaks, cubed
6         cloves of garlic, minced
1         tsp. fish sauce
1/2      tsp. sugar
1/2      tsp. salt
2         tbs. olive oil, divided
1         onion, sliced
1         tbs. rice vinegar
1/8      tsp. black pepper
1         tbs. olive oil
2         cups crisp lettuce

Preparation
Mix together the garlic, fish sauce, sugar, salt and 2 teaspoons of the olive oil. Pour over the beef and marinate for at least 30 minutes.
   
Meanwhile, combine the black pepper and vinegar, and toss in the onion. Set aside for 10 to 15 minutes, then add 1 teaspoon of olive oil, and toss again.
   
Heat the remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a pan, and stir-fry the marinated beef until it’s seared to the desired doneness. Be careful not to overcook the meat.
   
To serve, divide the lettuce among four plates, then place a serving of the onions atop each mound of lettuce. Top each plate with the beef.

Makes 4 servings