Chop Suey is a classic American-Chinese dish with murky origins. As one legend has it, Chinese viceroy Li Hung Chang, visiting San Francisco's Palace Hotel in the 1890s, requested vegetables with a bit of meat "job suey," or "in fine pieces," and chef Joseph Herder obliged. Whatever the origins, the combination of stir-fried meats and vegetables with a sweet-and-savory sauce is endlessly customizable and easy to make with whatever you have on hand. This version combines pork tenderloin with celery, mushrooms, bok choy, bamboo, and water chestnuts—but you should feel free to use whatever veggies or meat you have lurking in the fridge.
Recipe information
Total Time
1 1/4 hour
Yield
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Stir together garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, soy sauce, salt, and 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch in a bowl. Stir in pork and marinate 15 minutes.
Step 2
Keep cut vegetables separate. Heat a wok over high heat until a bead of water dropped onto cooking surface evaporates immediately. Drizzle 1 teaspoon vegetable oil around side of wok, then stir-fry celery, seasoning with salt, until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes. Transfer celery to a large bowl. Reheat wok and stir-fry each remaining vegetable separately in same manner (but allow only 1 minute for bean sprouts), adding 1 teaspoon oil to wok before each batch and seasoning with salt. When stir-frying bok choy, begin with ribs, then add leaves and 1 tablespoon water after 1 minute. Transfer each vegetable as cooked to bowl with celery.
Step 3
Stir together chicken broth, 1 teaspoon oyster sauce, and 1 teaspoon cornstarch.
Step 4
Reheat wok over high heat until a bead of water evaporates immediately. Drizzle 1 tablespoon vegetable oil around side of wok, then stir-fry pork until just cooked through, about 2 minutes.
Step 5
Return all vegetables to wok and toss. Make a well in center, then stir broth mixture and add to well. Bring sauce to a boil, undisturbed, then stir to combine with pork and vegetables. Serve immediately, with cooked rice.
