Chop suey is not an authentic Chinese dish but an American invention. Its origins are murky. One commonly believed story traces its beginnings to New York City in the late 19th century. A Chinese diplomat asked his chef to create something appealing for himself and his American dinner guests. Another origin story contends Chinese Americans based the dish on Cantonese tsap seui, which translates to “miscellaneous leftovers.” Recipes vary but chop suey is now an American-Chinese classic found at most Chinese restaurants.
Recipe Servings: 6
Prep Time
15 minutes
+ 15 minutes resting
+ 15 minutes resting
Cook Time
20 minutes
Total Time
50 minutes
Vegetarian
Vegan
Gluten Free
Dairy Free
Kosher
Halal
Ingredients
Marinade:
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 Tbsp oyster sauce
- ½ Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp cornstarch
- 1 lb pork tenderloin, cut crosswise into ⅛-inch strips
Vegetables:
- Vegetable oil, for frying
- 2 celery ribs, cut diagonally into ¼-inch slices
- Salt, to taste
- 6 oz snow peas, diagonally cut into ¼-inch slices
- ½ lb bok choy, cut into ¼ inch-thick slices (leaves and ribs separately)
- ¼ lb mushrooms, cut into ¼-inch slices
- 1 onion, halved lengthwise and cut into ¼-inch strips
- 1 green bell pepper, cut into ¼ inch-thick strips, then halved crosswise
- ¼ lb mung bean sprouts, drained and rinsed
- 1 can (5 oz) sliced water chestnuts
- 1 can (5 oz) sliced bamboo shoots
Sauce:
- ¼ cup chicken broth
- 1 tsp oyster sauce
- 1 tsp cornstarch
Assembly:
- Vegetable oil, as needed for frying
- Salt, to taste
- Ground black pepper, to taste
- 6 cups cooked white rice
Directions
- Stir together garlic cloves, oyster sauce, soy sauce, and cornstarch in a medium bowl.
- Add pork to marinade and let rest for 15 minutes.
- Place a wok or large skillet over high heat until a drop of water evaporates immediately. Drizzle vegetable oil into pan.
- Stir-fry celery, seasoning with salt, until crisp tender, about 2 minutes. Transfer to large bowl.
- Reheat pan and separately stir-fry all remaining vegetables, in same manner as celery, adding oil to pan prior to cooking and seasoning each batch with salt. Bean sprouts only need 1 minute to cook.
- Place each vegetable in bowl with celery.
- Whisk together the chicken broth, oyster sauce, and cornstarch in a small bowl.
- Reheat pan until a drop of water evaporates then drizzle with vegetable oil.
- Stir-fry pork until just cooked through, about 2 minutes.
- Return all vegetables to pan and toss.
- Make a well in center, pushing vegetables to side, and add sauce to well.
- Bring sauce to a boil undisturbed and then stir in with pork and vegetables.
- Serve immediately over cooked rice.
For Marinade:
For Vegetables (can cook while meat is marinating):
For Sauce:
For Assembly:
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