Chicken Chop Suey

This recipe for chicken chop suey comes from cookbook author Deh-ta Hsiung, who writes that it is "the classical 'Chicken Chop Suey' dish that heralded Chinese food to the western world at the end of the nineteenth century..." - it is rather amazing to think that one of the world's greatest cuisines should have been represented by a dish that did not even originate in China itself, but thousands of miles away in San Francisco, USA!"

Chicken Chop Suey serves 4

Ingredients:

4 - 6 ounces (115 - 175 grams) chicken meat, thinly shredded

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 egg white

1 tablespoon thick cornflour/cornstarch paste - (1 part cornflour with 1.2 parts cold water)

about 1/2 pint (300 ml) seasoned oil (see below)

1/2 teaspoon finely chopped garlic (optional)

1 tablespoon thinly shredded fresh ginger root

3 - 4 spring onions, thinly shredded

4 - 6 ounces (115 - 175 grams) bean sprouts

1 small green pepper, cored and seeded, thinly shredded

1/2 teaspoon caster (superfine) sugar

1 tablespoon light soy sauce

1/2 tablespoon Chinese rice wine

2 tablespoons stock

pinch of MSG (optional)

a few drops sesame oil

Preparation:

Mix the chicken shreds with a pinch of the salt, the egg white and about 1 teaspoon cornflour/cornstarch paste. Blanch them in warm oil, stir to separate, then remove and drain them.

Pour off the excess oil, leaving about 2 tablespoons in the wok, stir-fry all the vegetables for about 1 minute, add the remaining salt and the sugar, blend well, then add the chicken with the soy sauce and rice wine, stir-fry for another minute, and add the stock and MSG, if using; finally thicken the gravy with the remaining cornflour paste, garnish with the sesame oil and serve hot.

*How to season vegetable oil Pour about 1 pint (600 ml) vegetable oil into a pre-heated wok or saucepan over a high heat, add 2 - 3 small pieces of ginger root. In a few minutes, the ginger pieces should rise to the surface. Now watch the color of the ginger; when it turns from pale yellow to dark brown, turn off the heat and let the oil cool down a little before removing the ginger pieces. Then store the seasoned oil in a container.

Reprinted with permission from "Chinese Cookery Secrets: How to Cook Chinese Restaurant Food at Home," by Deh-Ta Hsiung. Published by Elliot Right Way Books

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