Pork Chop Suey Recipe

While chop suey as we know it is an American-Chinese creation, and not an authentic Chinese dish, it may have been inspired by the the stir-fried vegetables Chinese farmers used to eat after a long day working in the fields. Pork chop suey is primarily a vegetable dish; the meat is added for extra flavor.

Scroll to the bottom of the recipe directions for a nutritional breakdown, and for more chop suey recipes. Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients:

1 pound pork or beef (don't use pork chops as they are too dry)

Pork Marinade:

1 teaspoon soy sauce

1 - 2 teaspoons oyster sauce

1 teaspoon salt

Pepper to taste

1 piece (under 1 teaspoon) Cornstarch

Sauce:

4 tablespoons water or chicken broth

2 teaspoons oyster sauce

3/4 to 1 teaspoon cornstarch

Other:

2 small bunches bok choy (can substitute broccoli if desired)

1/2 cup bamboo shoots, rinsed

1/2 pound fresh mushrooms, washed and patted dry with a paper towel

1/2 cup water chestnuts (fresh if possible)

1 large green pepper

2 stalks celery

1 onion

1/2 pound snow peas (optional)

Oil for stir-frying

Preparation:

Cut the pork into thin strips. Add seasonings to pork, adding the cornstarch last. Marinate the pork for 10 - 15 minutes.

While pork is marinating, prepare vegetables and sauce. For sauce: Whisk together the sauce ingredients and set aside.

For vegetables: Cut bamboo shoots into thin strips. Slice the mushrooms and water chestnuts. Cut the green pepper in half, remove the seeds and slice diagonally. For the bok choy, separate each stalk and leaves. Cut the stalk diagonally and cut the leaves across. Cut the celery diagonally. Cut the onion in half, peel, and slice thinly.

Place the vegetables on a large tray, being careful to keep each group separate (include the bok choy stalks and leaves), and set aside.

Heat wok and add oil. When oil is ready, add the pork. Stir-fry pork until redness is gone. Remove and set aside.

Reheat wok and add more oil. When oil is ready, stir-fry each of the vegetables. The order doesn't matter, but you can stir-fry the onions and celery together, (if desired you can cook these with the pork), and the green pepper and snow peas together. When cooking the bok choy, add the stalk first. Add salt to taste as desired while stir-frying each group of vegetables. Add water and cover wok while cooking bok choy, as it doesn't contain much moisture.

Reheat wok and add oil. Give the sauce a quick re-stir. Add and combine all the cooked ingredients in the wok. Make a "well" in the center and gradually add the sauce, stirring to thicken. Once it has boiled, remove the chop suey from the stove. Serve hot.

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