Chinese stir fry recipe

How to Prepare / Make / Cook - ? Chinese stir fry recipe

Chop Suey, which loosely translates as “mixed up,” is not authentically Chinese. Like chow Mein, it was conceived in the United States and was extremely popular with Americans who thought it was a Chinese dish.

When our restaurant opened in 1958, my mother did not want to serve either chop Suey or Chow Mein, but she quickly found that customers were unhappy not to find them on the menu. She reluctantly added sections to the back of the menu for these two categories. As our customers came to appreciate real Chinese food, they stopped ordering chow mein and chop suey and did not miss them when they eventually disappeared from the menu.

Yet, old favorites die hard for some people. Our close friend and business associate, Mel Novatt, himself a world traveler and goumet, surprised, even shocked, me one day when he admitted that one of this favorite Chinese dishes was chicken chop suey and that he was disappointed that it had become almost impossible to get. In one Cantonese restaurant in boston, he implored me to order it for him. The water was taken aback and asked two times if American Chop Suey was really what I wanted. Mel was a happy man that evening.

I am including a simple chop suey recipe here because although it is not authentic, it is nutritious and tasty when it is made well. Always use fresh vegetables and be sure not to overcook the bean sprouts. They are best when they are tender but still crisp. Serve the dish with steamed rice or crisp chow mein noodles.

3 tablespoons canola, corn, or peanut oil
2 slices unpeeled gingerroot, 1 X 1/8 inch each
½ pound skinless boneless chicken breast, cut into ¾ inch cubes (about 1 cup)
1 medium onion, shredded (about 1 cup)
2 celery stalks, shredded (1 cup)
1 (8-ounce) can bamboo shoots, drained and sliced or shredded (1 cup)
2 cups shredded napa cabbage (about ½ pound)
2 chicken bouillon cubes, dissolved in ½ cup hot water
3 cups bean sprouts (about 6 ounces)
1 tablespoon cornstarch, dissolved in 2 tablespoons water

1. Pour the oil into a wok or stir-fry pan and place over high heat. Add the gingerroot and stir around the pan for about 15 seconds or until the oil is hot but not smoking; the gingerroot will sizzle.

2. Add the chicken and stir constantly for about 1 minute. Stir in the onion, celery, bamboo shoots, cabbage, and chicken bouillon solution. Stir around a few times and cover the pan. Cook, covered, for about 3, minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables lose their raw look. Add the bean sprouts and stir another minute, or until the sprouts are lightly wilted but still crisp.

3. Stir in the cornstarch slurry and cook, stirring constantly, until the sauce thickens. Serve hot.