Chopsuey

Copyright 2011 LtDan'sKitchen blogs

Chop-suey is a Chinese dish that is very common back home and is served in most family celebrations. This dish is basically a smorgasbord of ingredients that you are partial to in terms of vegetables and meat. My personal preference for this dish is pork  although chicken is quite popularly used for this dish as well. When it comes to the choice of vegetables, I say take your pick. There are some required choices though and those include, cabbage, carrots, mushrooms, baby corn, chayotes, green and/or red bell peppers, and snow peas. I don't really like snow peas that much so I seldom add it to the dish. My choice for mushrooms will include dried shitake and straw mushrooms depending on what is available but button mushrooms are also a good choice, just not as flavorful. Another ingredient I love is quail eggs. Back home, they are available fresh but the canned variety are also equally good. If quail eggs are not available, hard boiled regular eggs will do but as a topping, not a part of the dish, along with chopped green onions. The seasoning for this dish is fairly simple and the way to cook this dish is a cross between stir frying and poaching. Go easy on the vegetables though, you want it tender but crisp. 

 Chop-Suey

1 lb pork, sliced into small pieces
1 small onion, peeled and quartered
3-4 garlic cloves, minced
3-4 carrots, peeled and sliced thinly
2 red or green bell peppers, diced
1 can whole baby corn, drained
1 can straw mushrooms, drained
1 small head of cabbage, chopped
1 lb mushrooms
2 cups chicken broth
salt and pepper
2 tbsp canola oil
sesame oil
1/3 cup oyster sauce
1 tsp soy sauce
3 tbsp corn starch
water or broth

1. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large deep pan. Add the garlic and 
    saute for a few seconds until fragrant. Add the pork and season with salt 
    and pepper and cook until slightly browned. Add the soy sauce and broth
    and simmer for about 5 minutes. Check for flavor and adjust accordingly
    with salt and pepper. 

2. Spoon out the meat and set aside in a bowl. Add the carrots to the broth 
    and simmer for 5 minutes or until tender crisp. Spoon carrots out and set 
    aside together with the pork. 

3. Do the same for the rest of the vegetables making sure it is cooked to a 
    tender crisp stage (just a tad over par-cooked). If you need to add more 
    liquid, add little bits of hot water or broth. You just want enough liquid 
    to cook the vegetables without drowning them. 

4. When the vegetables have been cooked, return the cooked ingredients 
    back into the broth. Add the corn starch dissolved in 1/3 cup water or 
    broth and mix well until thickened. Finish the dish by adding the oyster 
    sauce and keep mixing until the sauce is thick and coats every vegetable 
    and meat with a silken sauce. Add more water if the sauce is too thick or 
    add more corn starch if the sauce is too soupy. Check for flavor and 
    adjust accordingly with salt and pepper and even more oyster sauce. 

5. Drizzle with sesame oil before serving and top with chopped green onions 
    or chopped hard boiled eggs. Best eaten with steamed rice.