Name: Chop Suey
Cook time: 1 1/4 hour
Total time: 1 1/4 hour
Yield: Makes 6 servings
Ingredients: 2 garlic cloves, minced; 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon oyster sauce; 1/2 tablespoon soy sauce; 1 teaspoon salt; 1 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch; 1 pound pork tenderloin, cut crosswise into 1/8-inch-thick strips; 2 celery ribs diagonally cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices; 6 oz snow peas diagonally cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices; 1/2 lb bok choy, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices (leaves and ribs separately); 1/4 lb mushrooms cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices; 1 onion, halved lengthwise and into 1/4-inch-thick strips; 1 green bell pepper cut into 1/4-inch-thick strips, then halved crosswise; 1/4 lb mung bean sprouts, rinsed and drained; 1 (5-oz) can sliced water chestnuts; 1 (5-oz) can sliced bamboo shoots; 1/4 cup chicken broth; Vegetable oil; Water; Salt and pepper to taste; N/A pepper

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Chop Suey is a classic American-Chinese dish with murky origins. As one legend has it, Chinese viceroy Li Hung Chang, visiting San Francisco's Palace Hotel in the 1890s, requested vegetables with a bit of meat "job suey," or "in fine pieces," and chef Joseph Herder obliged. Whatever the origins, the combination of stir-fried meats and vegetables with a sweet-and-savory sauce is endlessly customizable and easy to make with whatever you have on hand. This version combines pork tenderloin with celery, mushrooms, bok choy, bamboo, and water chestnuts—but you should feel free to use whatever veggies or meat you have lurking in the fridge.

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