P
American
Chop Suey
A stir-fry of bean sprouts (the dominant vegetable), sliced celery, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, bok choy or napa cabbage, sliced onion, mushrooms, and a protein (sliced pork, chicken, or shrimp), wok-fried in oil with garlic and ginger, then sauced with a mixture of soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, and cornstarch-thickened stock. The sauce should be glossy and lightly coat the vegetables without pooling. Served over steamed white rice.
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I
The Market List
The benchmark for each ingredient, and who stocks it near you. Tap a stockist to go straight to the product.
400 g
bean sprouts
rinsed, drained
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
3 stalks
celery
thinly sliced on the diagonal
Your own market
100 g
100 g
200 g
bok choy or napa cabbage
leaves separated or roughly shredded
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1 medium
onion
thinly sliced
Your own market
100 g
mushrooms
sliced
Your own market
350 g
pork, chicken, or shrimp
thinly sliced (pork or chicken) or peeled and deveined (shrimp)
Your own market
3 cloves
garlic
finely chopped
Your own market
1 tsp
2 tbsp
neutral oil
such as vegetable or groundnut
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
For the sauce
2 tbsp
soy sauce
1 tbsp
oyster sauce
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
1 tsp
sugar
Your own market
1 tsp
150 ml
stock
chicken or vegetable
Not yet stocked in British Columbia
To serve
4 portions
steamed white rice
Your own market
Each tap is counted, so the stockist sees the demand Provenance sends them.
II
The Method
1
Combine soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, and cornstarch in the stock. Stir until the cornstarch is fully dissolved and no lumps remain. Set aside. The sauce is ready when it is uniform and slightly viscous before cooking.
2
Heat the wok over the highest available flame until it begins to smoke. Add the oil and swirl to coat. Add the garlic and ginger and stir-fry for no more than 20 seconds. They are ready when fragrant but not coloured.
3
Add the protein in a single layer. Leave undisturbed for 30 seconds to sear, then stir-fry until just cooked through and lightly coloured at the edges. Remove from the wok and set aside. The protein is done when it has lost its raw appearance throughout.
4
Return the wok to high heat. Add the onion, celery, mushrooms, bok choy or napa cabbage, water chestnuts, and bamboo shoots in that order, stir-frying between each addition. This is the step on which the dish lives or dies: the wok must remain hot enough throughout to sear rather than steam — if the temperature drops, the vegetables will surrender their moisture and turn limp. Each vegetable should be tender at the edges but retain an audible crunch when pressed.
5
Return the protein to the wok. Pour the sauce over and toss to combine. The sauce will thicken within 30 to 60 seconds of hitting the hot wok. It is ready when it is glossy and lightly coats every piece of vegetable and protein without pooling at the bottom of the wok.
6
Add the bean sprouts last. Toss once or twice — no more than 30 seconds of total heat. They are done when they are just wilted at the tips but still firm through the centre.
7
Transfer immediately to a serving dish and bring to the table with steamed white rice. The dish is ready to serve when the sauce has ceased to run and sits in a thin, glossy film across the vegetables.
III
Quality Hierarchy
01
Reserve — Fresh, hand-pulled bean sprouts from a Chinese market on the day of cooking; live or day-boat shrimp, or hand-sliced pork loin. Wok hei achieved over a commercial-grade gas burner.
02
Estate — Supermarket bean sprouts used within one day of purchase; good-quality fresh chicken breast or pork shoulder, sliced thin against the grain. A well-seasoned carbon-steel wok on a strong domestic burner.
03
Market — Standard supermarket produce; frozen shrimp thawed and dried thoroughly. Any large, heavy-based frying pan at the highest domestic heat setting.
04
House — Whatever mixed vegetables and protein are on hand — the Cantonese term tsap seui (雜碎, 'odds and ends') sanctions this. A thin, glossy sauce and correctly sequenced additions matter more than any single ingredient.
IV
Sensory Tests
◇Sound. A continuous, vigorous sizzle from the wok throughout the vegetable stage signals that searing, not steaming, is occurring.
◇Sight. The finished sauce is glossy and clings in a thin, even film; no liquid pools at the base of the wok or serving dish.
◇Touch. Bean sprouts pressed between two fingers yield slightly at the tip but resist in the centre — the test of correct 30-second cooking.
◇Smell. A brief, sharp fragrance of garlic and ginger rises within the first 20 seconds; if the smell begins to turn acrid, the aromatics have taken too much heat.
◇Where it lives or dies. The wok must remain at searing heat throughout the vegetable stage; a drop in temperature steams rather than fries, and the crunch that defines the dish is lost.
Pillar V
Cross-cuisine parallels are part of membership.
The dishes this one teaches you, across the cuisines — on every recipe.
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VI
What to Pour
The pairing
Fortified wine
From British Columbia
Nothing from British Columbia holds against this yet.
Without alcohol
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Why each one works is part of membership — Enter · from $49 a year →
The whole pairingPillar VII
Origin and lineage are part of membership.
Where the dish comes from and how it came to be — on every recipe.
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Sourced through Provenance