Chicken Chop Suey

Ingredients

• 1 pound Cooked Chicken (Sliced thin and cut into small pieces.)
• 1 cup Celery (Sliced thin crosswise. Remove and discard the leaves before slicing.)
• 1 cup Chinese Mushrooms (Soak in water until soft, then remove and discard the stems before using.)
• 7 whole Chinese Water Chestnuts (Peel (pare) the outer skin and slice thin.)
• 1 cup Bamboo Shoot (Cut into thin, small pieces.)
• 1 tablespoon Chinese Salty Sauce (A traditional Chinese salty condiment sauce, such as soy sauce.)
• 1 tablespoon Chinese Sweet Sauce (A traditional Chinese sweet condiment sauce, such as hoisin sauce.)
• 3 drops Sesame Oil (Listed in the original as 'sesamun oil'. A little goes a long way — measure carefully.)
• 1 teaspoon Cornstarch (Dissolve in a small splash of cold water before adding to the pan to avoid lumps.)
• 1 cup Chicken or Beef Stock (Use whichever you have available. A good-quality stock adds the most flavour.)

Instructions

1. 1Place the dried Chinese mushrooms in a bowl and cover completely with cold or room-temperature water. Allow them to soak until they are fully softened and pliable — this usually takes about 15 minutes. Once soft, drain them, then use a small knife or your fingers to remove and discard the tough stems. The mushrooms are now ready to use.
2. 2While the mushrooms are soaking, prepare all your other ingredients so everything is ready before you start cooking. Slice the celery thin crosswise, removing and discarding any leaves. Peel (pare) the water chestnuts and slice them thin. Cut the bamboo shoot into thin, small pieces. Slice the cooked chicken thin and cut into small pieces. In a small cup or bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in a small splash of cold water and stir until smooth — set this aside. Measure out the Chinese salty sauce, Chinese sweet sauce, and sesame oil so they are ready to add quickly.
3. 3Use a deep, heavy-bottomed pot — a wok, a cast iron pot, or any deep heavy saucepan will work well. Set it over a high flame (high heat). Add the celery, soaked and stemmed mushrooms, sliced water chestnuts, bamboo shoot, and the cup of chicken or beef stock into the pot. Stir everything together briefly, then cover the pot tightly with a lid. Allow to cook on high heat for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally by lifting the lid, giving everything a stir, and replacing the lid quickly to keep the heat in.
4. 4Add the sliced cooked chicken to the pot with the vegetables. Stir to combine, then cover again and allow to cook for a further 4 minutes on high heat. The chicken is already cooked, so you are simply heating it through and allowing it to absorb the flavours of the stock and vegetables.
5. 5Reduce the heat to low. Add the Chinese salty sauce and the Chinese sweet sauce to the pot and stir them through. Add the 3 drops of sesame oil — measure carefully as it is very strongly flavoured. Finally, pour in the cornstarch dissolved in water and stir continuously for about 1 minute until the sauce thickens slightly and becomes glossy. Once thickened, remove from the heat.
6. 6Serve the Chicken Chop Suey immediately in bowls alongside a bowl of rice cooked Chinese style, Chinese tea, and a few lychee (Li Chee) nuts on the side.