Chinese Chop Suey

Ingredients

• 1 pound Lean Pork (Sliced to roughly the size and thickness of a half dollar coin (about 3 cm wide, 2–3 mm thick). Ask your butcher to slice it thinly if needed.)
• 1 cup Spanish Onions (Sliced thin. Spanish onions are large, mild, and slightly sweet — a regular yellow onion is a suitable substitute.)
• 1 cup Celery (Sliced thin crosswise (on the bias). Remove and discard any leaves before slicing.)
• 1 cup Chinese Mushrooms (Dried shiitake mushrooms are the modern equivalent. Soak in cold water for at least 20–30 minutes until fully soft, then remove and discard the tough stems and slice the caps.)
• 5 whole Chinese Water Chestnuts (Peel (pare) the outer skin and slice thin. Canned water chestnuts (drained and rinsed) are a widely available substitute.)
• 1 tablespoon Chinese Salty Sauce (This refers to a Chinese soy-based salty condiment — standard light soy sauce is the modern equivalent.)
• 1 tablespoon Chinese Sweet Sauce (A sweet Chinese condiment — hoisin sauce or a sweet bean sauce (tianmian jiang) are the closest modern equivalents.)
• 3 drops Sesame Oil (Listed in the original as 'sesamun oil'. Use toasted sesame oil for the most authentic flavour. A little goes a long way.)
• 1 teaspoon Cornstarch (Must be dissolved in a small amount of cold water (about 1 tablespoon) before adding to the dish to prevent lumps.)
• 1 tablespoon Lard, Meat Fryings, or Peanut Oil (Use whichever you have available. Peanut oil is the most commonly available modern option and has a high smoke point suitable for high-heat cooking.)

Instructions

1. 1Place the dried Chinese mushrooms in a bowl and cover completely with cold water. Leave them to soak for at least 20–30 minutes until they are fully soft and pliable. Once softened, lift them out of the water (discard the soaking liquid), remove and discard the tough stems, and slice the caps thinly. Set aside.
2. 2While the mushrooms soak, prepare everything else so it is ready before you begin cooking — the dish cooks very quickly and there will be no time to prep mid-cook. Slice the pork into thin rounds roughly the size and thickness of a half dollar coin (about 3 cm across, 2–3 mm thick). Slice the Spanish onion thinly. Remove any leaves from the celery stalks and slice the stalks thinly on the crosswise (across the stalk, not lengthways). Peel (pare) the water chestnuts and slice them thinly. In a small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in about 1 tablespoon of cold water and stir until smooth — set aside. Measure out the salty sauce, sweet sauce, and sesame oil so they are ready to add quickly.
3. 3Place a large, heavy-based pan or wok (the original recipe calls for an iron kettle) over the highest heat your stove allows. Let the pan get very hot for 1–2 minutes. Add the lard, meat fryings, or peanut oil and swirl to coat the base. Add the sliced pork in a single layer and fry, stirring occasionally, until the pork is about half cooked through — it should be white on the outside but still slightly pink inside. This will take roughly 3–4 minutes over high heat. Do not overcrowd the pan; if needed, cook in batches.
4. 4With the heat still high, add the sliced onions to the pan with the pork. Stir and fry for 2–3 minutes until the onions begin to soften slightly. Then add the sliced celery, sliced mushrooms, sliced water chestnuts, and the Chinese salty sauce all at once. Stir everything together well to combine.
5. 5Place a tight-fitting lid on the pan and allow everything to cook in its own steam and juices for 8 to 10 minutes. Keep the heat high. Lift the lid every few minutes to stir — if the pan looks dry or the ingredients are starting to stick or scorch, add a small splash of hot water or hot stock to prevent burning. Replace the lid each time after stirring.
6. 6Reduce the heat to low. Remove the lid. Add the Chinese sweet sauce, the 3 drops of sesame oil, and the dissolved cornstarch (give the cornstarch mixture a quick stir in its bowl first as it may have settled). Stir everything together thoroughly for about 1 minute until the sauce thickens slightly and coats all the ingredients evenly. The dish is now ready to serve.
7. 7Transfer the chop suey to a serving dish — the original recipe specifies an oblong chop suey dish. Serve immediately alongside steamed rice and Chinese tea as directed in the original recipe.