
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.