{"id":34412,"date":"2020-09-24T00:11:09","date_gmt":"2020-09-24T07:11:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iamafoodblog.com\/?p=34412"},"modified":"2020-09-24T10:33:45","modified_gmt":"2020-09-24T17:33:45","slug":"chop-suey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iamafoodblog.com\/chop-suey\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best Chop Suey"},"content":{"rendered":"

Chop suey is my comfort food.<\/strong> It was ubiquitous in my childhood. Even though the name chop suey has become unfashionable, versions of it are still everywhere.<\/p>\n

This modern chop suey is so good, you’ll never need to go out again. We made a big batch of rice to eat it with but in the end we barely touched the rice at all. It was so satisfying all on its own. Perfectly balanced, as all things should be. I made this one up extra saucy because the whole point of chop suey is that crazy delicious sauce. This is the chop suey of my dreams.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"chicken<\/p>\n

What is chop suey?<\/h2>\n

There are a lot of people who try to answer this question with a history lesson, but I think that stuff doesn\u2019t matter. At its core, chop suey is a glorious meat and vegetable stir fry with American ingredients. <\/strong>Chop suey is a stir fry of too many vegetables (some canned), a not-quite-authentic Chinese stir fry sauce, way more meat than they\u2019d ever use in China, and way more delicious than it has any right to be.<\/p>\n

When I went to the mall with my friends as a teenager, my food court joint of choice was that place where I could pick out meat and vegetables by the pound, and they would stir fry it on a giant flat top and serve it over rice. I always got extra rice (grudgingly free, but how can you say no to teenage boys who need extra rice?) and they would always ask which of 10 different sauces I wanted. The answer was always \u201cbrown\u201d.<\/p>\n

And what is that, if not a choose-your-own adventure chop suey?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"chop<\/p>\n

Authentic American chop suey<\/h2>\n

Other people will tell you it’s just a Chinese stir fry gone wrong, but I disagree. Chop suey is through and through an American dish. Does that make it worse or less authentic than “real” Chinese food? I say no: it\u2019s just as authentic as Italian American food, which used to be trashed by \u201creal\u201d Italians, but these days is celebrated as its own thing by people in the know. If you didn’t grow up here, you’ll probably dismiss chop suey as “westernized Chinese food.” Chinese people (even including Steph) tend to instinctively look down on this dish, but they\u2019ll come around, just like how authentic Italian pizzerias actually make American pizza and don’t even know.<\/a> (Update, after tasting this version, Steph came around).<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"american<\/p>\n

The magic of chop suey is in the sauce.<\/strong><\/h2>\n

But, that doesn\u2019t mean we shouldn\u2019t incorporate proper Chinese cooking techniques and ingredients into this quintessentially American dish. In this recipe, we use all the secrets of real Chinese cooking (where applicable):\u00a0Shaoxing wine to add complexity;<\/a>\u00a0toasted sesame oil for a creamy nutty umami note; velveting the meat to tenderize it.<\/p>\n

But is that what makes this what I humbly call the greatest chop suey recipe? No, what makes this a great chop suey recipe is ALL THAT SAUCE. It’s gloriously generous, and it’s so satisfying to eat. You can’t make chop suey without enough sauce to drown in (even if you end up not eating it all).<\/p>\n

\"chop<\/p>\n

How to make chop suey<\/h2>\n
    \n
  1. Marinate and velvet the meat<\/strong> for 5-15 minutes (basically as long as it takes to prep everything else, but longer is better).<\/li>\n
  2. Prep your carb<\/strong> base:\u00a0cook your rice<\/a> or soak your chow mein.<\/li>\n
  3. Prep the vegetables<\/strong> by cutting them into spoon sized pieces.<\/li>\n
  4. Make the sauce<\/strong> and thicken it.<\/li>\n
  5. Stir fry the meats<\/strong> and garlic. Then remove and set aside so they don’t overcook.<\/li>\n
  6. Briefly cook the vegetables.<\/strong> I prefer my vegetables on the still crunchy side.<\/li>\n
  7. Add the sauce<\/strong> and stir everything together.<\/li>\n
  8. Eat<\/strong> to your heart’s content.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    \"chop<\/p>\n

    Ingredients<\/h2>\n

    For me, chop suey is a protein (chicken, pork, or tofu), all the veg you want, but at least one canned (I like baby corn; maybe you like water chestnuts or bamboo shoots?), bean sprouts, a generous<\/em> amount of brown stir fry sauce, and a carby base: rice or noodles.<\/p>\n