Chop Suey | Classic Chinese-American Recipe Like Mom Made (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between American chop suey and Chinese chop suey? ›

The American Chopsuey is sweet and sour with a bright orangish-red colour. It is like a one-pot macaroni pasta meal cooked with beef and vegetables in a sweet tomato sauce. Whereas the Chinese Chop Suey is savoury and spicy, served with rice or noodles.

Chop suey (usually pronounced /ˈtʃɒpˈsuːi/) is a dish from American Chinese cuisine and other forms of overseas Chinese cuisine, generally consisting of meat (usually chicken, pork, beef, shrimp or fish) and eggs, cooked quickly with vegetables such as bean sprouts, cabbage, and celery, and bound in a starch-thickened ...

Chop suey sauce is made of soy sauce, oyster sauce, Shaoxing wine, sesame oil, cornstarch, white pepper, and water.

Chop suey is a dish you'll see on almost any Chinese takeout menu—but that doesn't mean it comes from China. According to culinary legend, the dish of stir-fried meat, egg, and vegetables was invented on August 29, 1896, in New York City.

Chow mein and chop suey are both Chinese stir-fry dishes often found on restaurant and take-out menus. The two may seem similar, but the ingredients, preparation, and origins are different.

This Classic American Chop Suey Recipe is easy to make in One Pot, the Crock Pot, or the Instant Pot! The flavors blend together perfectly for a traditional comfort food that your family will love.

Chop suey is another stir-fry dish made from meat, eggs, and thinly sliced vegetables in a light sauce. It's often made with pork, although some varieties may contain chicken, beef, or tofu. Like other stir-fries, it's a healthier choice because it's made from a protein source and vegetables.

I will say that bolognese is traditionally served with spaghetti, whereas goulash or American chop suey is often served with macaroni or other smaller pasta types. But bolognese is meat, veggies, and red sauce over pasta... And goulash/American chop suey are the exact same thing.

Chop Suey will usually contain some kind of meat, whether this is beef, pork, chicken or seafood, an assortment of veggies, sometimes an egg and a thick sauce. This is then served with either noodles or rice, although rice is a more common and popular pairing.

“Subgum” means miscellaneous. It has many things mixed in, usually double the sauce, double the meat,and double the veggies when compared to chow mein. “Chow mein” means stir-fried noodles. It has bits of meat and veggies and a bit of sauce.

Where does American chop suey originate? ›

Anti-Chinese immigrant sentiment in the west led to the cross-country travel of many Chinese immigrants, who found their way to New York City, where many believe the origin of chop suey can be traced. It was embraced by the hipsters and artists of New York, which continued to add to its popularity.

Around the same time, the 1916 Manual for Army Cooks published their recipe for American chop suey. Rather than using paprika, chunks of meat were braised in stock and barbecue sauce. The stew was typically served over rice in an attempt to resemble its inspiration: the Chinese-American dish chop suey.

Technically, both could be classified as stir-fry dishes that can be served with noodles — but unlike chop suey, chow mein's deep-fried noodles are purely an American convention. Unlike in the U.S., the noodles for chow mein in China are pan-fired so that they are still soft and pliable when served (via Taste Atlas).

The name in several Chinese dialects can be translated to “odds and ends,” an ancestor of the back-of-the-fridge dish that could be adjusted inexpensively and to fit your preferred flavors. According to other stories, chop suey was, like crab Rangoon and fortune cookies, truly the product of American immigration.