Better Homes And Gardens Chop Suey Recipe

Chop Suey is a delicious stew composed of bean sprouts, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots, onions, celery, and bits of pork, chicken, shrimp, or beef served with noodles. Popular in the 1950s, each mom had her own version of American shop suey that was a cheap, familiar comfort food.

Next time try this Italian Thai dish that combines the two cultures in one delicious dinner.

Chop Suey is a Chinese-American Stew with thin pasta and sprinkled with green onions on a white square plate with red salvia blossoms sprinkled around the plate and brown bamboo placemat with a tan linen placement on the side.

The True Chop Suey History

Exactly what does chop suey mean? In Chinese, the two characters for chop suey are "shap sui," which means " mixed small bits or odds and ends ."

Although nobody knows for sure, San Francisco seems to be the city that gave birth to this mixed stew.

It was there that Chinese laborers flooded the city to take advantage of the booming economy brought on by the Gold Rush.

Photo of Chinatown in San Francisco with the San Francisco bridge in the background. Chop Suey originated in San Francisco in the late 1900s.

Chinese restaurants popped up everywhere.

The legend goes that one night a group of drunken miners stumbled into a Chinese restaurant and demanded food. The tired owner trudged back into the kitchen, scraped leftover food off of the precious customers' plates, then put the scraps onto new ones.

He doused the jumble of meat and vegetables in soy sauce and then presented the food to the inebriated clients.

The miners loved the dish! The following night they returned and demanded more chop suey.

Chicken Chop Suey in a white bowl. The recipe is very adaptable to any meat and vegetable using carrots, green peppers, bean sprouts.

Chop Suey Spreads Across the Country

By the 1920s, the Chinese-American stew was as popular as hot dogs. The Chinese restaurants opened eateries throughout the country and adapted the stew to the tastes of non-Chinese customers.

The dish was cheap and easy to make. In the 1950s, mothers were making this Chinese stew for their families. A big pot fed an entire family.

Chop suey was now a hallmark of adventurous ethnic eating. Canned chop suey and packaged varieties appeared on the scene.

Beef Chop Suey is easy an easy to make stew that can stretch the food budget.

With the appearance of influential figures like Julia Child, James Beard, and Craig Claiborne, customers began to search for authenticity in food. They wanted dishes like Gnocchi in Brodo and Pugliese Bread.

So in the 1960s, the so-called Chinese dish lost favor for unique dishes such as Peking duck and potstickers.

Today if you go into a Chinese restaurant you'll see dishes such as Kung Pao shrimp or chicken with broccoli, hot and sour soup. You won't find "shap sui" on the Chinese restaurant menus.

Close up of Chop Suey a Chinese-American stew in a white square plate with bamboo chop sticks and green onions garnishing the dish with red salvia blossoms on placemat and dish.

Chop Suey Revisited

One of the problems of the old Chinese-American stew was that everything was overcooked.

The different vegetables in the dish were mushy and the liquid sometimes gelatinous. But that does not have to be the case.

Chop Suey ingredients in bowls for Pork Chop Suey including pork chunks, celery slices, mushroom, onion, bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, soy sauce.

I remember the first time I had chop suey.

Helen, my mother-in-law, had to cook dinner early because it was her turn to host Bunko and a group of ladies was descending on the house.

Everyone had to eat early and leave the ladies to their game. This was her favorite dish to make in a pinch.

Close up of a plate of Chop Suey in a white square china plate with chop sticks and red salvia blossoms.

Variations

This chop suey recipe is very tasty. Today, instead of using leftovers, like they did years ago, we use fresh ingredients and use the meat we have on hand.

Along with our usual ingredient list we like to mix and match with:

snow peas
red bell pepper
snap peas
green bell peppers
green beans
Chinese cabbage
baby corn
chicken breast
beef steak
shrimp
sesame oil
oyster sauce
white rice

Make sure you have a large wok or saucepan to work with. The easiest way to make Chinese recipes is to have all your ingredients ready to go.

Add the type of veggies you love. You can't go wrong. Give it a try, we're sure you won't be disappointed!

Tutti a tavola è pronto!

Collage of Chop Suey a Chinese-American dish that is versatile and budget-friendly. A tasty stew that was very popular in the mid-20th century. It's comfort food from the past.

Un caro saluto e alla prossima.

Chop Suey is a Chinese-American stew that gained popularity in the mid-20th century. It's delicious and great for extending the food budget.

19 oz. cubed pork tenderloin
3 Tablespoons olive oil or vegetable oil divided
1 large onion chopped
1 cup celery sliced in ¼-inch diagonal
1 can 16 oz. bean sprouts, drained
1 can 8 oz. sliced water chestnuts, drained
1 can 8 oz. bamboo shoots, drained
8 oz. fresh baby Bella mushrooms sliced
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes use more or less according to your taste
½ cup chicken broth
½ cup soy sauce
2 Tablespoons cornstarch
4 Tablespoons water
4 oz. Canton noodles cooked according to directions. Set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in large skillet over medium heat and add the pork cubes. Cook, stirring, until the pork begins to brown, 10 minutes. Remove the meat from the skillet and set aside.
Heat the remaining oil in the skillet or large wok and add the onion, celery, and red pepper flakes. Sauté for about 2 to 3 minutes. Add the mushrooms and continue to sauté until the mushrooms release some of their liquid about another 3 minutes.
Stir in the bean sprouts, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, and chicken broth. Let it come to a simmer. Add the meat back in with the soy sauce and cover the skillet. Let it simmer for about 5 minutes.
In a small bowl or measuring cup combine the cold water with the cornstarch. Stir the slurry into the skillet to thicken the flavorful sauce. Cook for about 5 minutes or until the sauce ingredients thicken.
Add the canton noodles to the shop suey and stir until thoroughly combined.
Serve the chop suey with chopped cilantro, green onions, or sesame seed

This is virtually a basic recipe you can add as many vegetables as you want. The meat is up to you. Pork chop suey, beef chop suey, chicken chop suey, or shrimp chop suey are all delicious.

You may also use duck for your chop suey.

Make it vegetarian by using firm tofu. The tofu will absorb the flavors of the sauce.

For additional crunch, sprinkle chow mein noodles on top of each serving.

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