What is Chop Suey Meat

Did you know that most “Chinese Food” we get in our favorite restaurants is actually Chop Suey which is essentially the trash of other dishes?

Its an interesting history.

When Chinese cooks came to America ingredients there were used to were scarce and often they had to make large amounts of food for Chinese miners and rail workers.

The China when much food was needed in a short time everything edible was thrown in a pot and cooked in broth and called Chop Suey. Well the trash of Chinese cooking became so popular that Chinese restaurants opened serving these traditional Chop Suey dishes.

By the 1970′s Chop Suey had gone high class with expensive Chinese restaurants with chefs from szechuan and canton serving up Chop Suey for 50 dollars a plate.

There was an excellent TV special on the subject several years ago. I was thinking though that there are lots of good cooking principles we can garner from Chop Suey. I’m sure you’ve had this kind of situation as it is a frequent occurrence in my kitchen.

You’ve cooked several dishes and you have tons of ingredients but nothing that actually adds up to a dish? Well, I have that problem all the time and this is your time to shine in the kitchen because it doesn’t look like you’re making anything and then you can suddenly turn out a great meal.

One of the first thing to decide when cleaning out the fridge is how you’re going to base this dish.

If making a soup or stew are you going with a tomato sauce, cream sauce or stock?

Are you going for a marinade of meat?

Are you going for a baked dish that bakes everything over time?

Once you’ve decided you can move forward. I highly recommend things like dumplings for stews, biscuits and bread bases for baked dishes and pasta for tomato and cream sauces.

See how we’re building these dishes from the bottom up?

That is how Chop Suey was originally created in the fields, mountains and valleys of this great land of ours. Then you have decide what meats and vegetables are going to complete the dish.

Chicken and other poultry is perfect for stock dishes and baked goods.

Beef is good for beef stock stews, tomato sauce dishes and marinades because if how easily it takes flavor.

Corn, string beans, beans, and spinach are really good for all of these dishes and work particularly well in the stews.

Its Chop Suey, get creative and inventive, taste a lot, take cues from traditional dishes and experiment.

Enjoy!

Remember, good food, good friends, and good conversation.

 

Check out the video version of this article on YouTube