Chop Suey Isn't Even Chinese? Here's an Easy Recipe Anyway

Rereading this post, I found myself thinking: why not have chop suey today?

It's actually a pretty easy recipe, did you know that?

You can use mostly vegetables you probably already have on hand, and round them out — just for the vibe — with things like bamboo shoots, bean sprouts, or shiitake mushrooms.

Because there's really no such thing as a universal chop suey recipe. It's made differently all over the world, depending on what's locally available and what local palates crave. Chinese-Indian cuisine, for instance, folds in Indian spices and vegetables like potato and okra, while Chinese-Mexican cuisine leans on local ingredients like pale yellow fried chili peppers. In fact, while chop suey became the symbol of "Chinese food" in New York, in Italy, it's oddly absent — nowhere near a signature dish. (There, the local take on "Chinese cuisine" shows up instead as Cantonese rice with ham, spring rolls, and sweet and sour chicken.)

Chinese-Indian cuisine

Indian spices, potato, okra.

Chinese-Mexican cuisine

Pale yellow fried chili peppers.

New York

The symbol of "Chinese food."

Italy

Oddly absent.

Chop suey also didn't become widely known in Europe until about half a century later than in the US — not until after World War II, by which point Americans already had their well-known chop suey houses. Well-known to Americans, that is — in Europe, this whole phenomenon simply didn't exist yet.

US

EU

Enough chatting about chop suey's backstory! I'm guessing by now you're itching to know that supposedly-so-easy recipe, right?

So here's a version for you, made with smoked tofu.

Chop Suey with Smoked Tofu

A quick stir-fry with smoked tofu, bean sprouts, and crisp vegetables in a light soy sauce — staying true to the improvisational spirit of the original.

2

Serves 2

Ingredients

200 gsmoked tofu, cubed

150 gbean sprouts

2celery stalks, sliced on the diagonal

1carrot, cut into thin strips

150 gmushrooms, sliced

2scallions, sliced into rings

2garlic cloves, minced

1 tspfresh ginger, minced

3 tbspsoy sauce

1 tbspoyster sauce (or vegetarian oyster sauce)

1 tspcornstarch

100 mlwater or vegetable broth

2 tbspneutral oil (sunflower or peanut)

1 tspsesame oil

Steps

1

Mix the sauce: Whisk together the soy sauce, oyster sauce (or vegetarian oyster sauce), cornstarch, and water or vegetable broth in a small bowl until smooth. Set aside.

2

Fry the tofu: Heat the neutral oil in a wok or large skillet over high heat. Fry the tofu for 3-4 minutes until lightly browned and crisp at the edges. Remove and set aside.

3

Sauté the aromatics: Add the garlic and ginger to the same pan and stir-fry for 30 seconds until fragrant.

4

Stir-fry the vegetables: Add the carrot, celery, and mushrooms and stir-fry over high heat for 3-4 minutes until tender-crisp.

5

Add the bean sprouts and tofu: Add the bean sprouts and the fried tofu back in. Stir-fry for another minute.

6

Add the sauce and thicken: Pour in the sauce and stir well. Simmer for 1-2 minutes until the sauce lightly thickens and everything glistens.

7

Finish: Remove from heat, drizzle with sesame oil, and garnish with scallions. Serve immediately with white rice or fried noodles.

Just like the original, this recipe is flexible: add whatever you've got on hand — water chestnuts, bok choy, bamboo shoots, or red bell pepper all work well. For some heat: a spoonful of sambal or chili flakes in the sauce.

Swap in the vegetarian oyster sauce here and you've got a fully vegan version!

Speaking of which…

Below, Will Yeung — whose vegan recipes are, without exception, always fantastic and super simple to make! — shows you in under nine minutes how to make his version.

Enjoy! 😝

So, what do you think — pretty easy, right?

Are you going to make your own chop suey sometime? Or are you thinking: takeout it is? Curious to hear!

photo: Cosmin Ursea