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Prep Time: 20 Minutes Cook Time: 15 Minutes |
Ready In: 35 Minutes Servings: 6 |
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Chop suey is widely believed to have been invented in America by Chinese immigrants, but in fact it appears to originate in Taishan, a district of Guangdong Province which was the home of most of the early Chinese immigrants. Chop suey (Chinese 'mixed pieces') is an American-Chinese dish consisting of meats (often chicken, fish, beef, shrimp or pork), cooked quickly with vegetables such as bean sprouts, cabbage, and celery and bound in a starch-thickened sauce. This version comes from the Western chapter of the United States Regional Cookbook, Culinary Arts Institute of Chicago, 1947 Ingredients:
2 cups cooked chicken, deboned and sliced into strips about an inch long |
2 tablespoons fat |
1 small onion, peeled and thinly sliced |
1 cup celery, sliced |
1/2 green bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced |
8 ounces mushrooms, chopped and drained (reserve juice) |
1 1/2 cups chicken stock, plus reserved mushroom liquid |
1 teaspoon soy sauce |
salt and pepper, to taste |
1 (20 ounce) can bean sprouts, drained (fresh is fine, too) |
1 tablespoon cornstarch, mixed with |
1 tablespoon water |
water chestnut, if desired |
Directions:
1. Melt butter or fat in skillet; add onion, celery and green pepper. 2. Brown slightly and add liquid. 3. Allow vegetables to simmer in the stock until tender, about 15 minutes. 4. Add soy sauce; season to taste with salt and pepper and stir in cornstarch slurry. 5. Cook for five minutes until thickened. 6. Add chicken, mushrooms and sprouts; heat thoroughly but do not boil. 7. Serve hot with steamed rice. |
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