Friends who have visited or indeed lived in China tell me neither dish can be had there in any form. Many of these early arrivals worked on building the cross-continental railways, or as cooks feeding the workers, spreading this ubiquitous dish across the land, with a more colloquial spelling.Īnother source has the dish coming from the slang expression “chop chop” meaning “hurry up” in Cantonese, as the dish is prepared very quickly.īoth dishes are simplicity itself to prepare and if you like Chinese food, this is an easy entry point. There the locals enjoyed a dish of tsap seui, meaning miscellaneous leftovers. Strictly speaking, soft noodles are called lo miàn.Ĭhop suey has no clear origin, but may have come from Guangdong province, the home of many early Chinese migrants to the United States. It is a simple dish of stir-fried vegetables with cooked noodles. The dish comes from Northern China and has been much altered to appeal to Western tastes. A good place to start.Ĭhow mein, or ch’ao miàn in Mandarin, means stir-fried noodles. Flipping through the pages quickly, I saw that it points out in the introduction that chow mein and chop suey as we enjoy it in the West are not truly authentic Chinese dishes, but invented or adapted for North American tastes. Sharing old stories, Mike mentioned my earlier love of cooking and said he had kept a book of mine all these years and would return it. Last year, between lockdown sessions, I was able to reunite with both in a delightful long lunch at The Chequers pub in Chipping Norton, close enough to their homes and where I was staying for a week with my UK-based daughter. At Oundle School in the fifties, I shared a study with two contemporaries called Richard and Mike, where we cooked up extra grub for our insatiable appetites on a primitive paraffin stove. The book came back to me in its little presentation box through the kindness of a friendship renewed after many years. Sauté for 3-4 minutes.The Ancestral Recipes of Shen Mei Lon is a pocket book of no great pretentions, published in New York in 1954. Return the pork and drizzle Tamari over everything. Sprinkle in the white pepper and red chili flakes.Mix in the cabbage for 2 minutes, then add mushrooms for 1 minute. Stir in the carrots for 2 minutes.Sauté onions to the skillet for 2 minutes over medium heat.Remove and season with another pinch of salt. Melt coconut oil in large skillet over medium heat. Add pork and cook until pink is no longer visible, but not all the way through (6-8 minutes).In a small bowl, toss sliced pork with a pinch of sea salt and tapioca starch.Pin this recipe!īefore you go, please share this recipe on your social media of choice! If you like this recipe, please subscribe today to be the first to know when we add new delicious meals for you and your family.Ģ tsp tapioca starch (omit if 21DSD or Whole30)ġ/4 C Chinese cooking wine (substitute with 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar if 21DSD or Whole30)Ģ Tbsp gluten free Tamari (or coconut aminos) Sprinkle in the white pepper and red chili flakes. Return the pork and drizzle Tamari over everything. Mix in the cabbage for 2 minutes, then add mushrooms for 1 minute. Sauté onions to the skillet for 2 minutes over medium heat. Add pork and cook until pink is no longer visible, but not all the way through (6-8 minutes). Melt coconut oil in large skillet over medium heat. In a small bowl, toss sliced pork with a pinch of sea salt and tapioca starch. I am sure you’re going to enjoy this recipe.ġ lb boneless country-style pork ribs, thinly slicedĢ tsp tapioca starch (omit if 21DSD or Whole30)ġ small head of Nappa cabbage chopped (7-8 C)ġ/4 C Chinese cooking wine (substitute with 2 Tbsp apple cider vinegar if 21DSD or Whole30)Ģ Tbsp gluten free Tamari (or coconut aminos) It’s not as intimidating as an episode of Chopped, but it’s empowering to know that even when a meal isn’t already prepared, you have the tools to make one in your refrigerator. I enjoy the spirit of making something with what you have on hand. I’m always excited to find different cultural versions of “kitchen sink”-style meals. In the spirit of assorted pieces, I learned all of this and prepared this recipe when confronted with uncooked boneless pork ribs that had to be cooked or frozen-we didn’t even have to make a trip to the grocery store to put this together, in true Chop Suey fashion. What I hadn’t realized is that Chop Suey roughly translates to “assorted pieces” (thanks, Wikipedia!). Chop Suey has been popularized in America through Americanized Chinese restaurants, although it has a history in Asia and the South Pacific as well.
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