Over the years, the flavor of the char siu one could get in noodle shops and roast meat restaurants in Chinatowns around the world developed a signature sweetness. To make char siu, pork is marinated in a sweet BBQ sauce and then roasted.

Char siu (or slightly different spelling, cha siu ) is its Cantonese name, but in Mandarin, it is known as cha shao. While we first posted this recipe on The Woks of Life years ago (February 2014 to be exact), we’ve re-tested and made a few tweaks to the recipe that I’m sure he’d approve of! Also scroll down for a new recipe video! What Is Char Siu?Ĭhar siu (叉烧) is a type of Cantonese roast meat. My father, the hotel restaurant’s head chef at the time, used a closely guarded recipe of Chinese sauces, lots of garlic, and spices to make his classic char siu. … Like all Chinese food, what makes chop suey and chow mein memorable is not the specific ingredients so much as the balance between grains and vegetables.Growing up in the Catskills, the first time I saw this Chinese BBQ pork, or char siu, was at the Holiday Inn of all places. There are no noodles in chop suey instead, the stir-fried mixture is served over rice. However, in chop suey, the mixture of cooked vegetables and meat (optional) along with the sauces is served over already cooked rice or fried noodles. Is chop suey rice or noodles?Ī very basic difference between the two is that, in chow mein, the recipe itself includes adding cooked noodles to the cooking sauces, vegetables, and meat (optional). Many have had this dish for the entirety of their lives without knowing “chop suey” is actually a swear word in the local language. Though it contains animal organ meat and bits and scraps of other things, the strong-flavored seasonings have masked the stench of the meat.

Chop suey (/ˈtʃɒpˈsuːi/) is a dish in American Chinese cuisine and other forms of overseas Chinese cuisine, consisting of meat (often chicken, fish, beef, shrimp, or pork) and eggs, cooked quickly with vegetables such as bean sprouts, cabbage, and celery and bound in a starch-thickened sauce. What is Hunan roast pork?Ĭonsisting of fatty pork slices, hot chili pepper, fermented black beans, Hunan pork is a quick and tasty Chinese stir-fry not to be missed. One cup (220 grams) of pork chop suey with no noodles contains 216 calories and provides 23 grams of protein. Like other stir-fries, it’s a healthier choice because it’s made from a protein source and vegetables. It tends to be either very sweet or salty and sticks to the ingredients to pack in the flavor. What does chop suey taste like?Ĭhop suey, however, has a much thicker sauce. The sauces for each dish are markedly different, with chop suey usually having a thicker, starchy gravy-like sauce, while chow mein is prepared with a thinner soy-sauce based topping. What is the difference between chow mein and chop suey?Īlthough the two dishes may seem similar, the way they are prepared sets them apart as distinct dishes. NOTE: Add 1 tablespoon of brown sauce if Chop Suey is desired. You put them in same time that you cook onions and celery. Add cornstarch to thicken, serve with rice and … strips.

Roast pork chop suey