Chop suey toss-up: American or Chinese

Louis Armstrong sang paeans to it Edward Hopper immortalised it on the canvas Few dishes have enjoyed a cultural presence across genres as American chop suey So much so that the dish has become a byword for a mishmash in American culture applying even to cinema Born in the late 19th century the dish finally found acceptance as an American creation on June 14 1906 Ahead of the occasion tomorrow chefs in Mumbai discuss why this ubiquitous dish has travelled the worldThe simplest dish on the menuIt is very hard to go wrong with a chop suey Although many say it is an American invention it traces its roots to China The words tsap tsui sometimes mean odds and ends cut up together It basically evolved from leftover meat and vegetables put together with flavourful sauce and served with rice or noodles What made it popular was that it could be made with any combination of meat and vegetablesLouis ArmstrongThere are two types of chop suey mdash American and Chinese The Chinese version is savoury while the American version is sweet and sour owing to the addition of ketchup Interestingly it is the American version that is quite popular among Indian patrons We recently added a Szechuan version to our own kitchensWhile it is simple to make the American chop suey requires a keen understanding of flavour balance There is a combination of sauces involved with sugar salt vinegar and ketchup coming into play The balance of flavours has to be just right or it can veer to being too sweet or too sourHuang Te Sing corporate executive chef The Oriental Blossom at Hotel Marine Plaza ChurchgateBalanced and easyThe chop suey whether American or Chinese is a popular dish with anyone who enjoys IndoChinese cuisine It has also been a popular street food for decades making it an alltime favourite amongst the elder generations At its heart it is a dish cooked in flavourful sauce and served with crispy noodlesArtist Edward Hopperrsquos famous artwork Chop Suey 1929 Pic CourtesyWikimedia CommonsFor any good American chop suey the sauce needs to be wellbalanced mdash savoury slightly sweet but not overpowering It should complement the rest of the ingredients and pull the dish togetherA wellprepared chop suey will have a variety of textures with some ingredients being crisp and others more tender If you want to enjoy it best eat it immediately after it is made That is when the flavours are at their peak and the vegetables still have a crunchNeville Vazifdar director Kuai Kitchen BandraMy favourite memoryAmerican chop suey from what I understand is derived from pan fried noodles where you have a crisp noodle base topped with meat and vegetables in a sauce My first memory was eating it at the nowshut Chopsticks restaurant a family favourite when I was probably four or five years old The sweet and sour flavour and the combination of textures was like fireworks on your palateA good chop suey is defined by properly fried crispy noodles that somewhat hold their texture The sauce must be the right balance of sweet and sour it must have pineapple and be topped with a sunny side up egg Among the things to avoid Donrsquot make the sauce too runny or it will make your noodles soggyChop suey by chef Huang Te Sing with crispy noodlesI think even though itrsquos disappearing legacy restaurants continue to serve it because patrons enjoy it and indulging in nostalgia once in a while is always welcome One of my picks for American chop suey when eating out is China Garden at Kemps Corner or order it from Mr ChowsChef Yajush Malik partner Gallops RestaurantTry it at homeVazifdarrsquos version of the popular chop sueyINGREDIENTSgtgt 1 oniongtgt 1 green capsicumgtgt 1 carrotgtgt 1 cabbagegtgt A few bean sproutsgtgt 1 tomatogtgt 10 tsp sweet and sour saucegtgt 10 tsp mandarin saucegtgt 10 ml oil to frygtgt Crispy noodlesMETHODWoktoss all vegetables in oil and then add sweet and sour sauce mandarin sauce and vegetable stock Cook for some time and serve on crispy fried noodlesRecipe courtesy Neville VazifdarFill up on chop sueygtgt China GardenAT Om Chambers Kemps CornerCALL 7900085881gtgt The Asian KitchenAT Four Points By Sheraton VashiCALL 8879788845gtgt Lingrsquos PavilionAT Near Regal Cinema ColabaCALL 22850023gtgt MerakiAT Plot 1 Sector 19 Sanpada Navi MumbaiCALL 8976808288