Okay. Maybe it is too late for me to safely lose weight for that summer bod. I took it as an opportunity to think of healthier dishes I ate when I grew up. Chopsuey is a mainly vegetable dish that I thought came from the Chinese who traded in the Philippines, but I later learned that it was invented by Chinese in America. So was it brought to us by our American colonizers? Also they spell it as two words here. Chop suey. Either way it has as much right to be Filipino dish as it is Chinese or American.
I wanted to take the extra step and not include pork. This is a quick recipe that really depends on how fast you can chop vegetables. I find it easier buying the chopsuey kit from the nearby Seafood City here in Tukwila. It includes most of what you would need: cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, sayote, carrots, and bellpeppers. I’m sure there are similar things in other Filipino groceries in the states and back in the motherland. It also works well if you are only cooking for two. Think about it. For only two people, you might only need silly portions like, one half of both green and red bellpeppers. If you aren’t making coleslaw it might not be worth it to buy a whole cabbage if you are only using 1/3 of it. Same goes with the broccoli, cauliflower. I don’t find it appealing to peel and chop carrots either. Saving time and having less waste is better right?
PREPARATION TIME
20 to 30 mins.
COOKING TIME
30 mins.
INGREDIENTS
½ lb Shrimp (shramp)
1 tbsp. butter
1 tbsp. canola oil
6 to 8 cloves of garlic (HALF A BULB OF GARLIC)
1 Medium sized onion
1-2 tbsp cornstarch or mochiko flour (or any thickener really)
1 cup room temp. water
4 tbsp. oyster sauce
1 tsp. Hoisin sauce
2 – 3 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 pinch of Garlic salt (add more to taste)
Chopsuey Mix Includes:
1/3 Cabbage sliced (cut smaller if needed)
1/3 Brocolli stalk (cut smaller if needed)
1/3 cauliflower flower (cut smaller if needed)
½ a carrot
1 Sayote
Optional
1 cup Diced “Lobster” or shrimp balls
INSTRUCTIONS
Slice your vegetables and aromatics (garlic and onions).
Devein and Peel the shrimp.
Heat oil and butter in a medium sized wok in medium heat.
Sauté your aromatics but start with the garlic. Add the onions when the garlic has reddened.
Add the prepared shrimp but do not overcook. Slightly season it with the Worcestershire sauce and some garlic salt. Take them back to shore, by setting them aside once they turn slightly pink. The reason for this is not to overcook the shrimp but we’ll also be able to add some shrimp flavor in the sauce.
Turn up the heat to high.
Add the vegetables but start with the carrots and sayote, then adding the cabbage in a minute or so, then the broccoli and cauliflower. Season with oyster sauce and hoisin sauce.
Cover the vegetables and let the steam cook it.
Lastly add the bellpeppers once the sauce from vegetables boil. Afterwards change the heat to low.
Mix the room temp. water and the thickener. Once it is mixed well, add it to the dish.Mix the sauce and the vegetables around. Watch the sauce thicken.
Serve over rice
Enjoy! Good job pal!
Sources for that little history lesson:
