Filipino Chop Suey Recipe

Nutritious never tasted so good!

Filipino chop suey is a mixed vegetable dish that is stir-fried in a thick, savory sauce. It is a common side dish, often served with rice and meat or seafood.

Our recipe is so easy to prepare, you’ll be making this side dish for all of your weekday meals! Read on for the recipe!

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Table of Contents

What is Filipino Chop Suey

Chop suey is a Filipino American dish, consisting of many types of vegetables such as cabbage, broccoli, baby corn, garlic, and green beans. It’s a simple stir fry made with a starch-thickened sauce.

Chop suey is often served alongside Filipino staples such as pancit, lumpia, and fried chicken.

History of Chop Suey

The history of chop suey is muddled and filled with rumors.

The most accepted theory is that chop suey originated from Chinese Americans, particularly in San Francisco during the Gold Rush.

Some of the myths include: a restaurant owner improvising a dish for drunk miners, or a Chinese diplomat requesting his staff to prepare a dish that would appeal to his Chinese and American dinner guests.

It’s also possible that chop suey was adapted from the Cantonese dish tsap teui ( which translates to “misc. leftovers.”)

In addition, in early Chinese history, it seems that chop suey had a different meaning than the Chinese American one – cooked animal entrails (liver, lungs, intestine, etc.).

Filipino Chop Suey vs. Chinese American Chop Suey

So how is Filipino chop suey related to Chinese American chop suey? Are they the same, or different?

While researching this dish, I was surprised to find that there aren’t many answers to these questions.

But speaking from my personal experience and knowledge of Filipino American history, I believe that Filipino Americans created their own rendition of chop suey.

Growing up in the Bay Area with a large Filipino American family, I ate a lot of Chinese food and Filipino food. I think the main differences are in the seasoning and types of vegetables used.

In terms of history, Filipino immigrants were amongst the earliest Asian immigrants to reach California, taking part in the California Gold Rush in 1849 along with other minority groups such as the Chinese.

Chinese cuisine has had a such huge influence on Filipino American cuisine, but the difference in ingredients to make the sauce base, as well as the types of vegetables usually used definitely makes Filipino chop suey its own unique version.

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Don’t Worry About Making It “Right”

It’s important to know that there aren’t many rules to chop suey. And it’s an easy dish that’s difficult to mess up!

Whether it’s Filipino style or Chinese American style, you’re most likely just going to use any vegetables and ingredients available to you.

Stick to our simple recipe, adapt it to your available ingredients, or keep scrolling for more ingredient ideas. The sky’s the limit!

Ingredients

• 5 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 slices ginger, chopped
• 1 medium size yellow onion, chopped
• 2 carrots, sliced thinly
• 3 oz broccoli, about 1.5 cups
• 3 oz baby corn, about 1 cup
• 2 bell peppers
• 4 oz green beans, trimmed and chopped, about 1 cup
• 8 oz cabbage chopped, about 3 cups
• 1½ tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce
• ½ tsp cornstarch for cornstarch slurry
• white pepper to taste

Recipe

1. Heat a nonstick pan or wok over medium heat.
2. Saute garlic, ginger, and onion for 2 min or until aromatic and softened.

3. Add carrots, broccoli, and baby corn. Cook for 4 min.

5. Add bell peppers and long beans. Cook for 4 min.

5. Add cabbage. If space is limited in your pan, add cabbage 1/3 at a time. The cabbage will shrink while cooking, so add more as space permits.

5. Add soy sauce, oyster sauce, and cornstarch slurry. Cook for 5 min or until all the cabbage has shrunk and sauce is thickened.
   1. Cornstarch slurry: In a small bowl, combine cornstarch with a small amount of water. Once cornstarch is evenly mixed in, you can add it to the pan. This method prevents the sauce from clumping.
6. Add white pepper to taste.

FAQ on Filipino Chop Suey

How much does this recipe make?

We estimated that our recipe has 6 servings, based on our experience of eating this as a side dish.

This is a high-volume dish and you are likely to have leftovers should you decide to use even half a napa cabbage (these cabbages can get really large!).

How to store it?

Freeze leftovers for up to 3 months or keep it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

We enjoy making this as a meal prep to serve with various proteins and rice!

Ideas for making your own Filipino Chop Suey

Our recipe is super simple and vegetarian. There’s enough room for you to make it suit your palate! Here are some ideas for you to make chop suey your own:

• Add proteins to make a standalone dish: shrimp, tofu, beef, pork, boiled quail eggs
• Add sauce to customize flavor: Patis (fish sauce), sesame oil
• Make it spicy: chili sauce, thai chili peppers, red peppers
• Change it up with your favorite vegetables: okra (will thicken the dish more too), chinese long beans, upo squash, zucchini, peas, bean sprouts, celery, water chestnuts

Final Thoughts

A garden-fresh bounty of vegetables, all in a single dish! Use our simple, healthy recipe to accompany your main dish.

Sporks, just so you know, Chop Suey goes really well with Air Fryer Pork Belly Sisig and Chicken Katsu Curry, so impress your friends and family and get cooking!

For more delectable side dishes, check out our other recipes here!

We hope you enjoy this recipe! Share your creations on Instagram and tag us @itsforkandspoon!

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References & Further Reading

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_Gold_Rush

https://www.foodandwine.com/news/many-origin-stories-chop-suey

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chop_suey

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Filipino_Americans#Immigration_history

https://welgadigitalarchive.omeka.net/filipino-history-timeline#:~:text=1848%3A%20California’s%20Gold%20Rush%20attracted,the%20U.S.%20acquiring%20the%20Philippines.

Editor’s note: This post was originally published on January 22, 2021. It has been updated with content and images on July 31, 2023.