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 mish-mash 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 world.
ADVERTISEMENT The simplest dish on the menu It 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 vegetables. There are two types of chop suey — 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 kitchens.
While 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.
