american chop suey

[hitchhiker]

There is an Indian Chinese dish, American Chop Suey, distinguished from the (also Indian Chinese) "Chinese Chop Suey" by having a sweet-and-sour tomatoey sauce. Interestingly enough, there is also a New England dish called American Chop Suey, which is completely different (and also called American Goulash depending on region).

There is a wikipedia page, but it only mentions the American version: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_chop_suey - maybe I'll work up an edit at some point.

Comments

[minoanmiss]

Today I have learned several things.

[amaebi]

I had no idea about either Indian Chinese dish. I am familiar with and afraid of the US-based mockery.

[hitchhiker]

how come? it seems like a fairly innocuous macaroni and ground beef casserole - i would be disappointed if i were expecting chop suey or goulash, but if i knew what i was getting i would have no issues with eating it.

[amaebi]

I come from Carbondale, Illinois, and I fear Creativity.

[hitchhiker]

hah :D

[lcohen]

my first reaction is why drag hungarians into this :) but i haven't read the article yet. (if it doesn't have paprika, it isn't goulash--i will not be moved from this opinion :) .)

[hitchhiker]

oh, absolutely, it's neither chop suey nor goulash!

[minoanmiss]

Why should anyone expect you to move from the truth?

[freyjaw]

I see what you mean. I made the last dish, sort of on a regular basis, and now Chris does it. It's hard to get the walker through the kitchen under ideal conditions. At present, we're still experimenting and haven't fully worked out which seasoning measurements to use. So far, we just wing it, but we always use the spices listed. The jerk seasoning we get from Auntie Arwen's online. My recipe isn't fully written, but the important parts of my goulash are:

1 lb (453.59 g). lean ground beef
1 12-16 oz. box of pasta like fusilli, shells, ziti, or any small pasta
1 can kernel corn
1 small can mushrooms
1 small jar marinara sauce
smoked paprika, Mongolian fire oil, “Klingon In The Alley” jerk seasoning, cumin, oregano, parsley to taste
Cheese to garnish (sharp cheddar or other preferred cheese)

Cook ground beef in a skillet with a few drops of the fire oil, draining off the fat. At the same time, cook the pasta according to directions, and drain. Drain, then add the corn and mushrooms, then add to the pasta. Add marinara to the pasta mix, and heat under moderate heat until it just begins to boil, then take off of the burner. Add seasonings and stir. Add the cooked meat. Garnish with shredded cheddar or other desired cheese as desired. If it's especially spicy, you'll definitely want some cheese on it to reduce the heat. Serve. I almost said, “Give it a try!”, but stopped myself when I realized I was quoting the hosts in Bento Expo.

It was Daddy's second wife who called it goulash. She didn't use paprika, and in fact, hers was very bland. Admittedly, she was usually cooking for three kids under seven.

[hitchhiker]

interesting, i wouldn't have thought to add jerk seasoning to that.

[freyjaw]

The jerk seasoning is a sweet heat, so that does well with paprika. That and it's a nicely hot spice blend. Another NHK show taught me a quick recipe for basic teriyaki sauce that is so easy to remember. It's equal proportions of sugar, soy sauce, sake, and mirin. They usually start with 1 tsp. of each.

[ororo]

My Nana would occasionally make the New England version version. All her cooking was good, and I think there were more vegetables in it than a meat sauce that isn't exactly a ragu. I'm pretty sure I remember celery being involved.

This recipe looks very nice and I also saw a link to Hakka noodles on the page, which I love.

[hitchhiker]

hakka noodles are awesome!