Chopsuey

Chopsuey is another favorite dish in the Philippines. I love this because it is so easy to prepare and yet so healthy. You have veggies, seafood and meat, all in one recipe. 

In Chinese, the two characters for chop suey are pronounced "tsa sui" and in Mandarin or in Cantonese "shap sui," meaning "mixed small bits" or "odds and ends." As a culinary term, shap sui refers to a kind of stew made of many different ingredients mixed together. It has long been rumored to be an American creation rather than a Chinese one. Honestly, I don’t know who brought this to the Philippines! But whether it is the Chinese or the Americans, all I know is Chopsuey has been adopted by Filipino cuisine and it is one dish that we, Filipinos love.

The delicious blend of flavors makes this dish truly mouthwatering. It is definitely a must-try!

Prep Time: 25 mins           Cook Time: ~30 mins          Servings: 4-6                            

Ingredients :

• 1 cup pork strips
• 1 cup shrimps, peeled and deveined
• 1 cup snow peas, trimmed and halved crosswise
• 1 cup broccoli, trimmed and cut into bite-sized pcs
• 1 cup cauliflower, trimmed and cut into small florets
• 1 cup baby corn, halved crosswise ( I used canned baby corns )
• 1 cup green beans, cut diagonally into 1 ½ inch length
• 2 medium sized carrots, sliced diagonally
• ¼ cup red bell pepper, cut into triangles
• ¼ cup green bell pepper, cut into triangles
• 1 medium sized onion, thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can quail eggs or 12-15 pcs quail eggs, hard boiled and peeled
• 1 pc shrimp cube
• 3 stalks green onions, cut cut diagonally into 1 ½ inch length
• 2 Tbsp fish sauce
• 2 Tbsp oyster sauce
• 2 Tbsp olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste 

Procedure :

1. In a wok, cook pork in 1/8 cup water until water evaporates (about 10 mins).

2. Add olive oil and sauté garlic until light brown.

3. Add onion. Saute until translucent.

4. Add shrimp cube. Saute until melted.

5. Add green beans and stir-fry for 5 minutes.

6. Add carrots, green and red bell pepper and stir-fry for 3 minutes.

7. Add cauliflower and snow peas. Stir-fry for 3 minutes.

8. Add fish sauce and oyster sauce. Mix well with other ingredients. Cover and simmer for 3 minutes.

9. Add broccoli, baby corn, quail eggs and shrimps. Add salt and pepper to suit your taste. Simmer for another 3 minutes.

10. Add green onions. Mix well. Cook for another minute.

11. Remove from heat. Serve with hot rice.

Note: I don't add broth to my chopsuey. Vegetables can release just enough water during cooking.