Step-by-step basic beef chop suey recipe with instructional pictures on how to cook Chinese food at home.  Make easy beef chop suey with this recipe in 30 minutes from start to finish.  Tonight I am cooking a simple stir fry using locally grown Chinese vegetables & farm ingredients.  It is a very simple and easy recipe that I have decided to share with our readers.  This recipe is not complicated and if you have ever tried to cook Chinese food and failed, this is your one safe dish.  There is nothing more simple than a quick and easy stir-fry.  This recipe falls back on fresh local vegetables available in your area and a widely available store bought stir-fry sauce making this dish a breeze.  Simple, quick, delicious & inexpensive,  just like your favorite Chinese food restaurant!  Try my fail proof recipe for Easy Beef Chop Suey At Home tonight!  Read the notes below for tips & hints on cooking this meal.

Ingredients:

1-2 Onions

1-2 Thin Fast Fry Sirloin Steaks

1/2 – 1 Head of Chinese Cabbage (or Bok Choy)

1 Package of Snow Peas

1 Package of Mung Beans (approx. 325 kg)

A Few Carrots

1-3 Cloves Garlic

Stir Fry Sauce (about a 1/4 cup + a dash!)

Preparation:

You will need to finish all of your prep work before even turning on the stove as this is a very quick stir-fry that only take 10-16 minutes from the time your meat hits the pan until it needs to be removed from the burner.

Veggies:

Prepare your vegetables, start by first chopping your onions and placing them in a bowl.  You will want to roughly slice the onions to be thin and long in shape and size.

Chop or shave the garlic to a fine caliber and divide into 3 parts.  Put 1 part in with the onions, put the second part in a bowl for the meat and set the third section of garlic aside for when you add the stir fry sauce.

Next you will rinse and chop your Chinese cabbage and carrots or any other vegetables you may have purchased such as celery or peppers.

When you cut these vegetables you will want to cut them on a diagonal angle also known as a “stir fry cut” so they are long and thin.

Strip the snow peas of the “spine” by pulling them from one end.  Wash and chop each snow pea into 2-3 chunk sections each.

Wash your mung beans and drain thoroughly.

Meat:

Cut your fast fry steak into strips last and mix in with the second part of garlic you have set aside in a dish for the meat.

When cutting your steak you will want to slice it on a diagonal angle against the tissue lines to ensure the tenderness and quality of your prime fast fry sirloin steak or similar beef cut.

Place in dish with garlic and set aside for when needed.

Sauce:

In a mug dilute a 1/4 cup of Stir Fry Sauce into a small portion of warm water.  Stir with a fork.  Set aside until needed.

Cooking Instructions:

You can make this recipe as simple or as complicated as you want.  Use a wok or a simple frying pan to cook this easy Chinese meal.  See photographs below for reference.

1.  In a wok or frying pan preheat your pan to medium high heat.

2.  Sautee onions lightly.

3.  Add your cut beef strips with garlic and mix in with onions.  Cook for 1 minute.  If your beef is sticking to the pan add a tiny splash of water or even oil or stir-fry sauce mix to lubricate it.  These should still be pink in the middle and not quite cooked when you move on to step 4.  Push to the side in your wok or frying pan now.

4.  Time to add some veggies.  Start with the harder and longer to cook vegetables such as carrots, fresh Chinese cabbage or red peppers if cooking in a wok.  Use the same techniques in a frying pan.

You can basically add all of the vegetables at once [excluding the mung beans] and cook for 3-5 minutes.  Stirring gently until vegetables are blanched and meat is finished cooking

5.  Add mung beans, cook 1 minute, stirring gently.

6.  Add the rest of your garlic and your 1/4 cup of pre-mixed stir-fry sauce and water and stir well but gently and cook on medium-high heat for a minute or two.

7.  Squirt another dash of stir fry sauce in your Chinese style beef chop suey and mix until desired taste.

Turn on and remove from wok or frying pan from heated burner when finished.  Do not overcook your vegetables into a mush, you want each vegetable to still be vibrant and fresh.  The beauty in this dish is a fast and fresh beef chop suey stir fry, don’t over think it!  Read my notes below for further instructional tips & directions for this dish.

NOTES:

*This dish is best served beside or on top of white Basmati, Jasmine or fried rice.  If you prefer you can make a chow mein using specialty chow mein noodles from the grocery store instead of rice.

*You can also substitute Stir Fry Sauce by using soy sauce.  Your stir fry will still turn out delicious.  If using soy sauce, add extra finely sliced or pureed ginger for a kick or extra garlic to spice up the soy extract.

*You can add any vegetables or substitute vegetables you see fit for your style, great stir-fry veggies include celery, baby corn, watercress and red peppers and even kale, especially if you cannot get any bok choy or Chinese cabbage.  This recipe is simply based on the vegetables in my fridge from yesterday’s grocery shopping, although these are standard Chinese chop suey ingredients.  Have fun while being creative and delicious and adjust this recipe to your needs!

*Chinese cabbage or bok choy and mung beans are the main ingredients in this dish that create the Chinese chop suey effect.  If you remove all of these items, it will be an American style stir fry and not have that Chinese food impact.

*Beef is optional, this is a great vegetarian chop suey stir fry.  Try replacing beef with your favorite protein such as chicken, shrimp or even tofu.

*Mushrooms are great in this stir fry along side of the beef or to replace it.  Try shitake mushrooms, baby bella, crimini, portabello or even white button mushrooms.  They are all delicious and add their own unique flavor to this recipe.

*Start your rice before hand (during the vegetable prep time) and let it sit for a couple minutes before serving; while you cook your stir-fry for maximum compatibility.

Here a simple step-by-step homemade “Canadian style Thai inspired” Jumbo Black Tiger Shrimp in a Green Curry Sauce.

*Please read the notes below the recipe for a full understanding of this recipe to maximize your perfect curry potential & avoid one mistake that will ruin your shrimp.

Ingredients:

2 lbs of raw washed Jumbo Black Tiger Shrimp

2-4 White Onions sliced or chopped

1 full head & stock of Bok Choy cut into strips

4-8 Large Sweet Red Bell Peppers cut into strips

2 Tbsps. of Green Curry Paste (prepared)

28 fl. ounces of Coconut milk (2 cans approx.)

Instructions:

After washing and prepping your ingredients you can start cooking.  You will want to finish all of your prep work before you even turn on the stove.  This is essential to the simple essence of this fresh and quick curry dish.

1.  You will need to cook your shrimp first in frying pan at medium-high heat for 2-5 minutes.  This will be a very quick fast fry.  Heat your pan up prior to adding the shrimp however, you do not want to burn them.  Add a dash of water if they are not wet enough to fry up without sticking.  Stir constantly and remove from frying pan into a bowl.  You will know when the shrimp are done they will be pink.  They do not have to be entirely cooked but must be starting to pinken as they will cook only a few minutes longers in the curry.  We do not want to boil them too long and want to maintain they’re fresh, somewhat crunchy texture we will get out of frying the shrimp in a pan separately before hand. * See photographs for this recipe’s instructional guidance and step by step cooking instructions.

2.  After removing shrimp from the frying pan you will leave your heat on and toss in the onions.  Sautee the onions until they are slightly browned and translucent.  Pour in a can of coconut milk to absorb the flavors of your shrimp and onions.  Next you will add your green curry paste in slowly, stirring on medium-high heat until fully mixed into your frying pan rue.  This will turn your coconut milk a soft green colour with a spicy flavor.

3.  We are going to switch pans and make the transfer from the frying pan into the largest stock pot you own, preferably ranging from 6 to 20 quarts if cooking a full batch.  Pour your green curry coconut milk into your stock pot.  Now you will add your chopped vegetables and the other can of coconut milk.  (See photo below)  Boil this on medium-high heat until the vegetables are blanched and the sauce has boiled down to mesh and combine the flavors.  Cook sauce to desired thickness.

*Your kitchen should smell absolutely incredible by now, the sauce will be blended throughly and the veggies should look “almost” finished.

4.  Time to add your amazing Jumbo Black Tiger Shrimp or substituted protein.  Turn the temperature down to a simmer for a very short time.  Approximately 3-5 minutes, just enough to heat them and blend the flavors.  It is key to not overcook your shrimp at this stage, they will become lifeless.  A quick mix into the sauce will heat them up and tie the dish together.  You do not want your vegetables to become to soggy either.  After turning off your stove burner you will want to remove your large stock pot of ready to eat Green Shrimp Curry right off the heated burner.

Cook and serve with scented Jasmine rice or white Basmati rice.  Serve over the rice or on the side depending whether you enjoy a saucy, soupy rice or dry rice and a bowl of curry on the side.

NOTES:

*This is a large batch recipe designed to be cooked in a large stock pot to feed the entire family.  If desired you can easily cook a half recipe order of this dish which is perfect for 2 or 3.

*I created this flexible recipe from available ingredients at my local grocers, you can easily substitute the Jumbo Black Tiger Shrimp with any sort of shrimp or chicken.  Red meat and fish are not recommended as much due to the power of the green curry spices in this recipe, however if chosen correctly you could use other “Fruits De Mers” beautifully in this dish such as calamari or squid.

*No meat is necessary and this makes an excellent easy vegetarian curry, this recipe also works deliciously with Tofu protein cut into squares, pan fried until lightly browned and added at step 4 to absorb the spices and flavors in substitute for the shrimp.

*This is designed for green curry paste, it is not suggested substituting this for a red curry paste, it will destroy your beautiful shrimp.

*When shopping for your curry more great vegetables to include are baby corn, watercress, Chinese cabbage, mung beans, assorted colours and flavors of pepper varieties such as Thai chili peppers, bell peppers and even jalapeño peppers and any other vegetables you can find suitable in your local grocery store for a reasonable price.

*Simple price smart substitutes include green peppers over red peppers or yellow onions over white.  Your curry will be excellent no matter which variants of ingredients you choose, this all depends on availability, preference and price when creating the perfect flexible curry.

*After cooking your shrimp you can choose to remove the shells for a cleaner easier to eat curry or leave them on to hold in the juices while eating your fun and messy curry.  For flavor reasons I prefer to leave them on while cooking.  It is not suggested to remove after cooking until plated and eating as the shrimp will be softer and more likely to tear or shred at this stage.  If you want the shells removed for the final product do this after cooking the shrimp, but before adding them to your curry pot.

When pairing beverages with Thai food keep in mind the main flavor elements in your entrée, such as coconut milk.  Most to all curries contain coconut milk, you do not want to pair this with a flavor with too much contrast that will overwhelm your palette with debating flavors.  Drinks containing milk always pair up nicely, however that is playing it a little too safe for my ambition.  If you are over 18 then you may have heard of a Mai Thai Cocktail, those go famously with almost anything you could cook up.  A sweet pineapple juice is a surprising treat contrasting the coconut in the most delectable ways.  If you are a beer drinker you will want a pale ale or lager to pair nicely with curries.  Any golden toned beers will match excellent, such as Heineken or Carlsberg. Nothing too heavy such as a stout or wheat ale.  These will only weigh down your uplifting meal.  You want a drink to help soothe the spices and wash the flavors down, not a hearty glass of Guinness that drinks like a meal itself.

Why are fusion foods so popular?  Fusion has become popular due to the range of ethnic backgrounds and variety of cultures in our society today.  It is great to see cultures mixing and learning about other cultures hertitage, life styles and culinary traditions.  Much like our love for Chinese food in Canada and American we have taken on our own style of Chinese foods, opposed to traditional Chinese food you would find in China we have created Canadian-Chinese cuisine and American-Chinese cuisine.  Think of it like authentic Mexican and Tex-Mex.  In Thailand if you walked the streets and markets you would find many vendors selling authentic street Thai dishes made with creatures that disgust and frighten the weak stomached, such as grasshoppers, crickets, beetles, worms, giant spiders and even scorpions.  These creatures are a true delicacy in Thailand and to be respected and honored as such.  If you saw a vendor in New York serving Ball Park Franks with grilled beetles as a topping you would most likely cringe at the thought and wouldn’t bat an eye before calling the health department.  This is a difference in culture and culinary backgrounds due to local environment and the foods available.  So why are fusion foods so popular?  Bottom line, they are absolutely delicious.  Fusion takes the flavors and commonly used  ingredients of traditional regional and sub-regional areas India, South-East Asian and East Asian foods and combines then with North American cooking techniques and ingredients you would not find in the Eastern world.  This way you are getting the best of both worlds, in other words Fusion cuisine is a culinary love story where East meets West.

When shopping for peppers choose peppers that have a smooth texture and surface, with no soft spots or dips.  You want a firm, nice skinned pepper.  Also look for peppers with a bright color, faded vegetables are a sign that they are not so fresh.  Choosing your peppers is not just by look and feel but also by smelling them.  You want your peppers to have a sweet, tangy, peppery smell.

Return to Make Thai Food for more food shopping tutorials, Thai cooking basics and original recipes to come!