Ingredients
| 500g beef (I used tri tip) | |
| 1 teaspoon baking soda | |
| 2 tablespoons cornflour | |
| 2 tablespoons soy sauce | |
| 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine | |
| 150g (3 bundles) mung bean vermicelli noodles | |
| vegetable oil, for frying | |
| 1 onion, sliced | |
| 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced | |
| a 3cm piece of ginger, thinly sliced | |
| ¼ cabbage, shredded | |
| 1 carrot, cut into matchsticks | |
| 1 bunch gai lan, cut into 5cm pieces, stems halved lengthwise if large | |
| 1 x 400g can baby corn, drained and corn cobs halved | |
| 500ml beef or chicken stock | |
| 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce | |
| 1 tablespoon black bean or oyster sauce |
I suspect that chop suey is one of the world’s favourite dishes. With a murky history – was it based on tsa sui, a dish from Guangdong or was it the product of Chinese-American invention? – its appeal is that it is a quickly prepared combination of vegetables and meats that are stir fried rapidly. This version is probably closer to a Samoan sapa sui with mung bean vermicelli and is loaded with vegetables. I’ve used beef here, but it could be replaced with what you have to hand. I prefer the dish to be on the saucier side.
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Instructions
| 1. | Trim the beef of any sinew, slice against the grain and put into a bowl. |
| 2. | Sprinkle over the baking soda and toss well (this helps to tenderise the beef). |
| 3. | Leave for 15 minutes. |
| 4. | Rinse and drain well. |
| 5. | In the cleaned out bowl mix 1 tablespoon cornflour, 1 tablespoon soy sauce and the Shaoxing wine, then add the beef and leave to marinate for 15 minutes. |
| 6. | Soak the vermicelli in cold water for 15 minutes until soft. |
| 7. | Drain and set aside. |
| 8. | Heat a little vegetable oil in a large wok over medium-high heat. |
| 9. | Add the sliced beef in batches and cook for 3-4 minutes until browned. |
| 10. | Set aside. |
| 11. | Add some more oil to the wok and add the onion, garlic and ginger. |
| 12. | Cook for 1-2 minutes then add the cabbage, carrot and gai lan (if your wok is small add the ingredients separately). |
| 13. | Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes, then add the baby corn. |
| 14. | Add the stock, the remaining tablespoon of soy sauce, the dark soy sauce and black bean sauce. |
| 15. | Bring to a simmer. |
| 16. | Mix the remaining tablespoon of cornflour with 1 tablespoon water to make a slurry and add to the pan. |
| 17. | Add the soaked vermicelli noodles to the pan. |
| 18. | Stir well and cook for 3-4 minutes, until the noodles are tender and most of the liquid is absorbed. |
| 19. | Add the beef and any juices back to the pan in the last minute. |
| 20. | Serve immediately. |
| 21. | VEGETARIAN |
| 22. | I like to use puffed tofu here in place of meat. |
| 23. | Omit the marinating and beef stir-frying steps, and add the puffs when adding the (vegetable) stock along with 3 tablespoons soy sauce and 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine, the dark soy sauce and black bean sauce. |
| 24. | You might need a little extra cornflour for thickening the sauce. |
Recipes & food styling Ginny Grant
Photography Aaron McLean
Styling Jessica Crowe