American Chopsuey Recipe | How To Make Veg Chop Suey | Indo Chinese Cuisine

American chop suey Indian style is a delightful dish of stir-fried vegetables cooked in a sweet and tangy sauce and served on a bed of crispy noodles.

American chopsuey veg is a staple item on the menus of most Chinese restaurants and street-food stalls in India. This immensely popular Indo-Chinese one-pot dish is usually vegetarian.

Our veg American chopsuey recipe is an Indo-Chinese fusion dish that has little relationship to the American chop suey found in the United States of America, supposedly a fusion of Chinese and Italian immigrant food.
 

American chop suey in the USA is quite different from its Indo Chinese chop suey recipe common in India. While the tomato base and vegetable ingredients added is similar in both versions of American chop suey, the similarity ends there. While our chopsuey recipe is usually vegetarian – a bed of crispy noodles topped with a tangy and sweet tomato and stir fried vegetable sauce, the US version of American chop suey is traditionally made of ground meat, elbow macaroni, and vegetables in a tomato base. The American version of American chop suey is a pasta dish, which is particularly popular in New England.
 

Chop suey is translated as “savoury mess”, which is an apt description of the dish.

Follow our chopsuey recipe and learn how to make American chop suey at home and enjoy this delicious savoury dish of crunchy crispy noodles and stir-fried vegetables in a sweet and sour-tangy sauce.
 

Tips on how to make Chop Suey:

Preparing crispy noodles is simple and quick. Follow the instructions on the packet to cook them perfectly in salted water. If making veg American chopsuey, you can use hakka, whole-wheat, or all-purpose flour (maida) noodles, or if you’re not vegetarian, you can also use egg noodles.

Drain the cooked noodles in a strainer or colander. Run cold water over them to stop the cooking and to ensure that they do not stick to each other. Toss with 1 teaspoon of oil so that they do not stick.
 

Spread the noodles on a large plate or tray to cool. Once cool, toss with a bit of corn flour, and then fry them in hot oil till light golden and crispy. Do this in batches.

To save time, you can prepare the noodles ahead of time and store them in an airtight container. With the noodles ready, you just need to make the vegetable sauce which is fairly quick.
 

For an interesting texture, combine crispy deep-fried noodles and soft-cooked noodles as we have done in our veg American chopsuey recipe below.

For frying the noodles, you can use peanut oil or sunflower oil or any other neutral tasting oil with a high smoke point – that is any oil that is good for deep frying and one that does not start smoking at low temperatures.
 

You can add any vegetables of your choice to American chopsuey veg like carrot, green beans, capsicum (green bell pepper), and cabbage as are traditionally used or even broccoli, button mushroom, baby corn, snap pea, celery, and cauliflower. While we prefer our chopsuey recipe traditional, you can also toss in bean sprouts and tofu if you’re feeling experimental.

While stir-frying, the vegetables should be partially cooked as they will continue to cook after adding the sauce. They should be tender but have a slight crunch.
 

Check the final taste and adjust seasoning of the veg American chopsuey. Be careful not to add too much salt because the soy sauce and ketchup already have salt in them. You can add crushed red pepper flakes for more heat. For a spicier taste, add green chilli sauce or increase the black pepper or red chilli sauce.

To assemble American chop suey, place a portion of the crispy noodles in a deep serving dish, preferably a soup dish. Ladle the vegetable sauce over the nest of noodles and spread it evenly.
 

Make sure to pour the sauce over the crispy noodles just before serving, otherwise the crispy noodles will turn soft and soggy. Top with more crispy noodles if you like.

You can also garnish with a few spring onions (scallions) and chopped coriander leaves.
 

Some recipes for American chopsuey call for topping the chopsuey with a fried egg sunny side up (bull’s eye), or even a thin omelette cut into strips. Omit eggs if you want a vegetarian American chop suey. And if you are non-vegetarian, you can try a chicken chop suey recipe as a variation.

Serve American chop suey immediately while piping hot.
 

Make our veg American chopsuey recipe as a snack or as a side dish as part of an Indian–Chinese meal. Pair it with other favourite Chinese dishes like chow mein (chicken, prawn, or vegetable hakka noodles), veg fried rice, chicken fried rice, hot and sour soup, veg spring rolls, prawn fried rice, vegetable dim sum, honey garlic chicken, kung pao chicken, Teriyaki Chicken, Chicken in Garlic Oyster Sauce and spicy Sichuan tofu.

Or try all our Asian Recipes right here!

Our veg American chop suey recipe is a wonderful option for brunch, lunch, or a weekday dinner. Kids love it too, so it’s a good choice for children’s birthday parties.

Get the step by step Indian style American Chop Suey recipe with all ingredients and cooking method in the recipe and video below.