This Chinese Chop Suey is sweet, spicy, and saucy, packed with vegetables and served on crispy fried noodles. Be sure to watch the video!
Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
- The Story of Chop Suey
- Sweet and Spicy Sauce
- Crispy Fried Noodles
- Watch Chop Suey Video
- Serving Suggestion
- Veg Chinese Chop Suey Recipe
The Story of Chop Suey
Chop Suey is one of the most popular American Chinese fusion dishes. The Chinese migrants settled in America and gave birth to this fusion of cuisine suited for the local tastebuds.
The idea behind Chop Suey is to cook leftover vegetables, meat, and mushrooms in a thick sweet, spicy, savoury sauce and serve it with rice, noodles, or pasta as a meal.
Difference between American Chopsuey and Chinese Chopsuey
There are two types of Chop Suey Recipes – American and Chinese.
- The American Chopsuey is sweet and sour with a bright orangish-red colour. It is like a one-pot macaroni pasta meal cooked with beef and vegetables in a sweet tomato sauce. Whereas the Chinese Chop Suey is savoury and spicy, served with rice or noodles.
In the Indian-Chinese Fusion Cuisine , the chop suey is always served on a bed of crispy fried noodles.
I am sharing a fusion Indian Chinese style vegetarian chop suey recipe that I have grown up eating. It is so indulgent and delicious.
Sweet and Spicy Sauce
The best part of this Chop Suey recipe is undoubtedly the garlicky sweet and spicy sauce. It is finger-licking good. From vegetables to fried chicken, anything tastes good with it.
The highlights of this sauce are – garlic, ginger, celery, schezwan sauce , and tomato sauce. The perfect combination of sweet, spicy, garlicky, and earthy flavours.
Crispy Fried Noodles
The crispy fried noodles are the soul of Indian Chinese Chop Suey.
- You can fry boiled noodles in hot oil on a stovetop or air-fry them. I have tried both cooking methods, and my BIG THUMBS UP is for air fryer crispy noodles because there is less oil wastage, fewer calories, and the same crunch.
- Y ou can store fried noodles for 10 – 15 days . Use them as crunchy toppings for soup, stews, or even curries. I often make Indian-Chinese Style Noodle Salad (Bhel Puri) or Chinese Chicken Salad with them.
Watch Chop Suey Video
Serving Suggestion
Chop Suey is a main course dish and a meal in itself. You can serve it with my smashed cucumber salad or a fried egg on top of it.
Store the leftover sauce and fried noodles separately.
More Indian-Chinese Recipes
- Chilli Mushroom
- Chilli Paneer Gravy
- Chicken Fried Rice
- Crispy Chilli Chicken
- Veg Manchurian Gravy
- Vegetable in Hot Garlic Sauce
Ingredients
Ingredients for Fried Noodles:
- ▢ 200 gram noodles
- ▢ 6 Cup water (to boil noodles)
- ▢ 1 tablespoon Salt
- ▢ 2 Cup vegetable or refined oil
Ingredients for Chop Suey Sauce:
- ▢ ¼ Cup schezwan sauce ( get recipe )
- ▢ 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- ▢ 4 tablespoon tomato sauce
Other Ingredients:
- ▢ 4 tablespoon cooking oil
- ▢ 1 tablespoon garlic, finely chopped
- ▢ 1 tablespoon ginger, finely chopped
- ▢ 1 tablespoon celery stalk, finely chopped
- ▢ ½ Cup onion, chopped
- ▢ ½ Cup capsicum, diced diced
- ▢ ½ Cup yellow bell pepper, diced diced
- ▢ ½ Cup carrot, diced
- ▢ ½ Cup mushroom, diced diced
- ▢ ½ Cup cabbage, shredded
- ▢ 2 tablespoon white vinegar
- ▢ 1 tablespoon cornflour (starch)
- ▢ 2 ¼ Cup water
- ▢ Salt & black pepper
- ▢ ¼ Cup spring onion, chopped
Instructions
How To Make Crispy Fried Noodles:
- Boil water in a saucepan with salt. Once the water starts bubbling, add noodles and cook till they are al dente or cooked through.
- Drain water from the boiled noodles, transfer them to a colander, and wash them under cold water to prevent more cooking. Let them sit in the colander to drain out all the water for 15 – 20 minutes. You can do this process at night and store the noodles in the refrigerator.
- Next heat oil in a deep-fry pan over medium-high flame. Deep fry boiled noodles in small batches in the hot oil till crisp from both sides. Drain on a paper towel to get rid of excess oil. Similarly, fry all the noodles. Set them aside.
Prepare Sauce:
- Once noodles are fried prepare the sauce for the chop suey. Combine soy sauce, red chili sauce, and tomato sauce. Stir to mix nicely. Set aside.
Prepare Chop Gravy:
- Heat oil in a work. Add chopped garlic, ginger, celery, and fry for 1 minute to release the flavor into the oil. No need to brown them.
- Add chopped onion and again stir fry over high heat for 1 minute.
- Next, add the diced vegetables, cabbage, and stir-fry over high heat for the next 1 -2 minutes to cook the vegetables yet keep them crunchy.
- Add salt, pepper, white vinegar, and stir fry for 10 – 20 seconds.
- Add the sauce mix and water. Stir to combine, and simmer the gravy for 2 – 3 minutes.
- Combine corn starch with water, make a smooth paste, and add to the bubbling gravy. Stir continuously to avoid any lump formation. Allow chop suey gravy to simmer for 2 – 3 minutes or till it thickens a bit. Turn off the heat.
Serving
- To serve the Chinese chop suey, in a bowl add the sauce topped with fried noodles or vice versa. Sprinkle chopped spring onion on top along with sesame seeds. Serve Chinese Chop Sue immediately.
Recipe Notes:
- Transfer the sauce to an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for 1 week. Reheat to the desired temperature in a stovetop saucepan or a microwave before serving.
- The crispy fried noodles remain fresh at room temperature in an air-tight jar for 2 – 3 days.
Nutrition
We follow a strict NO SPAM Policy
Veg Chinese Chop Suey Recipe
Equipment
- Saucepan
- Deep Frying Pan
- Chinese Wok
Ingredients
Ingredients for Fried Noodles:
- 200 gram noodles
- 6 Cup water (to boil noodles)
- 1 tablespoon Salt
- 2 Cup vegetable or refined oil
Ingredients for Chop Suey Sauce:
- ¼ Cup schezwan sauce ( get recipe )
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 4 tablespoon tomato sauce
Other Ingredients:
- 4 tablespoon cooking oil
- 1 tablespoon garlic, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon ginger, finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon celery stalk, finely chopped
- ½ Cup onion, chopped
- ½ Cup capsicum, diced diced
- ½ Cup yellow bell pepper, diced diced
- ½ Cup carrot, diced
- ½ Cup mushroom, diced diced
- ½ Cup cabbage, shredded
- 2 tablespoon white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon cornflour (starch)
- 2 ¼ Cup water
- Salt & black pepper
- ¼ Cup spring onion, chopped
Instructions
How To Make Crispy Fried Noodles:
- Boil water in a saucepan with salt. Once the water starts bubbling, add noodles and cook till they are al dente or cooked through.
- Drain water from the boiled noodles, transfer them to a colander, and wash them under cold water to prevent more cooking. Let them sit in the colander to drain out all the water for 15 - 20 minutes. You can do this process at night and store the noodles in the refrigerator.
- Next heat oil in a deep-fry pan over medium-high flame. Deep fry boiled noodles in small batches in the hot oil till crisp from both sides. Drain on a paper towel to get rid of excess oil. Similarly, fry all the noodles. Set them aside.
Prepare Sauce:
- Once noodles are fried prepare the sauce for the chop suey. Combine soy sauce, red chili sauce, and tomato sauce. Stir to mix nicely. Set aside.
Prepare Chop Gravy:
- Heat oil in a work. Add chopped garlic, ginger, celery, and fry for 1 minute to release the flavor into the oil. No need to brown them.
- Add chopped onion and again stir fry over high heat for 1 minute.
- Next, add the diced vegetables, cabbage, and stir-fry over high heat for the next 1 -2 minutes to cook the vegetables yet keep them crunchy.
- Add salt, pepper, white vinegar, and stir fry for 10 - 20 seconds.
- Add the sauce mix and water. Stir to combine, and simmer the gravy for 2 - 3 minutes.
- Combine corn starch with water, make a smooth paste, and add to the bubbling gravy. Stir continuously to avoid any lump formation. Allow chop suey gravy to simmer for 2 - 3 minutes or till it thickens a bit. Turn off the heat.
Serving
- To serve the Chinese chop suey, in a bowl add the sauce topped with fried noodles or vice versa. Sprinkle chopped spring onion on top along with sesame seeds. Serve Chinese Chop Sue immediately.
Video
Notes
- Transfer the sauce to an airtight container and store it in the refrigerator for 1 week. Reheat to the desired temperature in a stovetop saucepan or a microwave before serving.
- The crispy fried noodles remain fresh at room temperature in an air-tight jar for 2 - 3 days.
Nutrition
This chicken curry recipe is worth bookmarking if you are looking for a typical Indian-style spicy and soupy curry with onion and tomato masala.
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
- My Family’s Chicken Curry Recipe
- Why You’ll Love This Chicken Curry
- The Curry Paste
- Best Cut Of Chicken For Curry
- How To Make Chicken Curry
- Serving Suggestion
- Leftover Curry Usage
- Indian Chicken Curry Recipe
My Family’s Chicken Curry Recipe
In India, every family has its own chicken curry recipe. So does mine. It is rustic, spicy, flavoursome, and insanely delicious. Like any authentic Indian dish, it is a time and labour-intensive curry recipe. But is it worth it? I would say absolutely YES!
In my debut cookbook, The 100 Best Curries , I have included the instant pot method of this curry recipe.
Every Sunday, we have this chicken curry situation. With steamed basmati rice on the side, sliced onion salad, and plenty of soupy, spicy Indian chicken curry, our family lunch is a blissful experience.
Why You’ll Love This Chicken Curry
- gluten and nut-free curry
- instant pot-friendly curry
- no chicken marination is required
- it is an easy-to-make, one-pot recipe
- it will connect you with authentic Indian flavours
- all the masala is made from scratch for this curry at home
The Curry Paste
You need two types of homemade paste for this chicken curry.
- Onion Paste: This one is a paste of fried onions. The sliced onions are fried in mustard oil till golden brown. Grind them to a smooth paste in a blender without using water.
- Tomato Paste: It is a ground paste of tomato, dried red chilli, garlic, and ginger.
Best Cut Of Chicken For Curry
To make an Indian chicken curry, the best choice would be bone-in meat pieces . The chicken bones lend a delicious flavour to the curry. You can use a combination of bone-in chicken thigh and the leg piece.
This curry can be made with boneless, skinless chicken pieces as well. Try to use boneless chicken thighs as they are much juicier and don’t get dry, unlike chicken breast.
If you are using boneless chicken breast pieces, try not to use frozen ones and avoid over-cooking them.
How To Make Chicken Curry
- Step 1: Make a fine paste of tomato, garlic, ginger, and dry red chillies. Use 1 – 2 tablespoons of water to make the smooth paste. Set aside ( image 1 ).
- Step 2: Next, heat mustard oil in the Kadhai. Once it’s smoking hot, add sliced onion and fry till they are golden brown ( images 2 & 3). Transfer onion to a plate. Allow becoming lukewarm.
- Step 3: Grind them to a smooth paste without water ( image 4 ).
- Step 4: Add the bay leaf and cinnamon to the same kadhai in the leftover oil. Fry for 10 – 20 seconds to release their aroma.
- Step 5: Add the tomato paste, turmeric, red chilli powder, and coriander powder ( image 6 ). Fry over low-medium heat till the oil starts separating from the masala.
- Step 6: Add the chicken pieces, season with salt, and fry till they become pale white ( images 7 & 8 ). This usually takes 8 – 10 minutes. Do not rush this process.
- Step 7: Next, add the onion paste (image 9). Mix nicely. Cover and cook the chicken till its juices are released. Keep the flame at the lowest setting. Do not add any water.
- A good quality tender chicken does not take more than 10 minutes to get cooked. Open the lid, and check the chicken for doneness.
- Step 8: If cooked, add 1 Cup of water to make gravy (add coconut milk if you prefer) along with garam masala, dry fenugreek leaves, fresh coriander, and sliced green chilli (optional) ( image 10 ).
- Step 9: Simmer the curry for 5 – 10 minutes for the gravy to thicken. Taste the curry and add more seasoning if required.
Indian Chicken Curry is ready to serve.
Serving Suggestion
The best way to serve Indian chicken curry is with hot basmati rice or jeera rice . During the summer season, we have an additional chilled raita bowl to this Sunday menu to cool off the heat of spices. Or a tall glass of masala buttermilk to settle all the spices.
You can serve the chicken curry with paratha, chapati, dosa, or naan .
Some favourite side dishes that complement chicken curry are – sliced onion salad, kachumber salad , pickled onions, or a garlicky rasam .
Is this chicken curry spicy?
Yes, this is a rich and spicy chicken curry. In India, classic chicken curry is hot, spicy, and greasy, with a lot of oil floating on top. It is not everyone’s cup of tea if your palate is not accustomed to eating spicy food.
To make a mild chicken curry to suit your tastebuds:
- use curry powder instead of Garam Masala
- add 1 Cup of thick coconut milk instead of water
- reduce the number of dried red chillie s in the tomato paste
- use mild red paprika instead of Indian red chilli powder
Leftover Curry Usage
You can shred the leftover chicken curry pieces and use them as a curried filling for a wrap, taco, or sandwich. Or use the full bone-in pieces to make my cheat leftover chicken biryani .
The best way to store the leftover chicken curry is in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Reheat it in a microwave or saucepan before serving. Add a splash of coconut milk or cream the next day to make it saucy.
More Indian Curry Recipes
- Cauliflower Peas Curry
- Chicken Korma Curry
- Spinach Egg Curry
- Indian Keema Curry
- Soya Chaap Curry
- Dahi Potato Curry
- Paneer Curry
Ingredients
- ▢ 1 kilogram bone-in chicken pieces
Ingredients For Tomato Paste:
- ▢ 1 Cup chopped tomato
- ▢ 2 dry red chili
- ▢ 4 garlic cloves
- ▢ 1 inch piece of ginger
Ingredients For Onion Paste:
- ▢ 2 Cup sliced onion
- ▢ 1 Cup mustard oil
Other Ingredients For Curry:
- ▢ 1 bay leaf (tej patta)
- ▢ 1 cinnamon stick (dal chini)
- ▢ 1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chili powder
- ▢ 1 teaspoon turmeric powder
- ▢ 1 teaspoon coriander powder (dhaniya powder)
- ▢ 1 teaspoon garam masala ( see recipe )
- ▢ Salt to taste
- ▢ 1 Cup water
- ▢ 2 tablespoon dry fenugreek leaves (kasuri methi)
- ▢ 1 – 2 sliced green chilli
- ▢ 1 tablespoon chopped fresh coriander
Instructions
- Wash and clean the chicken pieces. Pat them dry and set aside.
- Make tomato paste of chopped tomato, red chilli, garlic, and ginger using 1 – 2 tablespoons of water. Set aside.
- Heat mustard oil in the Kadhai. Once it’s smoking hot, add sliced onion and fry till they are golden brown in color . Transfer the fried onion to a plate. Allow becoming lukewarm. Grind them to a smooth paste without using water. Keep them aside.
- In the same kadhai, add the bay leaf and cinnamon in the leftover oil. Fry for 10 – 20 seconds to release their aroma.
- Add the tomato paste, turmeric, red chili powder, coriander powder, and fry over low-medium heat till oil starts separating from the masala.
- Add the chicken pieces, season with salt, and fry till they become pale white. This usually takes 8 – 10 minutes. Do not rush this process.
- Next, add the onion paste. Mix nicely. Cover and cook the chicken till its juices are released. Keep the flame at the lowest setting. Do not add any water. A good quality tender chicken does not take more than 10 minutes to get cooked. Open the lid, check the chicken for doneness.
- If cooked, add 1 Cup of water to make gravy (add coconut milk if you prefer) along with garam masala, dry fenugreek leaves, fresh coriander, and sliced green chili (optional).
- Simmer the curry for 5 – 10 minutes for the gravy to thicken a bit. Taste the curry and add more seasoning if required.
- Serve Indian chicken curry with rice or chapati.
Recipe Notes:
- To make an Indian chicken curry, the best choice would be bone-in meat pieces . This curry can be made with boneless, skinless chicken pieces as well. Try to use boneless chicken thighs as they are much juicier.
- Do not add any water in the curry till the chicken releases its juices else you will end up with dry meat pieces.
- Mustard oil gives an authentic taste to the curry. You can use coconut oil or ghee instead of mustard oil.
- Adjust the quantity of water or coconut milk according to how much gravy you need. If the curry is way too thin, let it simmer without any lid/cover for 5 – 10 minutes or till it thickens a bit.
- Follow my tips shared above to make the chicken curry less spicy.
- The best way to make curry with chicken breast is – to saute the pieces in masala till they are cooked and pale white. Transfer to a plate, finish making the curry, add cooked chicken pieces towards the end and simmer them in curry for 5 – 10 minutes before serving.
Nutrition
We follow a strict NO SPAM Policy
