A Filipino Cuisine Classic: Chopsuey Recipe

Renzelle Ann Palma

The Chinese influence throughout Filipino culture can be seen in our customs, arts, and business ethics, but most especially in food. From our love for soup dishes to the different kinds of pancit all over the Philippines, there's no denying that the Chinese in us lives strong.

One of our favorite viands adopted from the Chinese is the vegetable dish chopsuey. It's a mix of pork, chicken, and seafood that's cooked with different kinds of vegetables. Filipinos made it even more interesting by adding chicken liver and gizzard to the mix.

Here's a recipe for chopsuey you can try out:

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons cooking oil
• 1/3 cup onion, sliced
• 1/2 cup pork liempo, sliced
• 1 cup chicken liver and gizzard, sliced
• 1/2 cup shrimp, shelled and deveined
• 1/2 cup carrot, sliced
• 1/2 cup button mushroom, sliced
• 1/2 cup green bell pepper, cubed
• 1 cup soup stock
• 1 1/2 cups cabbage, sliced
• 1/2 cup cauliflower, sliced
• 1 cup Chinese cabbage, sliced
• 2 teaspoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons cornstarch dissolved in 3 tablespoons water
• 1 pack 7 grams of flavor seasoning mix

Photo from Wikipedia.

How to Cook

In a pan, heat oil and sauté onions until they turn transparent.

Add pork, chicken liver and gizzard. Cook until brown.

Add shrimps until they turn to a pinkish-orange color.

Add carrot, green bell pepper, and button mushrooms. Stir fry for another minute. Add soup stock and simmer for a minute.

Add cabbage, Chinese cabbage, cauliflower, and soy sauce. Mix well.

Add sesame oil and thicken with cornstarch mixture.

Sprinkle flavor seasoning mix.

Mix and simmer for another minute before turning off the heat.

For a more Chinese feel, thicken the sauce.

For vegetarians, eliminate the meat from the recipe. Use tofu instead.

Enjoy!