Chow mein vs Chop suey

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I once asked a local Chinese restaurant what the difference was between chow mein and chop suey and they told me it was that one had bigger pieces of vegetables than the other!

Chow mein refers to the fried noodles topping the chop suey. Lo mein refers to soft, cooked noodles serve with chop suey or other dishes.

Chop suey is simply the meat and veggie dish served without noodles. At least, this is what I have been told by two Chinese restaurant owners/chefs that I know. And at my favorite Chinese Restaurant, chop suey and chowmein are made with velvetized chicken, with bias sliced celery, chunks of onion, Bias sliced carrot, all stir-fried unti tender-crisp, and seasoned lightly with soy sauce, and garlic, swimming in a light, cornstarch thickened gravy made from chicken stock and chives. It is delescious, full of flavor with a subtle sweetness from the onion and celery. Again, without the fried noodles, it's chop suey. With the noodles, it's chow mein. And it's never bland. I make it at home every now and again. When I make it, I add just a hint of Chinese 5-spice powder to the mix as well, and sometimes, a bit of ginger.

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North
 
Oh, I forgot. A prime componant in chop suey and chow mein both, as I know it, is steamed beansprouts. Sorry about leaving that ingredient out.:blush:

Seeeeeya; Goodweed of the North
 
Chop Suey means 'this and that' and is a scrap/recycle dish perhaps concocted for the American market early in the Chinese restaurant business. Many sources place the origin in the railroad construction camps of the later 1800s where the chinese workers cooked from what was available. It has no set ingredients.

Chow Mein means fry noodle but may or may not be fried crisp, and should never be those short, fried, dried horrors in the carboard can. It's usually a long wheat flour noodle. Ingredients and saucing vary widely by region and cook.

Wikipedia says the discrepancy between fried or steamed noodles in USA usage is a coastal thing between east and west.
 
It is funny how things are different from place to place in this country. When I lived in Hawaii, chow mein was what many call lo mein in other parts of the country. My understanding is chow is to stir-fry, mein is definitely noodles. They were stir-fried noodles with vegetables and/or meat, much like fried rice but with thin, wheat-based noodles. (understand, this was 20 years ago and in Chinese restaurants frequented by local Chinese immigrants and Chinese-Hawaiian-Americans along with a few of us Haoles, so I don't know how much was "authentic" and what was translated for me).

American chop suey -- Mom is originally from New England, and this was macaroni with a sort of ground-beef-based tomato sauce.
 
...American chop suey -- Mom is originally from New England, and this was macaroni with a sort of ground-beef-based tomato sauce.

My understanding (and is only hearsay) is that American Chop Suey originated in San Francisco, and macaroni with a sort of ground-beef-based tomato sauce is a "goulash" dish associated with eastern Europe. But honestly, who really knows?

It's interesting how convoluted food history can get! :LOL: I often think there is more misinformation than truth floating around.
 
Chow Mein literally means fried noodle. Typically, Noodles are boiled, drained, chilled, then deep fried to produce a noodle with a crispy outside and tender inside. This is then added to a stewed, or stir-fried mix of vegetables and strips of meat, often with a light sauce. For more info, check the following site: The Food Timeline: history notes--Asian-American cuisine

The link also explains a host of other Asian dishes such as dim sum, fried rice, egg rolls/spring rolls, and others. It lists several reputable sources for each definition.

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North
 
We can discuss the origins forever. Bottom line appears to be that one is served over crispy noodles and the other is not. I'd bet the actual veggie and sauce part of the dish is the same for both.
 

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