Easy Beef Chop Suey is a delicious dinner of tender beef strips, fresh bean sprouts, and a savory sauce made with no pork and no dairy.
It’s a budget-friendly takeout-at-home (“takeout fakeout”) version of the classic Chinese-American dish that’s easy and quick to make—only one pan!
And it’s easily customizable—just add whichever stir-fry vegetables you like!
And since there is no dairy and no pork, this recipe is kosher too!
Chinese food is an American favorite, always delicious whether you eat with chopsticks or a fork and knife, and whether it’s takeout, delivery, or in a restaurant.
Making Chinese at home takes a little longer than placing a call, but it’s often quicker than waiting in line or for delivery!
And if you keep kosher, you know that kosher restaurant prices can be high, so making it at home saves money, making it budget-friendly.
You might be surprised to know that while we call it “Chinese” food, most of what we order is actually Chinese-American, developed right here in the States by Chinese immigrants.
Whether it’s authentic or Americanized, many recipes call for a long list of ingredients.
This recipe is simple and you don’t lose flavor!
Also, it’s adaptable, so feel free to add your own stir-fry vegetables—it’s even a great way to use up veggies that have started to wilt in the fridge!
And making this dish is SO EASY!
First, fry the onions and celery in a little bit of cooking oil.
Then and the meat and lightly fry that too.
Add the soy sauce and water.
Then, add the bean sprouts and cook them too. If you want your bean sprouts to be a little crunchy, then make sure not to overcook. We don’t like crunchy, so we cook thoroughly.
Doesn’t that look SO GOOD??
You can add stir-fry vegetables too! Those sides can be cooked right into the dish before you add the bean spouts (so the bean sprouts won’t get mushy while you are cooking the others).
Chinese-American food is the BEST!
A little about Chinese-American Food
Chinese-American cuisine is a style of Chinese cuisine that was developed by Chinese Americans. These dishes significantly differ from traditional Chinese dishes because Chinese-American dishes were adapted to suit American tastes.
Chinese immigrants arrived in the United States in large numbers in the mid-19th century in order to escape the economic difficulties in China, hoping to find work during the California Gold Rush and on the Central Pacific Railroad.
They mostly settled together in ghettos, individually known as Chinatown, and—since there were laws preventing them from owning their own land—they opened their own businesses, such as laundry services and restaurants.
Initially, the family-owned businesses catered to miners and railroad workers, and restaurants were set up in places where Chinese food was unknown. Food was based on the requests of the customers, and recipes were created to suit American tastes using whatever ingredients were available.
The little history of kosher Chinese-American Food
Due to anti-Chinese laws and acts, which prevented Chinese immigrants to America from competing with whites, many Chinese opened restaurants.
The majority of Jewish immigrants at that time were observant in their religion and ate only kosher food when they arrived in New York. But, over time, many assimilated, and their children, who were less interested in keeping “the old ways” and more interested in other cultural experiences, even more so.
Some continued keeping kosher at home while allowing themselves to stray while out. Sunday was a favorite time for eating out, and Chinese food was not only reasonably priced, but their restaurants were open on Sundays.
The attitude seemed to be, if I can’t see it, it won’t kill me.
Not only that, but Chinese food didn’t use milk, and while excuses may be made for eating non-kosher meat outside of the home, there was still the forbidden mixing of meat and milk to consider.
But what about Jews who did keep kosher?
Schmulka Bernstein’s (or Bernstein-on-Essex) was a deli on the Lower East Side of Manhattan and Schmulka’s son, Sol, came up with an ingenious idea.
Using Cantonese Chinese recipes, he substituted kosher veal, beef, and chicken livers for pork.
So, Schmulka Bernstein was the originator of what is known as “Deli-Chinese.”
If you love Chinese-American dishes and want them pork-free (or kosher), you definitely should try these too!
- Kosher Pepper Steak
- Kosher Chicken and Broccoli
- Kosher Mongolian Chicken
- Kosher Mongolian Beef
- Kosher Corned Beef & Cabbage Egg Rolls
- Kosher Chicken Lo Mein
- Kosher General Tso’s Chicken
- Kosher Chicken Fried Rice
- Vegetarian Fried Rice
- Kosher Chicken Chow Mein
- Kosher Beef Chow Mein
- Kosher Egg Drop Soup
What does “savory” mean?
“Savory” refers to foods that are not sweet, such as foods that taste salty, spicy, or herbal.
What does it mean to sauté?
To sauté means to cook quickly in a small amount of oil or fat in a frying pan on a relatively high heat that causes a slight browning of the food on the outside.
In order to be able to make Chinese-American dishes whenever I want to, I always keep related staples in my kitchen.
These include duck sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, and corn starch.
In fact, I have a whole list of pantry items (including utensils) that I make sure to keep in my kitchen so I can make a variety of last-minute dishes whenever I want to without having to make a sudden run to the grocery store or borrow from a neighbor!
Easy Beef Chop Suey (No Pork, No Dairy)
Delicious and easy to make beef chop suey, made without pork or dairy.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds beef, cut into bite-size pieces (approximately 1"x1")
- 1 pound bean sprouts (or more, if desired)
- 1/2 cup celery, sliced thin horizontally (approximately 1 medium stalk or use more if desired
- 1 medium onion diced small
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/4 cup soy sauce
Optional
- cooked carrot sliced into small strips
- baby corn cut into pieces
- mushroom slices or pieces
- cooked (or par-cooked) green beans
- chopped broccoli
Instructions
- Saute the onions and celerly in a large frying pan on medium heat, mixing occasionally.
- Add the pieces of meat and saute them as well until cooked.
- Add the water and soy sauce.
- Add the bean sprout and cook the entire thing until the bean spouts are just soft (if you are adding any of the other vegetables add them at the same time as the bean sprouts).
- Serve over rice.
Notes
MAKE SURE THE INGREDIENTS ARE IN FACT KOSHER.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
2Serving Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 1087Total Fat: 68gSaturated Fat: 27gUnsaturated Fat: 41gCholesterol: 299mgSodium: 436mgCarbohydrates: 19gFiber: 4gSugar: 12gProtein: 97g