Don't tell me, they're an American creation, too. For instance, I bet you can't find a Chinese restaurant here in Chicago that does not sell sweet and sour pork, even when there is not a European-American around for miles. Now you have a lot of Chinese cooks who are cooking Chinese food as eaten in China with real Chinese names, so you have a kind of foil against which the more Americanized Chinese foods are set. I think it is all a part of how Chinese cuisine continues to evolve.

I think a Chinese-American cook just made the dish, took his name and made it famous.īronson: General Tso's chicken showed up in about the last 30 years. Some historians went back to his village and interviewed his great-great-great grandson, and no one there had ever heard of General Tso's chicken, but the people were so shocked to hear that millions of people in America had heard of their ancestor. Tso was a great fighter who tried to put down the Muslim rebellion. Chicken Chop Suey Ingredients This recipe does have quite a few ingredients, but that is what makes it taste so amazing. Moy: The way it's prepared with the deep frying and the really heavy syrup is not even known in China. So deep-fried chicken chunks in a sweet sauce is not called General Tso's chicken in China? Moy: Most of these dishes are either eaten in China or they eat something like them in China but under different names. Even later you have mooshoo pork and General Tso's chicken. Then in the mid-period, you have sweet and sour pork, egg rolls, moo goo gai kow and egg foo young. Prepare the sauce: In a small bowl, stir together the chicken stock, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and pepper. What are you specifically referring to?īronson: Well, in the first generation, you have things like chop suey and chow mein. Add chicken, toss to coat, and let stand at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes. Ingredients 1 large or 2 medium chicken thighs 1 pounds bok choy, washed and cut into eighths lengthwise, then crosswise into 3-to-4-inch ribbons 2 tablespoons vegetable oil 1 tablespoons oyster sauce 1 teaspoon sugar 1 tablespoon cornstarch mixed with 2 tablespoons water 1 teaspoon toasted. You talk about different waves or generations of Chinese-American cuisine. In Chinatown you cannot survive with only Chinese customers, and the Chinese customers are, frankly, not that generous. You certainly want to have two menus if you can. How did restaurants deal with it?īronson: It's still a problem. So once you have all these new immigrants, you get this big divide between what Chinese customers want to eat and what non-Chinese customers want to eat. And then, with more new Chinese immigrants arriving, you see the revival of Chinese restaurants for Chinese people. Also in the '70s and '80s, with Americans becoming more exposed to Chinese culture through books and travel, you get a greater demand for authentic food. And when these trained chefs arrived, that's when chop suey began to decline.įirst of all, you are finally getting chefs who are trained in real Chinese food. But starting in the mid-'60s you have people sponsoring their relatives to come here, and they had to have training and certificates from cooking schools. Bronson: Before the 1960s you had very limited Chinese immigration to the United States (due to the Chinese Exclusion Act), and most of the cooks are non-trained chefs improvising and learning on the job.

Old fashioned chicken chop suey recipe