I have made several chop suey recipes over the past few years of doing this blog. Honestly, I had never even heard of chop suey before then.
Usually they had beef or pork. They are a combination of vegetables with some sort of soy like sauce.
The bacon adds a different dimension of flavor to the dish. It adds a touch of saltiness, but not overwhelmingly so.
The celery, onion and mushrooms cook very nicely starting them first. The celery isn’t too crisp and the mushrooms don’t get overly soft.
Adding the cabbage and peppers later ensures they don’t cook quite as much.
I liked this aspect of the recipe. I think if all the vegetables were added at the same time the dish would have been a bit one note.
I liked the little crunch bits of cabbage and pepper. You also get some texture from the crumbled bacon.
Pressing the rice into a ring gives you some great presentation with the dish. A molded rice ring is very Mid Century - it’s all about presentation.
BACON CHOP SUEY
1 Cup White Rice, Uncooked
1/2 Pound Sliced Bacon
1 Cup Sliced Onions
1 1/2 Cups Sliced Celery
1 Cup Sliced Mushrooms
2 Cups Water
1 1/2 Tablespoons Cornstarch
1 Teaspoon Salt
1/8 Teaspoon Pepper
1 1/2 Teaspoons Soy Sauce
2 Cups Shredded Cabbage
1 Cup Sliced Green Peppers
Cook rice and keep hot. Fry half the bacon until crisp but not brittle. Remove and reserve. Brown onions, celery and mushrooms in bacon fat. Blend water with cornstarch. Stir into onions. Simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Add salt, pepper, soy sauce, cabbage, green peppers and crisp bacon. Cook, covered, until just tender. Fry remaining bacon. Make a ring of cooked rice on a platter. Pour suey in the center. Garnish top with bacon slices.
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