This beef chop suey recipe is an easy one-pot meal. It’s packed with delicious Asian flavors like garlic, ginger, and soy sauce. The best part? It takes 30 minutes max to make.
What Is Chop Suey?
Chop suey is a slightly Westernized take on a classic, simple Chinese stir-fry. There aren’t many hard-and-fast rules for what goes in it, but the hallmark is a fairly light brown sauce—there’s plenty of it, and it’s thick enough to cling beautifully to your rice or noodles—plus lots of tasty stir-fried vegetables. You’ll also find it as Tjap Tjoy in the Netherlands.
Why Beef Chop Suey Is a Champion Dish
Beef chop suey is always a favorite at Chinese restaurants thanks to its glossy, dark sauce and bold flavors. Now any home cook can enjoy the same authentic, rich, slightly sweet flavors with this under-30-minute recipe. By the way, you’ll also find the recipe for its cousin, Beef and Broccoli on the site.
The sweet aroma of caramelized onions with thinly sliced beef and soy sauce always puts everyone in the mood for Chinese cuisine comfort food.
The thick brown sauce is what everyone loves about this dish. It’s incredibly good. Don’t forget a good bowl of rice on the side to soak up those delicious juices. For a Vietnamese alternative, I’ll point you to my Bo Luc Lac beef.
With only one large skillet needed for the whole dish, it’s perfect for a quick and easy weeknight meal—and you can even freeze it for later.
Chicken Chop Suey
Chicken chop suey is the second most popular version. I prefer and recommend using boneless, skinless chicken thighs—they’re extra flavorful and budget-friendly.
Swap the beef for chicken in a 1:1 ratio.
Pork Chop Suey
Pork chop suey is great when you want an alternative to the beef or chicken mentioned above. Pork is another budget-friendly option that’s popular in chop suey combos. Swap the beef for pork in a 1:1 ratio.
Shrimp Chop Suey
Shrimp chop suey is great if you’re craving a seafood twist. While shrimp are pricier, you can use less and it’ll still be fantastic. Swap the beef for shrimp at a 0.5:1 ratio.
Beef Chop Suey Ingredients
The meat: Preferably a quick-cooking cut. Don’t forget to slice the meat thinly against the grain—stir-fry style! Here’s my full article on the topic
Light soy sauce: not to be confused with dark soy sauce. This is the regular salty soy sauce found in all supermarkets.
Oyster sauce: Discover all its secrets here. No, it doesn’t taste like oysters.
Chinese Beef Chop Suey Recipe
Ingredients
- 450 g beef, thinly sliced
- 250 g mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 1 large green bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 2 bok choy stalks, thinly sliced (white parts separated from greens)
- 200 g flat green beans
MARINADE
- 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt
- pinch black pepper
- 1 pinch of cornstarch
SAUCE
- 180 g water (or chicken broth)
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1.5 tablespoons light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
Instructions
- Marinate the beef for 15 min.450 g beef, thinly sliced, 1 teaspoon light soy sauce, 2 teaspoons oyster sauce, 1 teaspoon salt, pinch black pepper, 1 pinch of cornstarch
- In a bowl, stir together the sauce ingredients.180 g water (or chicken broth), 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, 1 tablespoon cornstarch, 1.5 tablespoons light soy sauce, 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine, 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- Stir-fry the beef over high heat for 2–3 min, until no longer pink. Set aside.
- Add the onion, bell pepper, and celery; stir-fry for 3 min.1 medium onion, sliced, 1 large green bell pepper, thinly sliced, 2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
- Add the beans, the white parts of the bok choy, and the mushrooms; stir-fry for 3 min.200 g flat green beans, 2 bok choy stalks, thinly sliced (white parts separated from greens), 250 g mushrooms, thinly sliced
- Add the green parts of the bok choy; stir-fry for 1 min.
- Pour in the sauce and stir until thickened.
- Return the beef and toss well for 1 min.
Absolutely delicious, that glossy sauce is pure magic! 😋
This beef chop suey was a total hit, the sauce clung to the rice perfectly and tasted just like our favorite takeout 😊. My husband kept raving about the garlic and ginger and asked if I can put it on next week’s meal plan again.
This beef chop suey took me right back to weeknights when my mom would toss whatever veggies we had into a hot pan and fill the kitchen with that garlicky soy smell. The thick brown sauce over rice tastes just like the comfort-food dinners we’d all crowd around the table for 😊
This took me right back to weeknights at my grandma’s, when she’d make a quick stir-fry and the whole kitchen smelled like soy sauce, ginger, and sizzling onions. That glossy brown sauce over a bowl of rice is pure comfort food, and it tastes like childhood 😊