Filipino Vegetarian Chop Suey

This Vegetarian Chop Suey recipe is a great way to serve a simple, flavorful and nutritious dish to your loved ones. It’s made with a variety of vegetables, fried tofu balls and a thick sauce which makes an amazing savory lunch or dinner!

What is Chop Suey?

Chop Suey is an easy, healthy and savory vegetable stir-fry recipe that is great for lunch or dinner during family gatherings, parties and even just in an ordinary day. It is usually made with a variety of vegetables like bean sprouts, celery, broccoli, carrots, snow peas, cabbage; one or more meats like pork, chicken liver or shrimp; vegetable or chicken broth and a flavorful starch-thickened sauce which makes a delicious and crowd-pleaser dish. This recipe is a great way to use leftover vegetables then turn them into an amazing dish. It has its roots in Chinese-American cuisine. The term chop suey actually comes from the Cantonese phrase tsap seui which means “miscellaneous leftovers”. There is a belief that the early Chinese immigrants in United States came up with this dish by putting together their own leftovers prior to leaving China.

This Filipino Vegetarian Chop Suey is a healthier version of the classic Chinese chop suey recipe. I used mixed vegetable, oyster mushroom sauce, vegetable broth, cornstarch and water mixture, and fried tofu balls as the protein. The different vegetables in this stir fry recipe makes this dish so colorful and appetizing. This easy vegetable chop suey recipe is very quick and easy dish to pull together, and vegan/vegetarian-friendly. It is a nutritious and delicious Filipino recipe that you’ll feel good serving the whole family!

Health Benefits of Broccoli:

• Reduces the risk of cancer
• Improves bone health
• Boosts immune health
• Improves skin health
• Aids digestion
• Reduces inflammation
• Reduces the risk of diabetes
• Protects cardiovascular health

Tips and Procedures:

• Make sure to not overcook the veggies in this dish.
• Adding ingredients with different colors can make your dish vibrant and enticing, just like using baby corn or young corn, green beans, red or green bell peppers.
• Feel free to season with more or less soy sauce/vegetarian oyster sauce, salt and pepper if necessary to make taste of better.
• You may omit the boiled quail eggs and use firm tofu, shiitake mushrooms and/or vegetarian meat as protein substitute to make this a vegan chop suey.
• In cooking, start with a veggie that take longer to cook like the carrot and broccoli. You may add the cabbage, bok choy or other leafy vegetables last if you like it to be crisp and not overcooked.
• Storage: Refrigerate this dish properly in an airtight containers which can last for 3 to 4 days.

How to Make Chop Suey:

Listed below are all the ingredients you will need:

• vegetable oil 
• tofu balls or regular tofu
• cloves garlic
• onions
• cauliflower florets 
• broccoli florets 
• carrots
• baby corn 
• red bell pepper
• cabbage
• vegetable stock 
• oyster mushroom sauce 
• salt and pepper
• cornstarch mix
• quail eggs

In a large frying pan over medium heat, add vegetable oil. Add the tofu balls and fry until light golden brown for 5-6 minutes, then move to the side of the pan:

Lower the heat, then add minced garlic, onion, and sauté until caramelized, about 2 minutes:

Increase the heat and add the cauliflower, broccoli florets, carrots, baby corn, red bell pepper,  cabbage and stir fry on high heat while stirring constantly:

Add the vegetable stock, oyster mushroom sauce and continue cooking for another minute. Then, season with salt and pepper and add the cornstarch mixture and quail eggs, cook for another minute:

It is best to serve this chop suey recipe with steamed rice.

Frequently Asked Questions: