Chinese American Foods That You Might Want To Cook

You might be surprised to find out that General Tso’s Chicken is not recognized in mainland China. Meanwhile, in America, this food is often associated with Chinese food. So, where does this Chinese American food come from?

Chinese American food has a deep root in Cantonese cooking from Guandong province in China. Before 1882, many Immigrants from Guandong arrived in California’s Gold Rush, then they started forming communities that were later called “Chinatowns”.

After some time, many immigrant families started to open businesses and many of them opened a restaurant. The cuisines are made in a certain way so they suit non-Chinese customers. From this history, Chinese American food was born.

In this article, we would like to introduce the best American Chinese food dishes you will love to try. The recipes are easy to make and can be adjusted as you like.

Chinese-American Food Recipes You Must Try

Chop Suey

Chop suey is one of the early Chinese American food, as early as the 1800s. The history varies. There are many versions of it. Some stated that the origin of this food is when the US visited Premier Li Hongzhang during Qing Dynasty. At that time, the chef was trying to create a dish that suits the Chinese and US palates. Another version stated that chop suey was created by a humble restaurant owner. The owner should have collected scraps to serve the premier Li Hongzhang because the hotel kitchen has closed. Another source mentioned this dish was created in San Fransisco to serve a group of drunk.

In truth, all of the stories above can be fictional. Check the recipe!

Ingredients

For chicken

• 180-gram chicken breast
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda

For the sauce

• 1 tablespoon cornflour/cornstarch
• 1 1/2 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• Dash of white pepper
• 185 ml water

For stir fry

• 1 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/2 onion, sliced
• 6 stems choy sum, trimmed and cut
• 1 medium carrot, peeled and then sliced
• 1/2 cup sliced mushrooms
• 1 cup bean sprouts

Instructions

• Place the chicken into a bowl and then sprinkle it with baking soda. Mix them with your finger and then set aside for around 20 minutes. After that, rinse the chicken and pat the chicken mix with paper towels. Set aside.
• For the sauce, add soy sauce and cornflour in a bowl. Mix the ingredients until lump free. Then, add the remaining sauce ingredients. Mix until combined.
• For the stir fry, heat the oil in a wok on a medium-high heat. Then add garlic. Stir it quickly. After that, add onion and cook them for a minute. Keep stirring until you see the onion starts to wilt.
• Next, add the chicken and then cook it for 1 minute. The surface should change the color from pink to white.
• Next, add carrot, mushrooms, and choy sum stems. Stir them for another 1 minute.
• Last, add bean sprouts, choy sum leaves, and sauce. Stir fry them for another 2 minutes until the sauce is thickening. The vegetables should not be soggy and soft. They should stay crisp.
• Serve the chop suey with rice.

Cooking tips:

• You can use all-purpose soy sauce. If you use dark soy sauce, reduce it to 1 tablespoon.
• If you don’t like oyster sauce, you can also use vegetarian oyster sauce.
• You can replace the Chinese cooking wine with Miri or dry sherry. If you want it to be non-alcoholic, the chicken broth works well.

General Tso’s Chicken

The General Tso’s Chicken is also well-known as orange chicken or sesame chicken. This dish is iconic. Thanks to General Tso who brought this dish to the world.

The origin of General Tso’s Chicken history is disputed. Some said that the inventor of this popular dish is Peng Chang-Kuei. He is a Hunan native that works as a chef for the Nationalist government. During the civil war, he fled to Taiwan and later he open a restaurant in New York where he later invented a dish that suits with non-Hunanese palates. Another version of the story is from the owner of New York’s Shun Lee Palaces. They claimed that their restaurant is the first Hunanese restaurant in which their signature dishes were copied by other restaurants.

Ingredients

For The Chicken Marinade

• 3 tablespoon light or all-purpose soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 2 teaspoon chili paste
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 3 tablespoons brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 3/4 cup chicken stock

For The Chicken

• 600-gram chicken thighs
• 1 teaspoon ginger
• 1 teaspoon garlic
• 1 cup cornstarch
• 4 cups oil

For Stir Fry

• 2 tablespoon oil
• 2 teaspoon ginger
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes

Garnishes

• Sliced green onion
• Sesame seeds

Instructions

• For the chicken marinade, mix vinegar, hoisin, soy sauce, sesame oil, and chili.
• To marinate the chicken, add 2 tbsp marinade sauce to the chicken and mix them well. Add garlic and ginger. Mix and marinate it for 30 minutes.
• Next, add cornflour to the chicken then toss it to coat.
• Add sugar and cornflour to the remaining marinade sauce. Mix the ingredients and then add the chicken stock.
• Next, heat the oil and cook the chicken for around 3 minutes. Fry it until crispy and golden brown. Remove it from the heat and drain the chicken.
• After finishing frying the chicken, clean the skillet and discard the oil. Wipe and return the skillet to the heat.
• Heat the oil on medium heat then add ginger, garlic, and chili flakes. Saute the ingredients for 30 seconds until the garlic looks golden. Then add sauce and bring it to simmer until the sauce is thickening.
• In the last step, toss the chicken to coat. Do it quickly so the crispiness stays.
• Transfer the chicken to the plate and top it with garnish. Serve it immediately.

Cooking note:

• Use all-purpose soy sauce or light soy sauce. In this recipe, you don’t use dark soy sauce because it will overpower the flavor.
• Using chicken thighs is the best because it will stay juicy after frying. Using breasts is prone to drying out and overcooking. But if you want to use breast, tenderize the meat by adding 1/4 tsp baking soda with marinade sauce. Marinade the chicken for an hour at least.
• Make sure to finely chop the garlic with the knife and don’t use a garlic press because it will make the garlic burn easily.
• This chicken can be stored in a fridge and it will last up to 5 days. You can reheat it before serving it. However, the chicken will not be crispy.

Egg Foo Young

Egg foo young originated from Guangdong. In this case, the American version is identical to the original. Many people call it a Chinese omelet, but it is not pretty accurate.

Ingredients

For the sauce

• 4 teaspoon cornstarch
• 1 1/2 tablespoon light soy sauce
• 2 teaspoon oyster sauce
• 1 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine or Mirin
• 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
• 250 ml water
• White pepper

For omelet

• 6 eggs
• 2 cups bean sprouts
• Salt and white pepper
• 4 shallots or you can use green onions, sliced
• 2 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 garlic clove, chopped

Filling (prawn or pork)

If you use prawns, use 100g chopped raw prawns

For the pork egg foo young

• 120g minced pork (you can also use beef, chicken, or turkey)
• 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce and 1/2 teaspoon oyster sauce
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• Sesame oil

Garnish

• Sesame seeds and sliced green onion

Instructions

• Mix soy sauce and cornflour, and then add the remaining sauce ingredients.
• Pour the sauce into medium heat and bring it to a simmer. Stir the sauce until it starts to thicken like a syrup. Then remove it from the heat, and set it aside.
• For pork filling, place the pork in the bowl and then add the remaining ingredients. Mix them.
• For Omelette
• Whisk the eggs in the bowl then add green onions, beansprouts, pork or prawns, pepper, and salt.
• Heat 1/2 tablespoon of oil and then add sesame oil. Saute the garlic for around 10 seconds and add 1/4 of the batter. Cook it until lightly golden then flip.
• Transfer the omelet onto the plate and pour the sauce. Sprinkle it with sesame seeds and onions.
• Serve the egg foo young with rice and also steamed vegetables.

FAQs

What Is The Difference Between Chinese Food And Chinese American Food?

The Americanized Chinese food consists of more meat and it is served with rice or noodles. The authentic Chinese dish uses ingredients like vegetables, noodles, rice, and soybeans mostly.

Is Chinese American Food Healthy?

Some Chinese takeout like Chinese American food can be high in oil, salt, and sugar. However, you can pick items that are steamed, boiled, baked, and sauteed. Those are still delicious.

So, that is all our simple recipes for American Chinese food. Which one is your favorite dish? Let us know in the comment below!

Check also our recipe about how to make the dumpling sauce.