Chow Mein vs. Chop Suey: Know The Difference

If you have been reading my blog regularly, you have probably noticed that I’m a huge fan of Asian food.

And why wouldn’t I be? It’s easy to make, nutritious, and delicious. Chow Mein and Chop Suey are two dishes I like to prepare frequently. A funny thing happened last Friday.

Chow Mein vs Chop Suey

One of my boys said that he would like to have Chop Suey for dinner, and when I cooked it, he realized that is not the dish he had in mind. It was Chow Mein all along.

That got me thinking. Many people don’t know the difference between the two.

If you are one of them, here’s what you need to know to understand the Chow Mein vs. Chop Suey confusion.

What is Chow Mein?

In short, this is a stir fry prepared with seafood, meat, veggies, and noodles. The name of the dish comes from chau-meing, where ‘chow’ means fried, and ‘mein’ translates to noodles.

There are several types of Chow Mein. The two most popular ones are crispy (Hong Kong style) and steamed (see also recommended food streamers). The latter one is usually made of round noodles, and it is very soft.

Hong Kong style Chow Mein is made of flat noodles, and it is mostly dry and crispy.

Further Reading: Chow Mein Vs. Lo Mein – Chinese Cuisine For Beginners

The cooking style of Chow Mein

The concept of Chow Mein differs depending on where you eat it.

On the east coast of the U.S., for instance, you will get crispy deep-fried noodles, whereas, on the west coast, you will get steamed noodles.

Likewise, this dish is cooked with slight variations in the United Kingdom, Canada, Brazil, South Asia, and other parts of the world.

Chow Mein recipe

I could find you various recipes for Chow Mein depending on the varying cooking styles, but here, I’ll share with you the one I use the most frequently.

Note that the amount of the ingredients is something you can determine by yourself depending on the number of people you are preparing the meal for.

Ingredients

Wonton noodles (steamed or fried)
Chicken breasts (if you are preparing non-vegetarian Chow Mein)
Celery
Broccoli
Bean sprout
Bell pepper
Shiitake mushrooms
Onion
Soy sauce
Groundnut oil
Oyster sauce
Cornstarch

Preparation

Cook the noodles for about five minutes.
Coat them lightly with groundnut oil to avoid them sticking together. You can also use sesame oil.
Season the chicken with a Chinese seasoning mixture and soy sauce.
Coat the meat with cornstarch.
Heat a wok over a high-heat burner.
Add oil, and wait until it’s hot and smoking.
Add chicken and fry for a couple of minutes.
Add the bell pepper and stir-fry for a minute. Add the rest of the veggies after that.
Pour in the cooked noodles and season with soy sauce.
Add black pepper to taste.
Stir and serve immediately.

Further Reading: The Best 5 Celery Substitutes – Healthy Veggies You Haven’t Considered

What Is Chop Suey?

Chop Suey is a dish that comes from American-Chinese cuisine, but it is prepared throughout the world, though it may be called otherwise.

What we know as the original recipe contains bean sprouts, celery, meat, and sauce. It can be prepared with a base of deep-fried noodles, like Chow Mein, but it can also include rice instead.

The main difference between the two lies in the fact that in the Chow Mein recipe, the noodles are added to the cooked veggies and meat, while in Chop Suey, noodles or rice are used as the base with the sauces and other ingredients being poured over them.

Related: Find The Top Rated Japanese Rice Cooker

The cooking style of Chop Suey

It is crucial to understand that, unlike with Chow Mein, the noodles cannot be steamed while making Chop Suey (when cooking with noodles). They must be cooked in oil.

Because it is a more healthier option, I frequently make this dinner using rice. If you want to step it up, serve it over brown rice.

Chop Suey recipe

The Indonesian variant of this meal consists of vegetables, and in other parts of the world, different sauces and ingredients are added to this dish.

I’ll share the standard American-Chinese recipe with you. Again, the ingredients are something you will determine according to your taste and the number of portions.

Ingredients

Fresh pork, beef, chicken, or shrimp (you can ditch the meat completely if you are preparing a vegetarian dish)
Noodles/rice (deep-fried)
Cabbage
Bean sprouts
Celery
Broccoli
Onion
Carrots
Snow peas
Vegetable oil
Soy sauce
Oyster sauce (if you are cooking non-vegetarian variant)
Ketchup
Cornstarch
Rice wine

Preparation

Mix ketchup, sugar, water, cornstarch, rice wine, and soy sauce to make a Chop Suey sauce.
Heat oil in a wok, add onion, and saute until they get a nice yellowish color.
Add meat or seafood and stir-fry for up to five minutes.
Add bean sprouts, celery, carrot, and cabbage, and saute for about four minutes.
Add the sauce. Mix it in well and cook for another couple of minutes.
Serve over rice or noodles.

The main differences between Chow Mein and Chop Suey

So, to sum it all up, here are the main differences between the two dishes you should know about:

Compared to Chop Suey, Chow Mein is low in fat and calories, especially if you opt for steamed Chow Mein.
In Chow Mein, the noodles are mixed up with the remaining ingredients, while in Chop Suey, the mixture of sauce, meat, and veggies are served over noodles or rice.
There is no option of preparing steamed Chop Suey. The rice or the noodles has to be deep-fried.
Both of these dishes can be prepared as vegetarian. In Chow Mein, chicken and seafood are the most frequently chosen types of meat, while in Chop Suey, there is no most preferred choice.

Final words

Both Chow Mein and Chop Suey are incredibly delicious Asian meals, but it is important to know that they are definitely not the same.

I hope that after this article you can finally make a clear difference between the two.

Enjoy! 🙂

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