A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
This book may be in my Top Ten. I think it is. Yes. Yes, it is.
I found A Tree Grows in Brooklyn a dichotomy. It is quiet in the pace, the characters (mostly), and the mundanities of life, but loud in the rumblings of Francie Nolan coming into herself. It was gentle and harsh, inclusive and discriminatory, funny and heart-breaking. Lives battered, broken, or cracked are seen and raised with determination, tenacity, and tenderness. Family and relationships are portrayed in the moments of the most sublime and most vulnerable. It’s one take on motherhood, fatherhood, siblings, and what family means. I guess that’s what I want in a story. Life. Humanity.
When I was taking notes awhile ago on what I remembered from the book that referenced food, here’s what I jotted down for Chop Suey (Spoiler!):
Chop Suey at Ruby’s with The Turd, Lee Rhynor.
It seemed like the right fit, both the nickname and the dish. Francie, in her older teen years mentioned enjoying Chop Suey a few times. It’s unclear exactly when or where Chop Suey first came to be, but general thoughts and flavors favor Chinese-American roots. Here’s my take on it.
Chop Suey
Course: Dinner, Main, LunchCuisine: Chinese, Chinese AmericanDifficulty: Beginner4
servings20
minutes15
minutes35
minutesIngredients
- Chicken Marinade
1 tsp corn starch
1 Tbsp Shouxing wine, or sherry cooking wine, or Mirin
1 Tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp soy sauce
1-1 1/2 lbs chicken thighs, thinly sliced across the grain
- Vegetables
4 tsp neutral cooking oil
4 oz shiitake mushrooms, slices
1 cup carrots, peeled and sliced into matchsticks
2 cups broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 rib celery, cut across in 1/4″ pieces
2 tsp minced garlic
2 tsp minced fresh ginger
1/2 c snow peas
1/2 red pepper, sliced
1 1/2 cups shredded cabbage
1/4 cup green onions, thinly sliced
- Stir Fry Sauce
2/3 cup chicken stock
1 Tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 tsp corn starch
1 tsp Shouxing wine, or sherry cooking wine, or Mirin
Freshly cooked rice or noodles
Directions
- Combine the chicken marinade ingredients in a medium bowl and set aside while you prep everything else.
- Mix all the stir fry sauce ingredients together. Set aside.
- (At this point you should start the water for noodles, the rice steamer, or whatever bed you want to lay your Chop Suey on.)
- Heat a wok or large skillet to med-high heat. Pour in 1 tsp oil, then immediately add the mushrooms. Saute for 2-3 minutes. Remove to a bowl.
- Add another tsp of oil and pour the chicken into the hot pan. Cook, stirring occasionally, letting the chicken brown a little. Once the chicken has cooked through, 3-5 minutes, remove it to the mushroom bowl.
- Add 1 tsp oil to the wok. Saute carrots and broccoli stalks in the oil for 2 minutes. Add the broccoli florets and celery and saute 2 more minutes. Add 2 Tbsp water and saute 2 more minutes.
- Push the vegetables to the sides of the pan, making a bare spot in the middle. Pour the last tsp of oil into the bare spot and add in the ginger and garlic, frying it for 20-30 seconds, stirring, until aromatic. Mix the garlic and ginger into the other pan vegetables.
- Toss the remaining vegetables into the wok. Give the stir fry sauce one more mix and pour it over the veggies in the pan. Let it sit for a minute, then stir in the mushrooms and chicken. Let the sauce come to a consistent bubble, another 2-3 minutes. Stir again.
- Serve immediately over rice or noodles and with chili sauce, soy sauce, salt, pepper, etc.
Notes
- Hey, so, use whatever vegetables you have on hand and add them in based on their density. (Carrots are pretty dense, so they need longer to cook. They go in first!) Here are some vegetables I’ve used in my Chop Sueys: Asparagus, cauliflower, spinach, chard, frozen peas, edamame, onions, etc. Just aim for 6-7 cups chopped fresh veggies.
- Feel free to make this vegan, substituting the oyster sauce for a little more soy sauce and a bit of brown sugar. And use drained, pressed tofu in the marinade!
This recipe is adapted from No Recipes and Recipe Tin Eats.