Colombian Chop Suey with Chicken
The Colombian take on chop suey: chicken marinated in soy sauce and sugar, then stir-fried with onion, carrot, cabbage, bell pepper, celery, cucumber, broccoli and bean sprouts. More vegetables than most versions, and the sugar in the marinade is what makes it Colombian. Serves three.
Servings: 3
Calories: 279kcal
Ingredients
- 1 chicken breast, cut into pieces
- 1 medium onion, cut into julienne
- 2 tablespoons sugar for the marinade; this is what sets the Colombian version apart
- 1 carrot, cut into thin julienne
- ½ cup cabbage, cut into thin strips
- 1 red or yellow bell pepper, cut into julienne pimentón in Colombia means bell pepper, not paprika
- 1 stalk celery, cut into thin slices
- ½ cucumber, peeled, seeded and cut into thin julienne
- 5 broccoli florets, halved
- ½ cup bean sprouts, well washed they go in at the very end so they stay crisp
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon garlic paste, or 1 clove well crushed
- ½ cup soy sauce half goes into the marinade and half into the wok
- Oregano, salt, pepper and thyme, to taste
Instructions
- First, mix the sugar with a quarter cup of the soy sauce, pour it over the chicken pieces in a bowl and leave them to marinate for about 25 minutes.
- Drain the marinated chicken and add it to a wok, or a deep frying pan, with the tablespoon of oil. Start stir-frying over medium-high heat.
- After one minute, add the vegetables one at a time, starting with the onion, garlic, carrot, cabbage and bell pepper, stirring as you go. Add the broccoli and celery last.
- Add the remaining quarter cup of soy sauce, the salt and the spices, stirring. All of this takes about 12 minutes.
- Finally add the bean sprouts and cook for four minutes more, or until the vegetables are done to your liking.
- Serve hot with brown rice or wholemeal bread.
Notes
The vegetables go in hardest first and softest last, which is the whole technique of a stir fry: onion and carrot need longer than cabbage, and bean sprouts need almost nothing. Keep the heat high and keep everything moving. If you want it wetter, add a little more soy sauce or a quarter cup of chicken broth halfway through the cooking. Cut everything before you start, because once the wok is hot there is no time to chop.
Nutrition
Calories: 279kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 22g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 2g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 2270mg | Potassium: 707mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 15g | Vitamin A: 4731IU | Vitamin C: 67mg | Calcium: 59mg | Iron: 2mg