Chopseuy Express Recipe

In my recent trip to Hong kong, I finally realized how different is chinese foods we enjoy here in the Philippines compared to the ones they serve in restaurants over there. I must admit I prefer our Pinoy Chinese dishes that has been “filipinized”. Taste is really after all a matter of getting used to. It is no denying that Chinese culture has immensely influenced our palate and our dishes; from pansit to lumpia to lugaw and some other. And of all these Chinese dishes we cook my personal favorite is Chopseuy. It is easy , healthy and delicious. And this dish is one way to make use of all the remaining vegetables sleeping on the fridge. There are different versions again of this dish: some put milk, while others make a sticky sauce with cornstarch.

I grew up in a family that it is the Dad who is the househusband while Mom goes out working. Dad cooks everyday easy to prepare recipes as he had a lot of household chores on top of this home-based work. I am sharing you my dad’s Chopseuy Express, this is the one he cooks mostly on a Mondays when there are lots of fresh vegetable left-over from the Weekend Nilaga (Beef Boiled Soup). My Dad secret ingredient; chicharon! Enjoy!

Ingredients:

half a head of a cabbage (cut in bite size pieces)

about 100 grams of baguio beans (green beans)

1 carrot, peeled and sliced

1 red bell pepper, seeded and cut in cubes

1 patola, peeled and sliced

2 gloves of garlic pounded

1 onion sliced

cooking oil

2 tablespoons of soysauce

1 tablepoon of fish sauce (patis)

1 pack of chicharon

some water

salt and pepper to taste

1 teaspoon of cornstarch + 2 tablespoons of water

Procedure:

In a very hot wok, put your cooking oil, sauté the garlic and onion until wilted. Then put all the vegetables and start stir-frying for about 8 minutes. Put some soy sauce, fish sauce, salt, pepper and chicharon. You can put a little bit of water to avoid burning the vegetables. Try a vegetable like carrot when its tender to the bite the vegetables are ready. Pour your cornstarch diluted in water. Continue mixing. Turn of the fire. Serve immediately with steamed rice.