chop suey

Definition

A stir-fried vegetable dish, served with pieces of beef or pork in a semi-thick sauce, and often soy sauce.

Etymology

From Cantonese 雜碎／杂碎 (zaap⁶ seoi³, “mixed and broken”).

Example Sentences

• "On the walls about were the hieroglyphic markings of the craft. Across this scene wafted the pungent fragrance of chop suey, dim sims and other delicacies in course of preparation for the funeral feast."
• "There was feasting and joy from Shanghai to the Wall, What with dim-sims, chop-suey and crackers and all, And the donor of these, by the hook of my crook. Was Chiang Ki-Konglong, the Mandarin Cook."
• "Without access to key ingredients from their homeland, Chinese immigrants in the United States working on the Central Pacific Railroad in the 1860s improvised dishes like chow mein and chop suey that nobody back in their native land would have recognized."