Birthday Lunch – MIXED FRIED RICE AND AMERICAN CHOPSUEY

My son and daughter-in-law wanted to treat me to Lunch on my Birthday – yes – today September 12 is my Birthday.

“I want to eat Mixed Fried Rice and American Chopsuey,” I said.

And so – they indulged me – and – we all went out to a “non-authentic” Chinese Restaurant famous for its improvised “Indian-Chinese” cuisine – and – after a long time – I enjoyed my favourite medley of Mixed Fried Rice and American Chopsuey.

This delicious lunch reminds me of a foodie post I had written some time ago on My Favourite Chinese Food.

Let me delve into my blog and pull it out for you...

MY FAVOURITE “CHINESE” FOOD

MIXED FRIED RICE AND AMERICAN CHOPSUEY

Irresistible Food Combination

Foodie Musings

By

VIKRAM KARVE

CHOP-SUEY

I do not profess to be a culinary expert.

Nor do I claim to be “highfalutin” connoisseur or snooty gourmand.

I am no authority on the “finer” aspects of “fine dining”.

I am simple trencherman who loves eating.

I live to eat (and not eat merely to live).

I believe in the dictum: 

THERE IS NO GREATER LOVE THAN THE LOVE OF EATING 

I don’t believe in “starters”.

“Starters” ruin your appetite

I don’t believe in drinking alcohol while eating. 

Yes – I do not believe in drinking alcohol – especially before a delicious meal.

Alcohol dulls the taste buds.

I believe in getting down to eating the main course of the meal straightaway.

That is why when I go to a Chinese Restaurant – I don’t waste time looking at the menu card.

I just sit down and order right away:

“Mixed Fried Rice and American Chopsuey”

If Mixed Fried Rice is not available – then I may settle for “Chicken Fried Rice and American Chopsuey”.

But if “American Chopsuey” is not on the menu – I prefer to walk out of the restaurant.

MOUTHWATERING MEMORIES OF KAMLING RESTAURANT PUNE

My first memory of Chinese Food is in the Poona of the 1960’s – when there was a famous quintessential Chinese Restaurant called KAMLING on East Street (General Thimayya Road) in Pune Camp 

Those days Pune was called Poona – and – there were 3 iconic restaurants on East Street – Latif’s for Mughlai – Kwality for Continental – and – Kamling for Chinese.

Now – only Kwality is still going strong – and they have diversified into all kinds of cuisine – “multi-cuisine” – as they call it.

Kamling shut down a few years ago.

Later – there was a popular vegetarian thali restaurant called Mayur in its place.

(Someone told me that even Mayur has relocated).

As Pune transformed from a salubrious pensioner’s paradise into a cosmopolitan metropolis – the food scene has undergone a remarkable metamorphosis. 

Nowadays – there are many other eateries in Pune which serve Chinese Food.

But those days – as far as food was concerned – in Pune – Chinese Cuisine was synonymous with Kamling.

Whenever we were in a mood for Chinese Food – we visited Kamling.

Those days there was no concept of “starters” which ruin your appetite.

We got down to eating the main-course straightaway.

The order was simple: 

“MIXED FRIED RICE and AMERICAN CHOP-SUEY”

As far as Chinese Food was concerned – this combination was matchless – and the most popular too.

The “Mixed” Fried Rice was embellished with a variety of vegetables and meats – there were boneless pieces of stir fried Red Meats, White Meats and an assortment of Seafood.

Yes – there were delicious crisply fried pieces of tasty chicken, mutton, pork, fish, prawns – it had a bit of everything – and nourishing pieces of scrambled eggs too.

Nowadays you don’t get the same high standard of Mixed Fried Rice anymore – so sometimes – I have to make do with Chicken Fried Rice.

And – to combine with the Fried Rice – there is nothing to beat American Chop-Suey.  

“American Chopsuey” is a delicious stew – comprising a variety of stir fried meats, seafood and vegetables – blended into a sweet and sour tasting tangy vegetable sauce – and then spread over crispy fried noodles – topped with a fried egg.

It is a spectacular looking colourful dish – which whets your appetite – and is truly scrumptious. 

Just looking at the appealing dish – and breathing in the appetizing aroma of its alluring flavours – makes your mouth water in anticipation.

I love American Chopsuey.

I find the delicious Umami taste most irresistible – and American Chopsuey combines perfectly with Fried Rice.

Like I said – some people say that Chop-Suey is not “authentic” Chinese Cuisine – but it is actually an improvised Chinese-American Fusion Dish.

After liberalization and with the advent of globalization – there have opened in Pune – a number of highbrow “gourmet” Chinese restaurants serving “authentic” Chinese Cuisine.

Many of these “highfalutin” Eateries do not even feature American Chopsuey on the menu.

But let me tell you – that way back in the 1960’s and 1970’s – in those good old “socialist” days of the “Licence Permit Quota Raj” – American Chopsuey featured prominently on the menu of every Chinese Restaurant.

American Chopsuey was the most popular dish – and – in fact – in those good old days – those nostalgic glorious “unliberalized” and “unglobalized” “Licence Permit Quota Raj” “socialist” days of the 1960’s and 1970’s – American Chopsuey was a “benchmark” or yardstick by which to evaluate a Chinese Restaurant.

Yes – we rated a Chinese restaurant based on the quality of the American Chopsuey they served.

Like I told you – sadly – the inimitable Kamling has shut down many years ago – and the so-called “authentic” Chinese restaurants do not have this dish on their menus.

Well – if you are a fine dining connoisseur – you may say that “Chop-Suey” is “fake” Chinese Cuisine.

But – for a hungry trencherman like me – there is nothing to beat a piping hot combination of Mixed Fried Rice and American Chopsuey.

Before I end – let me post a picture of the delicious combination of Mixed Fried Rice and American Chopsuey I enjoyed this afternoon for my Birthday Lunch.

Mixed Fried Rice and American Chopsuey

Happy Eating !!! 

VIKRAM KARVE

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Updated Version of My Earlier Blog Post First Posted by me Vikram Karve at 2/09/2013 09:02:00 PM at url: http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2013/02/chinese-fried-rice-and-american-chopsuey.html and later reposted at url: http://karvediat.blogspot.in/2014/12/my-favourite-chinese-food-mixed-fried.html