Chinatown-Style Chop Sueywith Ground Turkey

Here’s the mid-century-modern classic that has little in common with authentic Chinese fare but was a staple of the American table for years. We’ve used ground turkey, instead of ground pork or beef, because we feel the others made the dish too greasy.

Cuisine

American, Chinese

Course

Dinner, Lunch, Main Course

Difficulty

Easy

Duration

30-60 min

Cooking Technique

Max Pressure Cook, Pressure Cook, Sauté

Keywords

30-60 min, 4 servings, american, Bruce Weinstein and Mark Scarbrough, chicken broth, chinese, contributed, cook 40 min, cornstarch, crunchy chow mein noodles, dinner, easy, frozen ground turkey, frozen unseasoned mixed vegetables for stir-fry, ground dried ginger, lunch, main course, max pressure cook, prep 5 min, pressure cook, regular or reduced-sodium soy sauce or tamari, sauté, unseasoned rice vinegar, water

Prep Time

5 min

Cook Time

40 min

Servings

4 servings

Ingredients

3/4 cup chicken broth
3 tbsp regular or reduced-sodium soy sauce or tamari
3 tbsp unseasoned rice vinegar
1 tsp ground dried ginger
1 lb frozen ground turkey
1 1/2 lbs frozen unseasoned mixed vegetables for stir-fry
2 tbsp Water
1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
Crunchy chow mein noodles

Instructions

Stir the broth, soy sauce or tamari, vinegar, and ground ginger in an Instant Pot. Set the pot’s rack (with the handles up) or a large, open vegetable steamer inside the pot. Set the block of frozen ground turkey on the rack or in the steamer. Lock the lid onto the pot.
Option 1 Max Pressure Cooker
Press Pressure cook on Max pressure for 17 minutes with the Keep Warm setting off.
Optional 2 All Pressure Cookers
Press POULTRY, PRESSURE COOK, or MANUAL on High pressure for 20 minutes with the Keep Warm setting off.
Use the quick-release method to bring the pot’s pressure back to normal. Unlatch the lid and open the cooker. Remove the rack or steamer from the cooker, letting the block of ground turkey fall in the liquid. Break up the ground turkey with the edge of a large, metal spoon and a meat fork, getting it into small pieces (rather than longish threads). Place the vegetables on top of the meat but do not stir them into the ingredients below. Lock the lid back on.
Set the machine for POULTRY, PRESSURE COOK, or MANUAL and set the timer for 0 minutes. The valve must be closed.
Again, use the quick-release method to bring the pot’s pressure back to normal. Unlatch the lid and open the pot again. Whisk the water and cornstarch in a small bowl until smooth.
Press the button for SAUTÉ and set for MEDIUM, NORMAL, or CUSTOM 400°F and set the timer for 5 minutes.
Bring the contents of the cooker to a simmer, stirring often. Stir in the cornstarch slurry, then continue cooking, stirring almost constantly, until the liquid thickens, about 1 minute. Turn off the SAUTÉ function and remove the (hot!) insert from the pot to stop the cooking. Set aside for a couple of minutes to continue to thicken. Stir well and serve warm with the crunchy chow mein noodles sprinkled over the top.

Notes

Beyond
• For an 8-quart Instant Pot, you must increase all the ingredients by 50 percent. (If you can’t find 1 1/2 pound frozen turkey, keep the ground turkey at 1 pound and double the amount of frozen vegetables.)
• Although this dish’s roots lie in Cantonese-American restaurants, a drizzle of sriracha or Asian red chile sauce wouldn’t hurt!
* Using a –20°F CHEST FREEZER?
There is no difference in cooking times

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