Chop Suey: a Collection of Simplified Chinese Recipes Adapted for the American Home
by Mei-Mei Ling, B.S. Home Economics, University of Hawaii, M.A. Home Economics Education, T.C. Columbia University
1953

A lovely souvenir of Hawaii, with other titles from the publisher including HULA!, UKULELE SONG BOOK, and WIKI WIKI KAU KAU—Quick Meals Hawaiian Style.

The recipes are simplified and adapted enough for the American home that it’s mentioned that if you can’t get ginger, substitute “round onion”. Also no sign of garlic or hot pepper. The recipes are a nice cross-section of Chinese cuisine. But because standard mild-ified Chinese recipes are not terribly newsworthy, I’ll feature a couple of exotic ones.

Sweet Sour Pigs Feet
Ingredients:
6–8 pieces pigs feet
1 cup sugar
2 1/2 cups vinegar
1 piece ginger root
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 Tb. cooked oil [“Preferably peanut oil. Bring raw oil to a smoking point. Cool and store.”]
Salt
Method:
1. Put pigs feet in boiling water and cook for 3–4 minutes. Drain.
2. Sprinkle salt over pigs feet and rub with shoyu. [Note: this is Hawaiian soy sauce]
3. Brown in generous amount of oil.
4. Put vinegar, sugar and ginger in pot and bring to a boil. Add browned pigs feet, soy sauce, cooked oil and enough water to barely cover.
5. Cook gently for 3 hours. Serve.

Swamp Cabbage with Shrimp Sauce
Ingredients:
1 lb. swamp cabbage
1 clove garlic [Ah! I’m wrong! But there sure isn’t much of it in the book.]
1 Tb. oil
1 tsp. shrimp sauce
¼ tsp. salt
2 Tb. water
Method:
1. Heat oil to smoking point. Add garlic, salt and shrimp sauce. Fry 1 minute.
2. Add cabbage, mix well. Add water and cook until done.