Samoan fish chop suey

Author: Sarah Swain - Food writer, stylist and recipe creator

Photographer: Devin Hart

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Try our healthy HFG makeover chop suey recipe - packed full of flavour, this won't disappoint!

Serves: 4

Time to make: 30 mins

Ingredients

More weights & measures

500g orange kumarasweet-potatoX or taro, evenly cubed (see tips)
550g lean firm fish fillet, cut into chunks (see tips)
¼ cup reduced-salt chicken stock
2 tablespoons orange or pineapple juice
4–5 teaspoons crushed ginger
⅓ cup chopped fresh coriandercilantroX, plus fresh coriandercilantroX sprigs, to garnish
6 tablespoons reduced-salt soy sauce
5 teaspoons olive oil
1 red onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon curry powder
250g vermicelli noodles
300g bok choy, chopped
3 spring onions, sliced
1 ½ cups peas
spray oil
1 cup light coconut milk

Instructions

1 Cook kumara in a large saucepan of lightly salted boiling water until tender.

2 Meanwhile, in a bowl place fish, stock, juice, ginger, chopped coriander and half the soy sauce. Set to one side.

3 Heat oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Fry onion and garlic until softened. Sprinkle over turmeric and curry powder. Cook, stirring, for a further 2 minutes.

4 Place noodles in a large bowl and cover with boiling water. Leave to stand for 6–7 minutes.

5 Strain fish, reserving juice, and add to onions. Cook 4–6 minutes, stirring occasionally, to cook evenly.

6 Add bok choy, spring onion and peas, with a little oil spray if needed, and reserved juice. Cook for a final 2 minutes. Add half the coconut milk and stir. Add remaining coconut milk to kumara and mash.

7 Drain noodles, roughly chop and toss in remaining soy sauce. Serve with fish, coriander sprigs
and kumara mash on the side.

Variations

Make it gluten free: Check stock, soy sauce and ground spices are gluten free.

HFG tip

Use a firm, white fish so the dish has some bite. Snapper or monkfish are good choices.
Choose taro that looks slightly moist. Avoid taro with dry or soft patches on the skin.
Store taro in a cool, dark, well-ventilated place.
Wear kitchen gloves when preparing to avoid itchy skin.
Before cooking, wash well, but leave the skin on if possible.
Fresh taro can be boiled, baked or steamed but must be cooked thoroughly to prevent mouth and throat itching caused by a substance in raw taro called calcium oxalate. Once taro is boiled, re-boil in fresh water or coconut milk.

What we did

Classic Samoan chop suey (traditional sapu sui) uses meat and we’ve presented a fish alternative.
The traditional dish is very high in sodium, which comes from the soy sauce (or kecap manis) and stock. As well as using much less of these, we used reduced-salt versions.
We’ve also upped the veges and made a more filling meal of it.
Despite being a bigger meal with more protein, fat and carbs, we’ve cut the sodium by 68 per cent.

TRADITIONAL	HFG MAKEOVER
1390kJ (333cal)	2050kJ (490cal)	47% more
16g protein	25g protein	56% more
7g fat	12g fat	71% more
50g carbs	70g carbs	40% more
2130mg sodium	690mg sodium	68% less

Nutrition Info (per serve)

Calories 490cal

Kilojoules 2050kJ

Protein 25g

Total fat 12g

–Saturated fat 5g

Carbohydrates 70g

–Sugars 15g

Dietary fibre 5g

Sodium 60mg

Calcium 120mg

Iron 3mg

Note: This nutrition analysis is a guide only. Nutrition composition will vary depending on the exact ingredients used. See our guides on your optimal daily nutrition intake, and supermarket shopping.

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