Liver Chop Suey

Recipe No. 351 from the U.S. Army’s WWII cookbook — Meat. Quantities are exactly as printed, for 100 servings; a scaled-down 8-serving version is in the notes.

Ingredients

• Liver, any kind, cut into ½ inch cubes — 25 pounds
• Fat — 1 pound (½ No. 56 dipper)

Celery, diced — 4 pounds (4 No. 56 dippers)

• Peppers, green, chopped — 2 pounds (2 No. 56 dippers)
• Tomatoes — 3 No. 10 cans
• Rice, uncooked — 10 pounds (5 No. 56 dippers)
• Salt (for rice) — 3½ ounces (7 mess kit spoons)
• Water, boiling — 5 gallons (20 No. 56 dippers)
• Vegetables, Chinese — 3 No. 10 cans
• Cornstarch — 1½ pounds (¾ No. 56 dipper)
• Soy sauce — 1 quart (1 No. 56 dipper)
• Salt — 6 ounces (12 mess kit spoons)
• Pepper — ½ ounce (2 mess kit spoons)

Directions

Key ingredients

Cornstarch · Soy Sauce

1. Cook diced liver in hot fat until brown; add celery, green peppers, and tomatoes. Heat to boiling point; reduce heat and simmer 20 to 25 minutes.
2. Wash rice thoroughly. Add to rapidly boiling salted water; boil 15 to 18 minutes or until tender. Drain well.
3. Drain Chinese vegetables and add to liver and other vegetables; heat.
4. Mix cornstarch and soy sauce; stir until smooth. Add enough liquid from vegetables to make a sauce of pouring consistency. Heat to boiling point; boil 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add salt and pepper.
5. Add sauce to meat and vegetable mixture; heat to serving temperature.
6. Serve chop suey over boiled rice.

Notes

SCALED TO 8 SERVINGS (the original is ÷12.5): Liver, any kind, cut into ½ inch cubes — 2 lb Fat — 1¼ oz Celery, diced — 5 oz Peppers, green, chopped — 2½ oz Tomatoes — 3 cups Rice, uncooked — 12¾ oz Salt (for rice) — about 1⅔ tsp Water, boiling — 1⅔ qt Vegetables, Chinese — 3 cups Cornstarch — 2 oz Soy sauce — 5 tbsp Salt — ½ oz Pepper — a pinch

— TM 10-412, Army Recipes (War Department, 15 August 1944), recipe No. 351, Meat. Army measures: 1 No. 56 dipper = 1 qt; 1 No. 55 dipper = 1¾ qt; 1 mess kit cup = 1½ pints.