Culinary Insights: 5 Americanized Dishes That Chinese Chefs Would Never Order - Discover the Authentic Chinese Cuisine They Prefer!

When I was younger, I felt really embarrassed about helping out at my parents' Chinese takeout restaurant in suburban Long Island, New York. I hated feeling like a living stereotype, so I often escaped into schoolwork at the tables in the waiting area to avoid tasks like stapling boxes and bagging fried noodles.

Orange chicken is one of the quintessential "American Chinese" dishes

I resented having much more daily parental supervision than my classmates, who lived freer lives as latchkey kids. It was mortifying that kids didn't want to sit next to me on the bus because my winter coats smelled like old fry oil.

Additionally, I felt provincial because I had never had chicken nuggets before starting school, cheeseburgers were a special treat, and pizza was reserved for parties. This made me feel out of place.

Popular American culture often portrays Chinese food as inherently unhealthy, but that's not entirely accurate. A typical Chinese diet is actually very vegetable-heavy. Many of the dishes Americans consider quintessentially Chinese are actually Americanized versions adapted to Western tastes out of necessity, as there wasn't much of a mainstream market for "authentic" Chinese food when I was growing up.

Chef Ming Tsai, known for "Iron Chef," explained to HuffPost that Americanized Chinese food changed the ratio of protein to vegetables because Americans prefer more protein and fewer vegetables. However, traditional Asian cuisine tends to have a higher ratio of vegetables to protein, as protein is more expensive, and meat was often used as an accent rather than a main component.

Chef Justin Lee, from Fat Choy, a restaurant recognized by The New York Times as "kind of Chinese, also vegan," noted that in the 1980s, people didn't consider the consequences of their consumption much. They just ate the way their culture dictated.

Kevin Chanthasiriphan, co-founder of Immi instant ramen noodles, whose family ran Thai-Chinese restaurants, shared that his parents didn't understand nutrition well but insisted he have a serving of vegetables with his food, reflecting a cultural approach to eating.

The dishes that many people think of as representative of Chinese food are actually part of another genre: American Chinese regional cuisine. These dishes, born out of consumer demand, have historically leaned towards deep-fried, sweet, and battered options that appeal to American tastes, often heavy on sugar, sauce, protein, and carbs.

As Americans become more health and nutrition conscious, first- and second-generation Chinese American culinary pioneers are working to change this. This vegetable-forward approach influenced the careers of Chanthasiriphan, Lee, and Wang. For example, Mike Wang used this approach to transition from cardiothoracic surgery to founding Mógū Modern Chinese Kitchen, a fast-growing fast-casual American Chinese concept on Long Island that uses smart technology to make Westernized takeout favorites more heart-healthy.

Chef Kevin Chanthasiriphan says crab Rangoon is "a very interesting and uniquely American dish. It has a Burmese name, but it’s definitely not Burmese food.”

Considering contemporary attitudes and awareness, there are a few old-school American Chinese dishes that Tsai, Lee, Chanthasiriphan, Wang, and I feel a little guilty or just find amusing to order due to health reasons.

Crab Rangoon/Cream Cheese Wontons

These appetizers are not actually Chinese. Chanthasiriphan noted, "This is a very interesting and uniquely American dish. It has a Burmese name, but it's definitely not Burmese food."

According to most sources, their origin is traced back to Victor Bergeron, whose Trader Vic's restaurant and heritage are not Chinese at all. I first tried one of these when I was 12 years old. It wasn't until I visited my Canadian Cantonese uncle's family restaurant that I heard of these deep-fried, flower-shaped pouches filled with hot, bubbling cream cheese and imitation crab, flavored with diced onion and scallion.

Soon, everyone was adding them to their Chinese takeout menus, including my parents. However, my mom would cringe when I wanted them.

"There are egregious amounts of sugar in most of these; I've definitely tasted sugary crab Rangoon filling," Lee said. Additionally, like most Asians, Chanthasiriphan noted, "my family is lactose intolerant, so we rarely ever order this dish!"

Sesame Chicken/General Tso’s Chicken/Orange Chicken

The technique used to make these dishes is one of the most dramatic to watch. I would be awed as my dad or cousin scooped a ladleful of pure white sugar and mixed it midair into the chicken and sauce while flipping the wok with the other hand, flames roaring from the uncovered burner.

However, this impressive feat is one of the reasons my parents limited how often I could eat this American favorite. The amount of sugar required to make the sauce as thick, syrupy, and sweet as American palates like is alarming.

The delightful texture of this dish, with a lightly crisp coating on nuggets of rough-cut meat, comes from deep-frying, sometimes twice. In fact, this was one of the first American Chinese dishes Wang reinvented when he launched Mógū, developing an air-fry technology to reduce the need for high-temperature deep-frying. He also used fruit juices and reduced the sauce quantity to cut down on sugars.

Even without these modifications, this dish isn't necessarily off-limits for us. Chanthasiriphan admitted, "I'm not a fan of the overall macronutrient profile, but I'm very partial to these types of dishes. I still order them on occasion, but they're very much a guilty pleasure!"

Egg Foo Young

This dish, created in the U.S. as a thrifty way to use up scraps, is secretly full of vegetables and a decent amount of the meat of your choice. However, that's not enough to make up for the fact that it's heavily fried.

A look at the "nuclear-red candy glaze" on sweet and sour pork

Chanthasiriphan admitted he loves this dish and finds it a bit more balanced than General Tso's, orange chicken, and sesame chicken, "as it does have vegetables in it and is less saccharine." But as Wang assessed, "It has very little nutritional value, and fried eggs contribute to a high fat content that is a poor factor for cardiovascular health," adding, "it's extremely heavy without a great deal of flavor without the gravy, which makes it even worse." This is because all brown gravies are made with fat and drippings.

My parents used to allow me to eat this dish only if I used the gravy as a dipping sauce and not a coating, and that's the only way I'll eat it to this day to avoid the feeling of "all this oil just sitting there," as Wang described it.

Sweet And Sour Chicken/Pork/Shrimp

Sweet and sour dishes in China are quite different from those served at American Chinese restaurants. Personally, I enjoy a puffy, airy, crisp chunk of golden-fried meat, but this dish also falls into the "only sometimes, with sauce on the side" category for me.

For this dish, the primary issue is less the frying and more the batter and sauce. As Tsai pointed out, "There is a big difference between batter and coating a protein with cornstarch," a common Chinese technique called velveting, which preserves moisture and tenderness. "Once you have a wet batter," which is used in recipes such as beer-battered fish as well as sweet and sour dishes, "it absorbs more oil and fat. And if a protein is battered, it's larger in volume and will then need more sauce to coat it," which leads to higher sugar intake. Additionally, he noted, "in America, when people order sweet and sour chicken, they want to be eating a lot of chicken and not the carrots, celery, bell pepper, etc.," which means the dish offers near-nil nutritional value.

This dish is a firm "no" for Lee. "I'm turned off by the nuclear-red candy glaze, and I've had versions that seemed like they were battered with pancake mix," he said with a laugh.

Lo Mein/Chow Mein

Whether you call it lo mein (East Coast) or chow mein (West Coast), the American version of this noodle dish is one of my all-time favorite things to eat. I love the soy-soaked spongy egg noodles mixed with all the meats and veggies.

I still ask American Chinese takeout chefs to make my dad's off-menu version, with beef, pork, chicken, broccoli, mushrooms, snow peas, and a scrambled egg. However, for Chanthasiriphan, it's something he simply never orders anymore.

"You would think it's relatively healthy with some carbs, some protein, some vegetables—it's a fan favorite. But I find the noodles to be a source of empty calories. And to prevent them from sticking to the wok, you need a lot of oil, which is the secret to really delicious chow mein."

Are there ways to lighten these dishes up so we can keep enjoying them?

As Americans with Chinese heritage in the food industry, many of us grew up enjoying American Chinese dishes as a part of our childhood diets. This has led us to face the challenge of reimagining these dishes for a modern age. While restaurants like Fat Choy and Mógū are not yet national, and brands like MingsBings and Immi are not yet in every home, there are still a few things to keep in mind when indulging in these dishes.

When ordering, ask for less sugar in made-to-order sauces like General Tso’s, sesame chicken, and orange chicken. You can also request less sauce or ask for it on the side to control the amount. For noodle dishes, ask for less oil, and for dishes like crab Rangoon or sweet and sour, ask for them to be drained extra well. You can also use a napkin to soak up excess oil.

For home cooking, Lee suggests using starches to thicken sauces instead of relying on caramelization, reducing sugar, using mushrooms instead of salt or soy sauce, frying in healthier oils, and incorporating more vegetables. These are principles he uses at Fat Choy, and Wang employs similar techniques at Mógū, including the use of air fryers, smart woks, and whole ingredients.

Remember to use balance and moderation in your meals. Instead of focusing on large portions of sugary sauces and fried foods, try to include a variety of dishes with healthier options. This approach aligns with a more traditional Chinese sensibility.

By following these tips, you can still enjoy your favorite dishes while making healthier choices.