Beef sapasui
Traditional Samoan beef noodles
10
Serves
10 mins
Prep Time
35 mins
Cook Time
Recipe author
Regina Wypych
Sapasui is a firm favourite at any Samoan feast and is always made in large quantities, food after all is not only made for eating, but for sharing and giving away. Sapasui is not an authentically traditional Samoan dish, it was derived from chop suey which was carried across the Pacific ocean to Samoa by early Chinese settlers. We know every Samoan aiga (family) will have their own version of this recipe, so feel free to mix it up.
Sapasui is a firm favourite at any Samoan feast and is always made in large quantities, food after all is not only made for eating, but for sharing and giving away. Sapasui is not an authentically traditional Samoan dish, it was derived from chop suey which was carried across the Pacific ocean to Samoa by early Chinese settlers. We know every Samoan aiga (family) will have their own version of this recipe, so feel free to mix it up.
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Ingredients
1kg Quality Mark chuck steaks
can also use gravy or rump steak
3 large packets vermicelli noodles
about 750g
3-4 Tbsp peanut oil
can also use canola or vegetable oil
2-3 cups water
1 cup soy sauce
i
1 onion
quartered and sliced
8 garlic cloves
peeled and crushed
7cm knob fresh ginger
peeled and grated
2 spring onions
i
finely chopped
1 red capsicum
i
finely chopped
Method
For the Sapasui
To Serve
1
Trim off any fat and cut beef into small bite size pieces.
2
Place vermicelli noodles in a large bowl and cover with hot water to soften – set aside. Note some people prefer to use cold water.
3
In the largest pot you have, add 2 tablespoons of oil and sauté onion, garlic and ginger over a medium heat. Once softened add 1 more tablespoon of oil and the beef pieces and cook until meat is just cooked through. This might take 10-15 minutes.
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4
Once meat is cooked through, add 1 cup of water and then enough soy sauce to cover the meat. Cook for 5-6 minutes
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5
While meat is cooking cut the vermicelli with kitchen scissors so they are in shorter pieces, and then drain.
6
Add vermicelli one handful at a time to the beef and stir well after each addition. Keep stirring so that it doesn’t catch on the bottom. This helps the vermicelli brown evenly.
7
Once all vermicelli is added, add more water (1-2 cups) so the sapasui looks wet but not soupy.
8
Cover and cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring often so it doesn’t burn. The finished sapasui should not look dry or watery but somewhere in between.
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9
Optional: towards the end of cooking, add the chopped spring onion and capsicum.
10
Taste and add more soy sauce if needed.
Nutrition Information per Serving (254g)
The sodium content in this recipe is extremely high due to the large amount of soy sauce used. For those following diets restricting sodium use a lot less soy sauce and/or a low sodium soy sauce. The New Zealand Heart Foundation provide a heart-healthy version of this recipe. This nutritional analysis was based on 10 serves and for the Sapasui with one capsicum and a cup of chopped spring onion only. Ingredients to serve were not included.
Energy
1872kJ (447 kcal)
Protein
27.6g
Total Fat
10.3g
Saturated Fat
2.7g
Carbs
58.5g
Dietary Fibre
2.2g
Sodium
1842mg
Iron
2.7mg
Zinc
6.0mg
Vitamin B12
1.8µg
