Is there anything more American than Chinese food?
Yes. Like. . . so many things. And yet, Chinese food has become an American cuisine of sorts. It’s a category of restaurants that has been morphed and shaped and reworked over decades to fit the American palate.
That isn’t to say that Americans cannot appreciate “real” Chinese food (if such a thing can be had in Oklahoma), but that a new genre has been created for them: American-Chinese food.
A good place to see the contrast is Chuanyu Fusion in far northwest Oklahoma City, where the menu is neatly divided into Chinese and American-Chinese fare. Chuanyu mainly focuses on dishes from the Sichuan province for their more traditional dishes, while the American-Chinese foods are the kind you’re liable to find in any strip mall—General Tso’s chicken, beef and broccoli, and Kung Pao shrimp.
This is a no-shame space. Not everyone is going to love stewed beef shank with tofu or stew pork blood with pickled vegetables. I learned the hard way that Chongqing diced chicken with chili pepper is too much for my tender palate. No one is going to look down on you for going with a bowl of egg drop and sesame chicken, but there are some opportunities to expand your ordering repertoire.
The star of the Chuanyu Fusion menu, at least in my house, is crispy eggplant with Szechuan spice. Aubergines are sliced into planks, similar to a steak fry, before being fried to a crispy perfection and seasoned with a fiery blend of spices. While the outer skin firms up, the interior softens and becomes almost creamy. Diners who want to control the spice can get them to tame the flame a bit, but it’s still going to be a flavor bomb.
The Chongqing diced chicken with chili pepper is for people who really love to sweat. The flavor is wonderful, but unless you’re a chilihead, it might be too intense. The overwhelming impression I had was “red.” The chicken was crispy and spicy and absolutely inundated with chopped peppers. The flavor was wonderful when I could taste it, which wasn’t often, because my mouth was on fire.
Straddling the line between American-Chinese and the original is the Szechuan chicken with mixed vegetables. It’s a pretty basic stir fry with big pieces of velvety chicken in a slightly sweet sauce with broccoli, mushrooms, and onions. Here’s another instance where diners can crank up the heat if they so wish and this one might be a good candidate for some extra spice.
That said, the stir-fried beef with green and red peppers and oyster mushroom is now a must-order in my house. With a slightly higher spice level than the Szechuan chicken, this classic beef dish is a glorious example of the power of contrasts.
The slices of beef are succulent and tender, with each chew eliciting another burst of flavor, while the peppers retain their crispness, lending a cooling sweetness to every bite. The mushrooms are top-notch, as well, with a meaty texture that makes for a filling meal.
My daughter, always a wild card, grabbed my phone to peruse the menu and landed on one I’d never even considered: sweet and sour tile-shaped fish. The fish was wonderful—pieces of white fish filet batter-dipped and fried—but the sauce! I was bracing for that cloyingly sweet neon red sauce typical of sweet and sour dishes, but Chuanyu’s version dials back the sugar and beefs up the savory qualities of the sauce.
My house is not a safe space for dumplings (see the feature photo.) Of all the things a visitor could be, a dumpling is the most dangerous, because we are all obsessed.
For the dumpling newbie, the pan-fried pork dumplings are a great choice. They’re not deep-fried, so don’t expect a crunch, but the seared sides give teeth a little crispiness to work with.
For dumpling enthusiasts, the pork wontons in chili oil is unbeatable. These are cooked gently, giving the wonton a supple, chewy texture, and the chili oil that clings to them and finds its way into each fold provides a burst of spicy heat and a satisfying flavor. They come ten to an order, so if you’ve got a mess of dumpling fanatics for dinner, you might order two.
And for anyone feeding one of those kids who won’t eat anything unless it’s in nugget form, check out the fried pork appetizer. Who knows? This might be the palate-expanding dish that moves them onto other proteins, even if they aren’t nuggetized.
We’re always trying to work more vegetables into our diet, which is one reason I love Chinese food so much. Unless you only get sesame chicken or orange beef and the like, you’re probably going to get some extra veg in every bite. Personally, I skip the sauteed mixed vegetables, which are just fine, and get the sauteed bok choy instead. The tender leaves have a mild flavor and the stalks have an easy-to-chew crunch to them that never gets old. A bowl of steamed rice, a pile of sauteed bok choy, and a dollop of chili crisp is a comforting meal all its own.
The menu at Chuanyu Fusion is large, but that just means there’s more to explore. I certainly haven’t conquered all of their dishes yet, but that’s a goal moving forward. There’s a lot of ground to cover, so you might as well get started now if you’re going to try them all.
- Chuanyu Fusion
- 7011 West Hefner Road in Oklahoma City
- chuanyufusion1.com
- (405) 367-7977
- Tuesday-Sunday 11 a.m.-10 p.m.
Watch for our weekly column by one of OKC’s best food reviewers, Greg Elwell focused on locally-owned restaurants serving great food by neighbors you want to know.
Long-time food enjoyer Greg Elwell writes about food, restaurants, and trends. He has his own blog "I Ate Oklahoma" and has written for The Oklahoman, The Oklahoma Gazette, and others.