Chow Mein

Delicious Chow Mein ready in just 15 minutes, easy to put together, all in one pot and always a crowd favorite! A homemade version of your favorite take-out dish, vegetarian style or add the protein of your choice!

Easy Chow Mein Recipe

This really is one of my favorite take-out dishes ever. But did you know it’s so simple to make at home that you can really make this from start to finish in 15 minutes? Yep, that’s faster than it would take you to order take-out!

Not only is this recipe quick, but you really do end up with restaurant quality Chow Mein. This will surely become your family’s favorite! The other great thing about this dish is that it’s easily customizable!

Chow Mein Sauce Ingredients:

• Soy Sauce – I always opt for a low sodium soy sauce.
• Oyster Sauce – A sauce made with oysters and soy sauce, very common in Chinese cooking.
• Chinese cooking wine – Such as Shaoxing wine which is a Chinese rice wine that’s used a lot in Chinese cooking. A great substitute would be dry sherry or mirin which is a Japanese sweet cooking wine.
• Dark Soy Sauce – it’s usually thicker and darker in color, and aged for a longer period of time. It’s made from molasses or caramel and a bit of cornstarch. It has a more full-bodied flavor and it’s usually used to add flavor and a darker color to food.
• Sesame Oil – I love using toasted sesame oil for some extra toasty flavor, but use what you have.
• Brown Sugar – A bit of brown sugar to add a bit of sweetness to the sauce and help in caramelization. Sub with granulated sugar or honey.
• Cornstarch – A little bit to thicken our sauce.

Vegetables And Noodles

• Garlic – Use fresh garlic for best results.
• Carrots – You’ll need a medium carrot which I cut into thin 2-inch strips. You can also use shredded carrots.
• Cabbage – I love using Napa cabbage for this dish, but regular cabbage works just as well.
• Bean Sprouts – A few fresh bean sprouts to be added at the end.
• Green Onions – Fresh green onions, chopped for some great flavor.
• Chow Mein Noodles – You can easily find these in your local store in the Asian aisle. However, if you can’t find them you can sub them with ramen noodles, spaghetti or some other thin egg noodles.
• Peanut Oil – For stir frying.

If you’ve had chow mein before then you know it comes with crispy noodles or non crispy noodles. For the crispy version you usually deep fry the noodles until they’re crispy. I, however, prefer the non crispy version.

The other difference with my recipe is in how the noodles are prepared. Usually the noodles are soaked in boiling water until soft. However, I prefer to add mine to wok dry and then just pour the sauce over them. This way it’s all done in one pot, I hate washing pots. As you start tossing the noodles around, you’ll notice them soften and within a few minutes they will be cooked enough.

1. Make the sauce. To do this, start by mixing all the sauce ingredients together in a bowl and set aside.
2. Sauté veggies. Sauté the garlic in the peanut oil for just 30 seconds until it becomes aromatic. Add in the carrots and cook for a minute or so until they soften a bit then add in the cabbage. Stir-fry the cabbage and the carrots for 2 to 3 minutes in total. You’ll notice the cabbage start to wilt a little.
3. Cook the noodles. Add the noodles to the wok, give the sauce another stir since the cornstarch tends to sink to the bottom, then pour it over the noodles. Leave them alone for 2 minutes, then start tossing them around, you’ll notice they soften quickly and within a couple minutes they’re all done.
4. Finish the dish. Add the bean sprouts and green onions and serve while warm. I like to drizzle some hot sauce over mine, for a little kick. Trust me, it’s worth it!

What Is Chow Mein

Chow Mein is a Chinese dish of stir fried noodles with vegetables and sometimes shredded meat like chicken, beef, pork or seafood. The words chow mein really just mean “stir fried noodles”.

Chow Mein vs Lo Mein

Let me first say that I love both Chow Mein and Lo Mein, they are a couple of my favorites whenever I go to a Chinese buffet. However, if you’re really wondering what the difference is between the two, let me just say not a lot. The main difference is in the method and it comes down to frying time. Chow Mein usually has crisper noodles, so you add a bit more oil and increase the frying time.

Both Chow Mein and Lo Mein are made with Chinese wheat flour noodles made with eggs. For Chow Mein you can use either dried or fresh noodles, while for Lo Mein you use fresh lo mein noodles. That’s about it! Which is better? It all comes down to your preference!

Other Ingredients You Can Add

Chow mein is very versatile so there are other veggies you can add such as bok choy, mushrooms such as shiitake or oyster, snow peas or bell peppers. You can also add chicken to turn this into a chicken chow mein, or if you like beef, pork, tofu or shrimp for a seafood version.

Leftovers

If you’ve got some leftover chow mein, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days. Usually I just reheat it in the microwave for a couple minutes before serving again.

Freezing

You can also freeze chow mein, stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 to 3 months.

More Asian Favorite Recipes:

• Lo Mein
• Asian Pork Rolls
• Pad Thai
• Kung Pao Chicken
• Shrimp Fried Rice
• Pad See Ew
• Chicken Teriyaki
• Chicken Mushroom Stir Fry
• Bibimbap (Korean Rice Bowl)