This Simple Chow Mein Recipe can be ready in less than 20 minutes, that is why it’ s so simple to make.
Once you learn to make chow mein at home, you will be so pleased with yourself.
Just image it’s a busy weeknight or weekend.
Your exhausted and the last thing you want to do is slave in the kitchen all night to prepare a meal.
Having the skills to make this basic chow mein will become invaluable to you! Once you learn the basics, you then can add other ingredients to it if you want.
Such as shrimp, chicken, beef etc. However sometimes this basic cabbage, carrot chow mein is enough!
Now if you don’t know already, I love CHOW MEIN!
And i’mconfident that anyone can make these Chow Mein noodles at home, it just takes the right technique and ingredients.
I am the type of lady that has to try every Chow Mein dish at any new chinese restaurant. I do this to compare really, just kidding. Well kinda, I mean some restaurants do it right and others so wrong. Right?
My recipe is fool proof, follow it to a tea and you will be in Chow Mein Heaven! So skip the takeout tonight and learn to make this iconic dish yourself. Impress yourself, I know you can do it!
I can see you already, curled up on the couch with this BIG old plate of fresh homemade Chow Mein noodles to yourself! Go ahead you deserve it!
The hardest part about making homemade chow mein is “chopping those vegetables”. Once you have that part done, the rest of the recipe can then be pulled together in 15 minutes flat.
I have experimented with a few chow mein recipes over the years and promise you your going to love this one.
The cabbage and carrots are tossedtogether in the most deliciousasian inspired sauce.And the chow mein noodles are fried just a bit to give it the perfect amount of cripsyness.
I use a combination of olive oil and sesame oil to fry my noodles, however you can use regular cooking oil if desired. That is what most restaurants use anyway, then a dash of sesame oil just for flavor.
This recipe can also be made with just about any meatsuch as chinesepork, beef or shrimp. OR make itvegetarian and add some broccoli, cauliflower etc.
Plus, ifyou like a little more heat to your dish thenfeel free to add more red pepper chili flakes or some fresh chili paste. You know make it your own 🙂
Wanting to try some of my other asian inspired “Skip the takeout” dishes?
If you liked this recipe?Then you will want to try my other ASIAN inspired recipes below!
- Black Bean Chicken Vegetable Stir Fry
- Chinese Chicken Broccoli Stir-fry
- Black Pepper Shrimp
- Chinese Chicken Broccoli Stir-fry
- Beef Pepper Ramen
- Spicy Chicken Chow Mein
- Egg fried Rice
- Vegetable Egg Drop Soup
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?
If you make this recipe,I would love to hear about it! You canleave a 5 star review in the comments below! Thank you very much for reading and until next time see ya in the kitchen.Don’t want to miss a recipe?Sign up for ourNEWSLETTERdelivered right to your inbox!
Ingredients
- 400 grams Instant Chow Mein Noodles
- 1/4 cup Cooking Oil or, Olive Oil
- 2 tbsp Sesame oil
- 2 cups Cabbage
- 2 tbsp Sesame seeds
- 3 cups Broccoli florets
SAUCE
- 3 tbsp Medium Soya sauce
- 2 tbsp Oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar
- 3/4 cup of Water
- 2 tbsp CornStarch
- 1 tsp Red Chili Sauce
- 1 tbsp Sugar
- 3 cloves Garlic
- 1 tsp Ginger
Instructions
- Start by cooking the noodles, to do that add them to a large pot of boiling water. Cook according to package instructions, with dry noodles it's typically 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile add all your sauce ingredients to a medium sized bowl and whisk to combine.
- Once the noodles have cooked remove them from the water, strain and set aside.
- Now is the time to make those noodles a bit crispy. Simply add 2 tbsp of sesame oil in a large frying pan along with the olive or cooking oil and saute those cooked noodles on each side till slightly crispy and browned to your liking.
- Remove and plate.
- On a large chopping board, chop the broccoli into bite size pieces along with the cabbage.
- Add it to the pan along with the water and sauce, simmer on medium heat for roughly 5 minutes, tossing often until the vegetables are crispy yet tender.
- Serve over the noodles hot and enjoy!
Did you make this recipe?
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FAQs
Combine soy sauce, light sesame oil, oyster sauce, granulated sugar, cornstarch, and chicken broth to make the signature sweet and savory sauce that makes chow mein taste authentic.
What is plain chow mein made of? ›
Plain chow mein is a perfect combination of soft egg noodles, crisp vegetables and savoury umami chow mein sauce. A humble noodle dish that every Asian household love to have at least once a week.
What makes chow mein taste like chow mein? ›
Simple sauce: While chow mein sauce is unbelievably easy to make, it still brings a complexity of flavors to the dish. The careful combination of ingredients like soy sauce, sesame oil, oyster sauce and sugar results in a chow mein sauce that has hints of both savory and sweet notes.
Can you buy Chow Mein Sauce? ›
Tesco Chow Mein Stir Fry Sauce 165g - Tesco Groceries.
What is the brown sauce in Chinese food called? ›
Oyster sauce is commonly used in Chinese food and adds a savory, salty, umami flavor. Both can be found in most grocery stores. If you like, you can add grated or minced ginger or garlic. Serve your homemade brown sauce with a beef, chicken, or pork stir-fry or chow mein dish.
What is authentic Chinese chow mein? ›
What is Chow Mein? Chow mein is a stir-fry noodle dish that is made in many different variations, but typically made with noodles, cabbage, celery, green onions, and garlic. Traditional chow mein is made with fried noodles but often it is prepared with boiled lo mein, chow mein, or yaki-soba noodles.
What are the two types of chow mein? ›
In the American market, two types of chow mein include crispy chow mein and steamed chow mein. The steamed chow mein has a softer texture, while the former is crisper and drier. Crispy chow mein uses fried, flat noodles, while soft chow mein uses long, rounded noodles.
What's the difference between chow mein and chow mein noodles? ›
While chow mein with thin crisp noodles is a staple of many Chinese take-out restaurants, more authentic versions of chao mian have soft noodles. The main difference between the two comes down to frying time: for dryer, crisper noodles, add more oil and increase the frying time.
What's the difference between chow mein and chop suey? ›
Chow mein vs chop suey are both popular Chinese dishes that are often confused with each other. Chow mein is a stir-fried noodle dish that typically includes vegetables and meat, while chop suey is a dish made up of meat, vegetables, and sometimes noodles that are cooked in a thick sauce.
What is the crunchy stuff in chow mein? ›
At my local Chinese, they call this Crispy Chow Mein Noodles. It's a Hong Kong / Cantonese style dish, and there are a lot of variations but the core of it is a bed of deep fried crunchy noodles topped with a saucy stir fry.
CHICAGO CHOW MEIN: Slices of vegetables in a dark sauce with mushrooms, water chestnuts, and pea pods.
What is a good substitute for chow mein noodles? ›
If you can't find these, you can use other noodles – it won't be 100% the same but it will be close enough. Some substitutes are: Yakisoba noodles. Lo Mein noodles (these will be thicker and won't have the slightly crispy nature of chow mein when fried)
Can I use hoisin sauce instead of oyster sauce in chow mein? ›
Since it has a similar consistency as oyster sauce, hoisin sauce can usually be substituted in a 1-to-1 ratio. However, it may have a more potent flavor depending on its ingredients, in which case you may want to use a smaller amount.
What can I substitute for Chinese sauce? ›
The Best Soy Sauce Substitutes
- Tamari. The easiest swap by far is tamari, which is basically soy sauce's gluten-free twin. ...
- Liquid Aminos or Coconut Aminos. Maybe you have liquid aminos or coconut aminos from that time you went on a paleo kick? ...
- Ponzu Sauce. ...
- Teriyaki Sauce. ...
- Worcestershire Sauce. ...
- Fish Sauce. ...
- Mushroom Broth.
Use one tablespoon cornstarch mixed with one tablespoon cold water (aka a cornstarch slurry) for each cup of medium-thick sauce. Thoroughly mix the cornstarch and water together, then pour into your sauce. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly.
What to use instead of oyster sauce? ›
- Fish sauce. Although it's not a perfect substitute, you can use fish sauce in place of oyster sauce in some recipes. ...
- Soy sauce. Soy sauce is an easy substitute for oyster sauce since it's a common pantry staple. ...
- Hoisin sauce. ...
- Worcestershire sauce with soy sauce. ...
- Teriyaki sauce. ...
- Vegan mushroom sauce.
Fish sauce is liquid, while oyster sauce is thicker. Fish sauce is fermented, while oyster sauce is caramelized. MasterClass says that when it comes down to taste, fish sauce is much saltier and deeply pungent and doesn't have the sweetness and subtleness that oyster sauce has.
What is inside oyster sauce? ›
Traditionally, oysters are slowly simmered in water until the liquid caramelizes into a viscous, dark black-brown sauce. But to speed up the process, some commercialized versions are instead made with oyster extracts, plus salt, sugar, corn starch and caramel coloring.
What the heck is chow mein? ›
Chow mein is a dish of stir-fried Chinese-style noodles that can be served with proteins, vegetables or gravy. Chow mein is the English derivative of the word chau meing and comes from the Taishan dialect of Chinese. Chau means stir-fried and meing means noodles.
