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Chow Mein
BY: Nagi

PUBLISHED: 26 Oct '19 UPDATED: 6 May '20

903 Comments

RECIPE V VIDEO V DOZER V

A great Chow Mein comes down to

the sauce which is made with soy
sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil,
sugar and cornstarch for thickening.
Slippery noodles slick with the
savoury Chow Mein Sauce is noodle
heaven!

Chicken Chow Mein is firmly planted

in the Noodle Hall of Fame as one of
the all time most loved noodles,
along with other favourites like Pad
Thai, Pad See Ew and Singapore
noodles. Quick and easy!

Chow Mein
I want to say that Chow Mein is my
favourite noodle-child but I’m
worried that I’ve said that in another
recipe (or two… or three… ).

Because there is, after all,

some heavy hitting noodle
competition in this big wide world.
Pad Thai, Pad See Ew (Thai Stir Fried
Noodles), Singapore Noodles,
Yakisoba (Japanese noodles) – to
name just a few.

But Chow Mein is right up there and

it’s not just because it’s noodle-
slurpingly delicious, but also
because of the following:

Tons of hidden veggies–

cabbage, carrot and bean
sprouts, all in “noodle shapes” so
they just meld right in there with
the noodles so you have no idea
how much you’re actually
consuming (it’s like feeding a
child);

Faster to make that home

delivery – 15 minutes from start
to finish;

Versatile– as all stir fries are.

Switch the proteins and veg as
you please;

Charlie – Chow Mein Sauce can

be made from scratch, or using
Charlie, my all purpose Stir Fry
Sauce that I always have on
hand. Yes, I named him because I
love him so much.

What noodles to use

for Chow Mein
The thing that distinguishes Chow
Mein from other stir fried noodles
are the type of noodles used. Chow
Mein noodles are thin crinkly looking
noodles that are lightly coated in
flour.

Here’s a close up of the noodles.

The supermarket version by
Fantastic Noodles is slightly more
yellow than it should be but it’s just
as tasty.

? Can’t find Chow Mein Noodles?

Use Ramen Noodles or other instant

noodles – just toss the packet
seasoning! Or use thin spaghetti or
other thin egg noodles (check
ingredients on packet, should have
egg listed).

What goes in Chow

Mein
Other than noodles, Chow Mein
almost always has cabbage, bean
sprouts and carrot, then your choice
of protein. I’m pretty sure chicken is
by far the most popular, but I have
no facts or figures to back that up.

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I like to use chicken thigh for stir

fries because it’s juicier than breast
and tenderloin. If I make this with
chicken breast, I always tenderise it
using a Chinese restaurant
technique using baking soda (bi-
carb). It’s super simple, see
directions here: How to Velvet
Chicken.

Chow Mein Sauce

Here’s what you need for the
sauce. The Chinese cooking wine is
the key ingredient that makes home
cooking truly rival takeout – your
local Chinese restaurant uses
Chinese cooking wine in virtually
everything!!

Difference
between Lo Mein
and Chow Mein
The difference lies in the
noodles. Both are wheat
noodles made with egg so
they are yellow(ish). Lo Mein
Noodles are wet and oily out
of the packet, then boiled or
soaked until soft before
tossing with a sauce,
vegetables and protein.

Chow Mein noodles are

thinner, and kind of dry and
crinkly out of the packet (see
photo above). They can be
used to make:

soft noodles (this recipe) –

soaked in boiling water
until soft then tossed with
a sauce, vegetables and
meat; or

Crispy Chow Mein – fried

until crisp then served with
a saucy stir fry on top – this
is the traditional
Chinese/Hong Kong way
of serving Chow Mein
noodles.

How to make Chow

Mein
And here’s how to make it. Make
sure you have everything ready to
toss in because once you start
cooking, you’ll be plating up in just
over 5 minutes – I told you it’s fast!!

Wok NOT essential!

Totally fine to cook Chow Mein in a
skillet instead of a wok. Just be sure
to use a big one – so your noodles
don’t go flying as you
enthusiastically toss!

The fact of the matter is, no matter

what protein you use, what
vegetables and even what noodles,
you’re going to end up with a bowl
of slurp-worthy noodles as long as
you use the Sauce recipe plus the
same quantity of noodles + other
stuff (veg, protein etc) so the flavour
isn’t diluted.

So don’t get too hung up on the

exact noodle type! Concentrate on
the sauce. The sauce, the sauce!! –
Nagi x

Watch How To Make It

Chow Mein

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Chow Mein
Author: Nagi | RecipeTin Eats
Prep: 10 mins Cook: 5 mins
Total: 15 mins Noodles Chinese
4.99 from 274 votes

Servings 2 -3 Tap or hover to scale

Print

Recipe video above. A great Chow Mein

that truly rivals Chinese restaurants comes
down to the sauce! Make this with your
protein of choice (Note 1). Have all the
ingredients ready to go before you start
cooking because it's done in 5 minutes!

Ingredients
200g /6 oz chicken breast or thigh
fillets , thinly sliced (Note 1 tenderise
option)
4 cups green cabbage , finely shredded
(Note 3)
1 1/2 tbsp peanut oil (or other cooking
oil)
2 cloves garlic , finely chopped
200g /6 oz chow mein noodles (Note 2)
1 carrot , julienned
1 1/2 cups bean sprouts
3 green onions , cut into 5cm/2" pieces
1/4 cup (65 ml) water

CHOW MEIN SAUCE:

2 tsp cornflour / cornstarch
1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce , all purpose or
light (Note 4)
1 1/2 tbsp oyster sauce (sub Hoisin)
1 1/2 tbsp Chinese cooking wine OR
Mirin (Note 5)
2 tsp sugar (reduce to 1 tsp if using
Mirin)
1/2 tsp sesame oil
White pepper (sub black)

Instructions
SAUCE:

1 Mix together cornflour and soy sauce,

then mix in remaining ingredients.
2 Alternative: Use 1/3 cup Chinese All
Purpose Stir Fry Sauce, if you have
some in stock.

CHICKEN & NOODLES

1 Marinate Chicken: Pour 1 tbsp of

Sauce over the chicken, mix to coat,
set aside to marinate for 10 minutes.
2 Noodles: Prepare the noodles
according to the packet instructions
(my pack says soak in boiled water for
1 minute), then drain.

COOKING:

1 Heat oil in wok or large fry pan over

high heat.
2 Add garlic and stir fry for 10 seconds
or until it starts to turn golden - don't
let it burn!
3 Add chicken and stir fry until the
surface gets a tinge of browning but
inside is still raw - about 1 minute.
4 Add the cabbage, carrot, and the
white pieces of shallots (i.e. from the
base of the stalk). Stir fry for 1 1/2
minutes until the cabbage is mostly
wilted.
5 Add the noodles, Sauce and water*.
Stir fry for 1 minute, tossing
constantly.
6 Add bean sprouts and remaining
shallots/scallions. Toss through for 30
seconds or until the bean sprouts just
start to wilt.
7 Remove from heat and serve
immediately.

Recipe Notes:
1. Chicken - I prefer making this with
thigh because it's juicier, but it can be
made with breast or tenderloin. If using
breast, option to tenderise using the
Chinese method so it's super tender
and juicy like you get at Chinese
restaurants - see How to tenderise
chicken the Chinese way (Velveting)

Can also Velvet Beef.

Other proteins: Sub with sliced pork,

beef or turkey, whole prawns/shrimp
or even ground meat (still marinate,
crumble into chunks and cook like
that).

2. Chow Mein noodles are sold at

Asian grocery stores and also at
Woolworths in Australia (Fantastic
noodles brand, fridge section). See in
post for photos and description.

3. Cabbage - I use any type of green

cabbage, Chinese cabbage or savoy
etc. I even use purple cabbage! Once
cooked, you can barely tell the
difference in flavour / texture.

4. Soy Sauce - This recipe requires

ordinary all purpose soy sauce OR light
soy sauce. All purpose soy sauces just
say "soy sauce" on the label, Light Soy
Sauce is labelled as such. I use
Kikkoman. Do not use dark or sweet
soy sauce. Tamari is a suitable gluten
free substitute.

5. Chinese cooking wine - aka

Shaosing / Shaoxing wine. Essential for
Chinese cooking, it's the key to making
home cooking truly taste like
restaurants. Now sold at supermarkets
in Australia - Asian aisle!

Substitutes: Mirin (reduce the sugar to

1 tsp) or dry sherry. If you really can't
use alcohol, use chicken stock/broth
in the sauce instead of the Chinese
cooking wine AND replace the water
with chicken broth.

6. GENERAL TIPS:

Garlic - don't use mincer/garlic

press or jarred garlic, they burn too
quickly. Finely chop it.
Skillet is fine, just use a big one so
the noodles don't go flying when
you toss.
7. NUTRITION is for 2 servings which
are BIG servings. I actually think this
recipe is more like 3 servings - but I say
2 servings just to be safe!

NUTRITION
INFORMATION:
Serving: 428g Calories: 554cal (28%)
Carbohydrates: 46.5g (16%)
Protein: 28g (56%) Fat: 31.2g (48%)
Saturated Fat: 5.2g (33%)
Polyunsaturated Fat: 26g
Cholesterol: 76mg (25%)
Sodium: 1089mg (47%)
Fiber: 5.4g (23%) Sugar: 9.2g (10%)

Keywords: chicken chow mein, chinese noodles,

Chow Mein, Thai stir fried noodles

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Originally published 2014, updated over the years with improved

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