Chinese invented the noodles and changed the way we eat, that’s not an overstatement. As a Chinese, noodles and rice are something I can’t do without. I use Chinese noodles a lot in everyday cooking and can’t even begin to think how my culinary experiences would have been, if noodles were never invented.
Chinese noodles are versatile and there are so many ways to prepare them–stir-fry, pan-fry, boil, blanch, soup, gravy, or dry. I could never get bored of noodles. It’s one of the easiest foods to prepare at home, and the end results are always satisfying.
One of the most popular Chinese noodles in the US is chow mein or literally “fried noodles” (炒面) in Cantonese dialect. Chow mein is also a favorite Chinese take-out item. Some shredded vegetables, some protein–either chicken, pork, beef, seafood, or combination–and you will have a perfect chow mein that is cheap, filling, and sinfully gratifying. Yeah, I am talking about that grease at the bottom of the chow mein…
Making chow mein or any Chinese noodles at home doesn’t have to be complicated, if you know which noodles to buy (which according to many non-Asians, it’s the toughest part of it all). I have to say that the varieties of Chinese noodles available in the market are rather overwhelming; however, if you narrow down your selection, things would get a lot easier–and manageable. So, let’s start with chow mein, which is also the name used for fresh noodles.
I did some research over the weekend and found that there are two kinds of chow mein sold at the market: 1) steamed chow mein (pictured below), and 2) pan-fried chow mein. They are practically the same Chinese noodles, but the latter tends to be dryer and hence it’s for pan-fried purposes. I prefer steamed chow mein.
Now that you have narrowed down your Chinese noodles selection, the cooking process is really easy. In Asia, chow mein are mostly cooked with bean sprouts, but I noticed that fried noodles served at Chinese restaurants in the US usually come with shredded cabbages and carrot, which are great, too.
For the protein, you can use any meat or seafood or any combination of your choice. Chicken chow mein is always safe with most people, but combination is always pleasing and exciting.
Try my chow mein recipe and I bet you will become a Chinese noodles expert in no time. :)
If you like Chinese recipes, you might also like my recipes below.
Fried Vermicelli (Rice Sticks)
Chinese Fried Rice
Chicken Shu Mai/Chicken Dumplings
Sweet and Sour Pork
Cashew Chicken
Honey Walnut Shrimp
Kung Pao Chicken
Minced Chicken and Pork Rolls
Fried Wonton
Braised Firm Tofu with with Mushrooms
Restaurant-style Chinese Greens with Oyster Sauce
Chinese Jiaozi/Leeks and Pork Dumplings
Fried Shrimp Balls with Wonton Skin
Ma Po Tofu (麻婆豆腐)
Ingredients:
8 oz. steamed chow mein (Chinese noodles)
2 oz. pork (cut into thin slices)
5 shrimp (shelled and deveined)
3 garlic cloves (finely chopped)
1/2 cup shredded cabbage
1/4 cup shredded carrot
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon Chinese dark soy sauce
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons cooking oil
2 stalks scallions (cut into 2-inch length)
Salt to taste
Method:
Soak the steamed chow mein in cold water for about 5 minutes. Rinse a few times until the water turns clear and the chow mein is soft. Drain the excess water and set aside. (Don’t over soak the chow mein or the noodles will get limpy and soggy.)
In a small mixing bowl, mix all the seasoning ingredients. Set aside.
Heat up the wok with the cooking oil. Add in the chopped garlic and stir-fry until light brown or aromatic. Add the pork and shrimp and stir fry until they are half done. Add the shredded cabbage and carrot into the wok and do a few quick stirs. Add the noodles , the seasoning mixture and the water. Continue to stir until the noodles are well blended with the seasonings and completely cooked through. Add the chopped scallions, do a few final stirs, dish out and and serve hot.
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{ 23 comments… read them below or add one }
My favourite noodles are ‘bee hoon’. I love chow mi fen :-)
Salivating at the so many types of ingredients you have in the noodles!
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Yummy, I love chow mein and yes, the grease that comes with it. :P
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i knw i get the shivers if i dun hav noodles for a couple of days!
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I love love noodles. BTW, what are the different between stir fry and pan fry???
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wow!
i was waiting for Chow Mein.
ciaoooo
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This looks like a lovely recipe and I love chow mein. Thank you so much!
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Looks good. Once in awhile though, I crave for simple “economy” noodles …just noodles and chives!
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Stumbled upon yr website. Your dishes look great! Keep it up. I love chow mein but mee hoon is my favourite!!
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halo…. so sad….. why so sad?
I wonder i shud come more frequent…
as your site start to influence me to start cooking with your recipe…
too many tempting food and may be we are the one that know our taste buds the most…
hmm… let me think think la…
sometime tummy take over everything…. hahahaha
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im 1 of those who prefers mee hoon but stil dont know how to make them. lol.
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Iv been wanting to learn how to make chow mein with that extra oil. i know its bad (the oil part) but i know im gonna love your chow mein recipe. thank you!
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RM, I am going to give you a gold medal for all of these great Chinese posts. Thanks for teaching us all about Chinese culture and food.
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the joys of chow mien which i hardly eat anymore. right then, i’ll be preparing this for my weekend lunch. thanks for reminding me that every Chinese has a mien-bone in their body ;) x
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the joys of chow mien which i hardly eat anymore. right then, i’ll be preparing this for my weekend lunch. thanks for reminding me that every Chinese has a mien-bone in their body ;) x
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I now know how to make chow mein, thanks to your chow mein recipe
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Give me the honour to serve you with some good food :)
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I should be making more Asian noodle dishes…I found a great source for Chinese noodles here (homemade!) :) Will be saving this recipe…thanks for sharing it!
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Gorgeous - but I have to agree with Keropok Man, chow mei fun is a down-home favorite. Any fun (no pun intended) ideas for chow mei fun variations? I’ve been obsessively making a version of singapore fried noodles / chow mei fun. I’ve been scouring your site for good fried noodle recipes — my latest obsession, so I love this series you’re doing.
- Ella
http://cookingconfessional.blogspot.com/
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You make your chow mein recipe easier than i thought it would be. It definitely looks so much better than the ‘empty’ chow mein version at the restaurants here.
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They only serve chow mein with bean sprouts here. plus they donch look as pretty as yours.
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I’ve tried the recipe, but it didn’t come out as delicious looking as the picture. I think the problem lies in the fact that I boiled the noodles instead of steaming it as stated in the recipe. Will it make much of a difference? Anyway, the end result was bland tasting noodles. Another thing is 8 oz of noodles seem to be terribly a lot, don’t you think so? My noodles appeared to be so much more in comparison to the prawns, chicken and vege. I wonder if there’s anyway that I can improve my cooking method.
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Wombat replied:
Substitute the garlic with ginger. You won’t be disappointed.
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Anonymous - you shouldn’t boil your noodles first. I used “steamed chow mein” but the chow mein weren’t really steamed. It’s just marketed as steamed chow mein. If it’s bland for you, add more seasoning. If you prefer more veggie, chicken and prawns, feel free to add more. Hope this helps.
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This was one of 5 of your recipes that I made last w/e and like the other 4 it tasted fantastic.
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