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Easy Chow Mein recipe with Chinese egg noodles stir fried with chicken, shrimp and vegetables. This is an authentic chow mein noodles recipe Chinatown style.
Chow Mein Recipe
What is Chow Mein?
Chow Mein (sometimes spelled as chowmin) is one of the best Chinese recipes. It’s made of noodles, vegetables, protein such as chicken, shrimp, beef or pork.
The ingredients are stir-fried with cooking oil, garlic and seasonings of soy sauce and oyster sauce in a wok.
It’s different from Lo Mein, which is a similar Chinese noodles dish but without stir-frying.
Chow Mein Noodles
There are all kinds of fresh and dry noodles available in the market. There are also thin and thick noodles.
For the best and most authentic homemade Chow Mein like Chinese restaurants or takeouts, I recommend thin, fresh egg noodles.
The color of the noodles is slightly different but the texture is similar. There are eggs in both noodles. There is flour that coats every strand of the noodle.
In Asian or Chinese grocery stores, you can find egg noodles in a clear plastic bag, like the picture above. They are available in the noodles section of the stores.
If you use dry egg noodles, follow the package instructions to boil the noodles first before stir frying.
How To Make Chow Mein
To cook the classic Chinese noodles, first you have to decide on the list of fresh ingredients to use:
- Protein – you can use chicken, shrimp, beef or pork. You can also use squid and scallop. Choose your main protein or combine a few ingredients together.
- Vegetables – you can use cabbage, bean sprouts, napa cabbage, carrot or scallion. I like the combinations of cabbage, carrot and scallion.
- Seasoning sauce – you can use oyster sauce, soy sauce or a combination of both sauces for the best flavors.
You can make the noodles on a skillet or traditional Chinese wok. First, cook the noodles on high heat with oil, garlic and stir fry the protein. Next, add the noodles and seasoning sauce, stir fry until all ingredients are cooked through.
Cooking Tips
For the best chow mein recipe, please follow my tips, techniques and secrets below:
- If you use fresh egg noodles, run cold water over the noodles and rise them before using. This will get rid of the flour on the surface.
- Drain the noodles dry using a colander. This will ensure that your noodles are not soggy.
- Make the sauce in advance by mixing all the ingredients together.
- The best utensil for making Chinese noodles is a well-seasoned Chinese wok and a pair of long wooden chopsticks. You can use spatula but a pair of chopsticks will loosen up the noodles while stir-frying. This will avoid the noodles from clumping and sticking together.
- Be generous with the cooking oil.
- Check out my Perfect Stir-Frying Techniques for the best results.
Frequently Asked Questions
These two popular Chinese noodle dishes are completely different.
Chow Mein is stir-fried noodles while Lo Mein is mixed and toss noodles with its ingredients and sauce.
Click here for Chow Mein vs Lo Mein.
This recipe is only 311 calories per serving.
What To Serve With Chow Mein
This meal is best served with a Chinese main dish (such as ginger scallion fish, ginger soy chicken) or side dishes (such as Chinese Tea Eggs). For a wholesome meal and Chinese restaurant style dinner at home, I recommend the following recipes:
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Other Chow Mein Recipes You Might Like
Chow Mein
Ingredients
- 8 oz. (230g) steamed chow mein , or fresh chow mein noodles
Chow Mein Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons water
Other Ingredients:
- 2 tablespoons cooking oil
- 3 cloves garlic, finely minced
- 2 oz. (60g) chicken, cut into thin strips
- 6 medium-sized shrimp, shelled and deveined
- 1/2 cup cabbage, shredded
- 1/4 cup carrot, shredded
- 2 stalks scallions, cut into 2-inch strips (5 cm)
Instructions
- Soak the chow mein noodles in cold water for about 5 minutes. Rinse them a few times until the water runs clear and the noodles soften. Drain the excess water and set aside. (Be careful not to over-soak the noodles, as they may become soggy.)
- In a small mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients for the Chow Mein Sauce. Set aside.
- Heat a skillet or wok with oil. Add the garlic and stir-fry until light brown or aromatic. Then, add the chicken and shrimp, stirring until they are half cooked. Incorporate the shredded cabbage and carrot into the wok, stirring quickly. Add the noodles and soy sauce mixture, continuing to stir-fry until the noodles are well combined with the sauce and fully cooked through.
- Add the chopped scallions, do a few final stirs, dish out, and serve hot.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Due to stomache issues with oyster or any fish sauce what can i replace with ty
Hi Gail. You can either omit the oyster sauce, and add a little bit more soy sauce, or you can use vegan oyster sauce.
Can’t wait to try this! What is the multiplier to make this dish for a family of 6 + leftovers? Can I just triple the amounts of all ingredients? And will it be OK in one batch, or should I try to make 2 or 3 batches? Many Thanks!
Yes you can triple the recipe and make in one batch but best is to make in batches.
Thank you!! Making it tonight!!
Hi Bee,
I tried this recipe and it turned out so well. My family favourite. Easy to prepare. Thank you so much for sharing. :)