Chow Mein
Chinese stir-fried noodles — boiled noodles tossed over high heat with vegetables and meat in a glossy soy-based sauce, laced with smoky wok flavor. A 15-minute one-pan dish that's perfect for clearing out the vegetable drawer.
Ingredients
- Chinese noodles · or egg noodles200 g
- Chicken breast · sliced, or shrimp150 g
- Cabbage · shredded2 handfuls
- Carrot · julienned0.5
- Bean sprouts1 handful
- Green onion · sliced1 stalk
- Garlic · minced2 cloves
- Cooking oil2 tbsp
- Sauce
- Soy sauce2 tbsp
- Oyster sauce1 tbsp
- Dark soy sauce · for color, optional0.5 tbsp
- Sugar0.5 tsp
- Sesame oil1 tsp
- White pepper · a pinch
Steps
- ⏲ 4 min
Boil the noodles per the package, rinse under cold water, drain, and toss with a little oil so they don't clump.
- ⏲ 1 min
Stir all the sauce ingredients together in a bowl.
- ⏲ 2 min
Heat a wok or pan until very hot over high heat, add oil, and stir-fry the chicken until the surface is cooked.
- ⏲ 2 min
Add garlic, carrot, and cabbage and stir-fry quickly over high heat, then add the green onion and bean sprouts just until wilted.
- ⏲ 1 min 30 sec
Add the noodles and sauce and toss fast until the noodles are evenly coated.
Tips & Variations
Variations
- Veg chow mein: Skip the meat and pile in the vegetables.
- Shrimp chow mein: Swap the chicken for shrimp.
- Crispy chow mein (Hong Kong style): Pan-fry the noodles crisp and ladle the sauce over.
- Spicy: Add a spoonful of doubanjiang or chili oil.
Tips
- Stir-fry over high heat and fast for smoky wok hei and crisp-tender vegetables.
- Pre-boil and oil the noodles so they don't stick in the pan.
- Prep everything first — the stir-fry itself takes only moments.
- A little dark soy gives that appetizing restaurant color.
The basics behind this dish
- Balancing Flavour: Salt, Acid, Sweet, Fat, HeatWhen something tastes like it is missing something, it is usually salt or acid. Five dials, the order to turn them, and how to taste properly.
- Dough and Gluten: When to Build It and When to Avoid ItThe same flour and water becomes a dumpling wrapper or a tender pancake. The difference is whether you built gluten or avoided it — and kneading and resting do different jobs.
- Why Sauces Split: Emulsions and Pan SaucesA cream sauce breaking and a carbonara scrambling are the same failure. Temperature and emulsifiers — plus how to bring a split sauce back.
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