My only experience with Chinese cuisine is that of the “Westernized” Chinese take-out variety, so my noodle knowledge is severely lacking. Imagine my surprise when, on a business trip to Beijing, I learned that Chinese noodles actually come in a variety of shapes and sizes, all of them different from each other based on the ingredients used in making them and the kind of recipes that they are often incorporated into.
Chow mein and chow fun (or chow foon) are two of the most popular Chinese noodle dishes in the world. However, not a lot of people know how these two noodle styles differ from each other (probably due to the similar names) and what kind of noodles they’re supposed to be.
To put it simply, chow mein is made out of thin rounded egg noodles that are often used stir fried until crispy. Chow fun, on the other hand, are also commonly used stir fried in a lot of dishes, but are made out of the rice noodles that are flatter and wider than regular egg noodles. The texture is chewier and more slippery than egg noodles too.
But the differences does not lie in the shape of the noodles as well as the ingredient from which they are primarily made from. Here are other fun facts about these two yummy noodle dishes.
Some people mistakenly believe that chow mein originated from America- in pretty much the same way that the California Roll is not from Japanese cuisine, but American (since it was invented in the US). But chow mein is authentically Chinese. The name itself is derived from the Taishanese word “chau meing.” The dish was invented by people in a city called Taisha which is located near the Pearl River delta.
Chow mein is made out of egg, wheat flour, and water. Among all Chinese noodles, this is the one that has been able to permeate the global food market on a wide scale. It’s the kind of noodles that most people are familiar with. They are shaped pretty similar to spaghetti, but are thinner and sometimes, longer.
Chow fun originated from a subdistrict of Guangzhou called Shahe (the noodles is also alternatively called as Shahe Fun). While chow mein is popular in northern China, chow fun is more dominant in the south. This kind of noodles has also spread to south east Asia, and has been incorporated into the cuisine of countries like the Philippines, Vietnam, Thailand, and Indonsia.
As previously mentioned, chow fun is made out of rice flour. The noodles’ shape is flat and broad. When buying chow fun in the market, you can choose between two varieties: fresh or dried. You can use fresh chow fun noodles immediately, but dried chow fun needs to be soaked first before you can stir fry it.
So, what is the difference between
and mei fun? What is this? The main difference between chow fun and mei fun is the thickness of the noodles. While both are rice noodles made from rice grain and water, chow fun is a thick flat noodle, and mei fun is thin like vermicelli.
Nutritional Differences Of Lo Mein And Mei Fun
Mei Fun is generally higher in fat because of the noodles being singed or pan-seared.
Something else, the dietary contrasts boil down to the sauce which can change uncontrollably relying upon the eatery. For certain eateries utilizing better or more fat hefty sauces than different cafés.
Frequently lo mein sauces are heavier/thicker than chow mein sauces which can mean more corn starch or other thickening specialists. Indeed, however, this progression from one eatery to another.
Difference Between Lo Mein And Mei Fun
It is incorrect to compare Lo Mein and Mei Fun. Mei Fun means rice noodles. Lo Mein signifies method of cooking. In this case, Lo Mein means stirred noodles.
Mei fun noodles are slight rice noodles. This formula utilizes dried rice noodles that are pre-cooked and afterward dried in the assembling interaction. All they need is a speedy pre-splashing before adding them to soups or pan-sears.
This Chicken Mei Fun (additionally in some cases spelled mai fun) formula is a fundamental home-style dainty rice noodle dish. If you’ve constructed a fundamental Chinese storeroom of only 10 fixings, you ought to have all you require to make it.
Lo signifies ‘threw’. In this way, when we’re discussing lo mein, we’re talking, just, about ‘threw noodles’.
To make lo mein, cooked (bubbled and depleted) noodles are added to the wok after the veggies and protein have been cooked and thrown with the sauce. The noodles are daintily thrown with the veggies, just until they are warmed through.
Both lo mein and mei fun are made with Chinese egg noodles—wheat flour noodles with egg added. New egg noodles (ideally around 1/4-inch thick) are best for lo mein, while either new or dried can be utilized to make mei fun. In any case, the noodles should be relaxed in bubbling water before cooking.
Dried noodles are parboiled in bubbling water for 5 to 6 minutes before utilizing, while new egg noodles just should be bubbled for 2 to 3 minutes.
The specific measure of cooking time will rely upon the thickness of the noodles, so make certain to adhere to the bundle guidelines if accessible.
In any case, regardless of whether you’re working with new or dried noodles, the objective is to bubble them until they are simply cooked yet not very delicate (what the Italian’s call “still somewhat firm,” or “cooked to the tooth”).
If Chinese egg noodles aren’t accessible, Italian pasta, for example, fettucini or linguini makes a helpful substitute. A “no fuss” lo mein can be made by utilizing Ramen noodles with a flavor bundle.
Related Article: Difference Between Pasta and Noodles
One strategy for getting ready mei fun noodles is to sear them independently into a “noodle flapjack” and afterward pour the pan-seared meat and vegetables over the singed noodles. The mei fun noodles can likewise be sautéed with meat/poultry and vegetables.
With lo mein, the parboiled noodles are often added close to the furthest limit of cooking to warm through and throw with different fixings and sauce. Then again, the parboiled noodles might be thrown with a sauce and the sautéed fixings poured over.
Since the genuine star of any lo mein dish is the sauce, it’s not shocking that lo mein recipes often utilize more sauce than mei fun recipes.
Is Chow Fun similar to Chow Mein?
Both these noodle dishes follow more or less the same ingredients but differ in the type of noodles that are used. Chow Fun has flat and wide rice noodles that don’t need to be cooked as much as rounded and typical wheat noodles.
The sauce in Chow Fun also tends to be thicker than what is usually found in Chow Mein.
FAQ
What is healthier chow mein or chow fun?
Mei Fun has a very mild taste which is similar to rice. This is because the noodles are made from rice flour. These noodles are great because they allow the flavor of the sauce and the extra ingredients that you will add to the dish to dominate the meal.
What does Mei Fun taste like?
What is the difference between chow fun and lo mein?
What is Chow Mei Fun made of?
