How to make Chow Mein
And here’s how to make it. As I mentioned earlier, once you start cooking, you’ll be plating up in just over 5 minutes, so make sure you have everything ready to go!
It’s perfectly OK to prepare Chow Mein in a skillet as opposed to a wok. Just make sure to use a large one to prevent your noodles from flying off as you toss them enthusiastically!
The truth is that as long as you use the Sauce recipe along with the same amount of noodles and other ingredients (vegetables, protein, etc.) to ensure the flavor isn’t diluted, you’ll end up with a bowl of slurp-worthy noodles regardless of the protein, vegetables, or even noodles you choose.
Therefore, focus on the sauce and don’t get too attached to the specific type of noodles! The sauce, the sauce!! – Nagi x.
What goes in Chow Mein
Chow mein nearly always includes carrots, cabbage, and bean sprouts in addition to noodles, followed by your choice of protein. I’m fairly certain that chicken is the most widely consumed food, but I can’t prove it with statistics. .
Because chicken thighs are more juicy than breast and tenderloin, I prefer to use them in stir fries. When I make this with chicken breast, I always use a Chinese restaurant technique called “bi-carb,” or baking soda to tenderize the chicken. It’s super simple, see directions here: How to Velvet Chicken.
Here’s what you need for the sauce. Chinese cooking wine, which is used in almost everything at your neighborhood Chinese restaurant, is the secret ingredient that makes home cooking genuinely competitive with takeout.
Difference between Lo Mein and Chow Mein
The difference lies in the noodles. Since both are egg-based wheat noodles, they are somewhat yellow. After being boiled or soaked until tender, lo mein noodles are moist and greasy right out of the package. They are then combined with a sauce, veggies, and protein.
Noodles for Chow Mein are thinner, crispier, and somewhat dry right out of the package (see above photo). They can be used to make:
- This recipe’s soft noodles are boiled until tender and then combined with meat, veggies, and sauce; or
- This is how Chow Mein noodles are traditionally served in China and Hong Kong: they are fried until crispy and then topped with a saucy stir-fry.
