Ingredients for Chow Mein:
- Chow Mein Noodles: Egg and wheat are combined to make Chow Mein noodles. They have a great bite to them and are very similar to Italian pasta noodles. Dry chow mein noodles are typically found in the Asian section of grocery stores. However, if you’re lucky, the refrigerator section will have precooked chow mein noodles that you can just toss into your pan.
- vegetables: The ideal vegetables to use in chow mein are carrots, cabbage, green onions, and bean sprouts. But other vegetables like bok choy, celery, broccoli, spinach, kale, or baby corn can easily take their place. Go ahead and use your imagination and whatever you happen to have in your fridge!
- Meats: The best option for slicing into strips that are ready for chow mein is to use high-quality chicken breasts. Feel free to replace the chicken with beef, shrimp, or pork if you’d like. Hot tip: If you’re hosting vegetarians as well, use vegetable broth and reserve some noodles to toss with baked tofu cubes.
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.
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.
