What Noodles Do You Use For Chow Mein?

A complete guide on cooking Chinese chow mein at home. It offers a variety of noodles, proteins, and vegetables, as well as a quick, tasty sauce and important stir-frying advice.

It’s very likely that if you enjoy Chinese takeout or delivery food, you’ve tried chow mein (). I urge you to try this recipe, which takes only 15 minutes to prepare and doesn’t require any difficult-to-find ingredients, if you’ve ever considered cooking it yourself. It has great flavor and is probably healthier than the purchased version.

The Mandarin pronunciation of the dish is Cho Mian, but the Cantonese pronunciation is more like the Cantonese word Chow Mein. Chow is the general term for noodles, whereas Mein refers to the act of stir-frying.

Chinese chow mein typically contains noodles, a type of protein, vegetables, aromatics, and a sauce. It’s very much a “fridge-forage” meal when made from scratch, which means you utilize the ingredients you have on hand. The mix and match options are numerous.

I should have just stopped listening to him right there. I chose to get the lo mein instead of the crispy noodles. And someone slept on the couch that night.

But don’t worry if you can’t find them or they aren’t available. An easy swap would be fettuccine, linguine, or even ramen noodles (without the seasoning packet).

So there you have it—that is the main distinction between chow mein and lo mein. Lo mein noodles are boiled until soft, whereas chow mein noodles are fried until crisp.

These are typically sold parboiled so they can be used directly from the bag to the pan without boiling them first. This results in an amazingly crisp firmness with soft, chewy spots throughout.

I’ve been working on perfecting a homemade chow mein dish since that mix-up. So that I don’t have to argue with Ben about whether to order chow mein or lo mein,

Chow Mein Sauce

Here’s what you need for the sauce. Chinese cooking wine, which is a staple in your neighborhood Chinese restaurant, is the secret ingredient that elevates home cooking to the level of takeout.

Wide Wonton Noodles

Use in hearty braises, noodle soups, and other dishes with stronger, oilier flavors.

Similar to thin wonton noodles but. thicker. I use these noodles in dishes that feature braised beef and heavier, oilier flavors, like this Taiwanese beef noodle soup.

FAQ

Can I use normal noodles for chow mein?

The following are the ingredients you’ll need to make homemade Chow Mein: Chow Mein Noodles – You’ll need about a half pound of chow mein noodles, but if you don’t have any on hand, you can substitute thin spaghetti.

What is the best type of chow mein?

• 1 Chicken Chow Mein. A common variation of Chow mein made with wheat noodles is chicken Chow mein.
• 2 Pan Fried Noodles. …
• 3 Sichuan Noodles. …
• 4 Noodles with Meat Sauce. …
• 5 Drunken Noodles. …
• 6 Liangpi. …
• 7 Ulmyeon. …
• 8 Calamari Lemon Noodles.

Are chow mein noodles the same as stir fry noodles?

Although they are both Chinese in origin and made with egg noodles (along with a combination of vegetables and occasionally meat or seafood), the similarities between these two noodle dishes end there. Chow mein, or chāu-mèn, translates to stir-fried noodles.