Chicken Chow Mein Recipe - Cooking Classy (2024)

FAQs

What makes chow mein taste like chow mein? ›

Simple sauce: While chow mein sauce is unbelievably easy to make, it still brings a complexity of flavors to the dish. The careful combination of ingredients like soy sauce, sesame oil, oyster sauce and sugar results in a chow mein sauce that has hints of both savory and sweet notes.

Chow mein is a traditional Chinese dish made with egg noodles and stir-fried veggies. We love adding a protein and our favorite is chicken, but you can try different meat or tofu. This dish is pan-fried so the noodles get a nice crisp to them and then tossed in a yummy sauce.

The sauce is what makes this dish so addictive. It's a simple umami filled mix of light and dark soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, sugar, and a hint of ginger. It's super easy to make a batch of lo mein sauce and keep it in the fridge so you can easily make lo mein whenever the craving hits.

Important ingredients for Cantonese Soy Sauce Chow Mein

Not so much for the flavor aspect, but for the noodles to turn into that beautiful dark color. Dark soy sauce can be found in most grocery stores, but to be safe I would recommend going to an Asian grocery store.

CHICAGO CHOW MEIN: Slices of vegetables in a dark sauce with mushrooms, water chestnuts, and pea pods.

At my local Chinese, they call this Crispy Chow Mein Noodles. It's a Hong Kong / Cantonese style dish, and there are a lot of variations but the core of it is a bed of deep fried crunchy noodles topped with a saucy stir fry.

Chow mein noodles: I make chow mein with dried Chinese egg noodles, which are usually labeled “chow mein noodles,” “stir-fry noodles” or “lo mein noodles” in American grocery stores.

In the American market, two types of chow mein include crispy chow mein and steamed chow mein. The steamed chow mein has a softer texture, while the former is crisper and drier. Crispy chow mein uses fried, flat noodles, while soft chow mein uses long, rounded noodles.

While chow mein with thin crisp noodles is a staple of many Chinese take-out restaurants, more authentic versions of chao mian have soft noodles. The main difference between the two comes down to frying time: for dryer, crisper noodles, add more oil and increase the frying time.

Carbon steel woks are known to impart a smoky, caramelized taste, but any wok works fine as long as the frying technique is right. To give your chow mein a smoky flavor, drizzle soy sauce around the edges of the wok as you fry the chow mein, making sure the surface is a little oily so the sauce won't burn.

What can I use instead of oyster sauce? ›

If you don't add enough soy sauce, spices, or other seasonings, the dish may end up tasting bland. Inadequate sauce: The sauce is what ties all the ingredients together in lo mein noodles. If the sauce is too thin or lacks depth, it can contribute to a bland taste.

Can I do Chow Mein without rice wine nor substituting it? The vinegar will add a sour taste to the dish that you may or may not like, but is not a good substitute for rice wine. Sherry is often used, but I find it a bit funky in Chinese dishes.

However, it is essential to note that chow mein is typically high in sodium and calories, and consuming it in large quantities or as part of a diet high in processed foods may contribute to an increased risk of certain health conditions, including obesity and heart disease.

A great Chow Mein comes down to the sauce, made of soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, sugar and cornstarch for thickening. Slippery noodles slick with the savoury sauce is noodle heaven!

Largely this is a matter of personal taste since both dishes can be made to your preference. If you prefer lightly sauced noodles with some crunch and vegetables with some snap, chow mein might be the way to go. If you like a more comforting noodle with richly flavored sauce, lo mein may be the better option.

Crispy chow mein uses fried, flat noodles, while soft chow mein uses long, rounded noodles. Crispy chow mein either has onions and celery in the finished dish or is served "strained", without any vegetables.

Tesco Chow Mein Stir Fry Sauce 165g - Tesco Groceries.