Question

How to Make Chow Mein at Home
how to make Chow mein is one of the most popular dishes in Chinese restaurants. It's also easy to make at home!
The secret to great chow mein is ensuring that the noodles and vegetables are well-cooked. It's also important to use a good sauce with plenty of flavor and sweetness. Toasted sesame oil adds a nice touch of nuttiness and brown sugar is a great way to balance out any saltiness.
Noodles
Chow mein is a quick one-pan meal that’s loaded with tender juicy chicken, crunch colorful veggies and springy noodles all brought together with an extra fragrant brown sauce. The recipe is easy to follow and the ingredients are affordable and available at your local grocery store. This is a healthy, hearty, delicious and satisfying dinner that makes a great weeknight meal for the whole family.
The first step is to prepare the noodles. If you’re using chow mein noodles, just follow the package instructions. If you can’t find chow mein noodles, use ramen or yakisoba noodles (the ones without the packet seasoning). If you want to add more vegetables, try adding bell peppers, celery, mushrooms, snow peas, water chestnuts or bok choy.
After the noodles are prepared, heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a wok or nonstick skillet over medium high heat. Add onion, cabbage and the whites of the green onions and Chow Mein stir fry for a minute or two. Then, transfer the veggies to a plate. To the pan, add another tablespoon of vegetable oil and add a medley of vegetables. You can use what’s in your fridge or pantry, but try to keep the veggies light in color. They’ll cook up quickly, so it’s important to not overcrowd the pan.
Making Chow Mein
Stir-fry over high heat until the veggies are softened and lightly browned, then add the garlic and ginger. When the garlic and ginger start to become fragrant, add a tablespoon of soy sauce and cook for another minute or two. Return the veggie medley and noodles to the pan and toss them in the sauce. Garnish with a sprinkle of green onion and serve.
To make this chow mein even healthier, try replacing the soy sauce with half light soy sauce and half chicken broth or stock. You can also use a non-alcoholic substitute for the Chinese cooking wine like mirin, cooking sake or dry sherry. The sauce also reheats really well, so this is a perfect dinner to have on hand for busy nights. The best part is that it only takes about 30 minutes to make a full, balanced meal!
Sauce
A good chow mein starts with the sauce, and a great sauce begins with good ingredients. You’ll want to use a high-quality soy sauce that’s low in sodium, and consider adding dark soy for flavor, Chinese cooking wine or mirin for a subtle umami kick, oyster sauce or vegetarian oyster sauce for richness, garlic for punch, chicken broth for thickness, and a pinch of corn starch to help thicken the sauce.
When you’re ready to start cooking, heat a tablespoon of oil in your wok or large skillet over medium-high heat until just starting to shimmer. Add the ginger and garlic, and saute for a minute or two until fragrant but not yet browning.
Chow Mein with Yasmin
Once your aromatics are in the pot, add your liquids and bring to a simmer. Then, whisk in the corn starch, which will instantly thicken the sauce and give it a smooth texture. Keep in mind that chow mein isn’t supposed to be soupy, but if you prefer your noodles more watery than crunchy, feel free to stir in more chicken stock or water until the consistency is right for you.
You’ll also want to add a little salt, pepper, and freshly ground black sesame seed for Chow Mein additional flavor, as well as a pinch of sugar to balance out the savory notes from the soy sauce. And, lastly, don’t forget the chili oil! It adds a kick of heat that can make this chow mein a true standout.
Once the sauce is made, it’s time to add the noodles. For authentic chow mein, you’ll want to use a yellow, thin, wavy egg-based noodle that comes fresh in the refrigerated section of most grocery stores (look for it near the mushrooms or tofu). You can also buy the dried version, but they won’t be quite the same.
Toss the noodles in with the sauce, and stir-fry them quickly until they are tender but still have a nice bite to them, about 2-3 minutes. Add the bean sprouts and scallions and stir-fry for another minute until they wilt. Then, plate the chow mein and garnish with green onions and sesame seeds to serve.
Vegetables Chow Mein
Vegetable Chow Mein is a light and flavorful dish that is perfect for busy weeknights. It is easy to customize by adding different vegetables and proteins and by tweaking the sauces. It is also gluten-free if you substitute the noodles with gluten-free ones and use tamari or another low-sodium soy sauce. To make this vegetarian chow mein even more flavorful, we recommend adding a splash of Chinese cooking wine and/or a drizzle of toasted sesame oil for extra umami.
Veggie chow mein is packed with crisp vegetables and tender noodles in an irresistible homemade Chinese garlic sauce. It is made with a handful of ingredients and whipped up in just minutes. This easy recipe is perfect for dinner or a side dish to any meal.
To make the best chow mein, you want to start with perfectly cooked noodles. This means blanching them in boiling water for a minute or two until they are softened and loosened up a bit. This is an easy step that makes all the difference when it comes to a restaurant quality dinner.
The vegetables in chow mein are very important for flavor and texture. They should be finely sliced and cooked just enough so they still have a bite. We love using bok choy, cabbage, carrots, snow peas, and green beans in our chow mein, but you can use any veggies you like. Toss them with a few pinches of salt and freshly ground black pepper for an added burst of flavor.
For a meaty option, add cooked chicken breast or shrimp for an extra protein boost. You can also add tempeh or tofu for a vegetarian or vegan option. Tofu or tempeh is easily stir fried in the wok with the other vegetables to cook them and add some protein. Eggs are another easy way to add more protein. Simply scramble them in a little toasted sesame oil and then remove them from the wok before proceeding with the rest of the recipe.
The homemade chow mein sauce is simple and requires only 5 ingredients: soy sauce, oyster sauce, mirin, rice wine vinegar, and brown sugar. The flavors work together to create a rich and flavorful sauce that is so much better than any store-bought chow mein sauce!
Protein
Chow mein is a delicious way to get your veggies and protein in one meal. Served with a healthy sauce, it can be topped with any protein you want — chicken, beef, pork, shrimp or tofu are popular choices. The dish is usually tossed with plenty of crunchy vegetables like bean sprouts, shredded cabbage and carrots. It also typically includes a handful of green onions (aka spring onions) for brightness and flavor.
The sauce for chow mein is easy to make and the ingredients come together quickly. A standard chow mein sauce includes soy sauce, oyster sauce, light sesame oil, chicken broth and corn starch. The corn starch acts as a thickener and Chow Mein helps bring the sauce together. Toasted sesame oil adds a subtle nutty flavor and a little bit of warmth. You can also add a splash of Chinese cooking wine or a drizzle of white pepper to enhance the flavor of the sauce.
To make a healthy version of chow mein, swap the chicken for shrimp or tofu. It’s also a great way to sneak in some extra vegetables to the kids’ dinner! The crunchy noodles and slightly sweet sauce make it the perfect dish for disguising veggies. Rather than using the typical cabbage and bean sprouts, try adding bok choy, water chestnuts, mushrooms or snow peas to your stir-fried chow mein.