Chicken Chow mein

Chow mein is a popular Chinese recipe with stir-fried noodles, vegetables, and optionally meat, fish, or tofu. There isn't one specific chow mein recipe, as everyone has their own version. Here is my Nepalese-inspired chicken chow mein. You often read about lo mein as well. We will explain the similarities and differences between both of them later on in this article.

How to Make Chicken Chow Mein

Chicken chow mein is a delicious, crispy one-pan dish from the wok. With lots of vegetables, although there is some prep work involved. But after that, it's simple: stir and fry everything in the wok in roughly the right order.

We start by marinating the chicken. Cut the chicken into small pieces and sprinkle them with soy sauce. Let this marinate while you do the rest of the preparations. The marinade will ensure the chicken becomes nice and tender.

We also pre-cook the wok noodles. Check the packaging for instructions as this can vary depending on the type of noodles. Then drain them well.

Cutting the Vegetables

Meanwhile, we can finely chop the vegetables.

Peel the carrots and cut off the ends. Then halve them lengthwise. Finally, cut the lengthwise-halved carrots into half-moons.

Halve the mushrooms. Then slice the halved mushrooms.

Remove the stem from the pak choi. Then halve it lengthwise. Cut the pak choi into small pieces.

Cut the broccoli into small florets. Halve the florets if they are still relatively large. For two people, we need about half a broccoli.

Remove the hard outer skin from the onion and garlic cloves. Then chop both into small pieces.

Cut off the roots and the top green part of the spring onion. Then slice it into fine rings.

The skin of the ginger root is bitter. We don't need it, so cut it away. Then chop the yellow ginger root into small pieces.

Finally, there's the chili pepper. It can be either a red or green chili pepper. First, remove the stem and then halve it lengthwise. The seeds are the spiciest part. To avoid a fiery explosion, remove them. Then chop the remaining flesh into small pieces.

Frying the Noodles

For chow mein, it's very important that the noodles are stir-fried. As we will learn later, this is the main difference from lo mein.

So, heat olive oil in a pan. Once it's hot, place the drained noodles in the pan. Let them fry for a few minutes, stirring regularly.

Cooking the Chow Mein

While the noodles are frying, we will also stew the vegetables. First, heat oil in a large wok. Then stew the onion, garlic, ginger, spring onion, and chili pepper.

After a short time, add the carrots to the stew. Let this stew for a few minutes.

Then it's time to mix in the mushrooms and marinated chicken. Stir everything well together. It's also time to add the spices. These are the soy sauce left over from marinating the chicken, as well as lime juice. As dry spices, we add ground coriander and cumin to the wok dish. You can, of course, use other spices to your taste.

A few minutes later, add the broccoli florets and pak choi to the stewed vegetables in the wok. They don't need to cook for long, so they stay nice and crispy.

Finally, mix the stir-fried noodles into the chow mein. Let everything warm through for a few more minutes to allow the flavors to integrate. Then you can serve the delicious chicken chow mein in deep plates and serve immediately.

What is Chow Mein?

Chow mein consists of two words derived from Chinese (specifically the Taishan dialect). These words describe exactly what the dish is:

• Chow is derived from "Chao," which means to fry or stir-fry.
• Mein refers to "miàn" or "mien," which are noodles made from wheat.

So, it is stir-fried wheat noodles with lots of vegetables and optionally meat, fish, or tofu. They are often made with chicken or duck, and shrimp is also frequently added to chow mein.

The ideal method for preparing the noodles is as follows:

1. Boiling: Bring a pot of water to a boil and add the noodles. Cook them according to the instructions on the package, usually for a few minutes until they are almost done.
2. Draining: Drain the noodles and rinse them with cold water to stop the cooking process. This also helps to prevent them from sticking together.
3. Frying: Heat a bit of oil in a wok or large pan. Add the noodles and fry them over high heat, stirring regularly. You can now also add vegetables, meat, or sauce to taste.

This way, you get noodles that are crispy on the outside and soft on the inside.

The difference between chow mein and lo mein

Chow mein and lo mein are often used interchangeably, as if they are almost synonyms. But while the two dishes are quite similar, there are essential differences:

	Chow mein	Lo mein
Type of Noodles	Thin, hard noodles (made with wheat and eggs)	Long elastic noodles (Udon type)
Cooking Method	Boil, drain, stir-fry, mix with wok vegetables	Cook, drain, mix with the stir-fried vegetables
Texture	Crunchier	softer
Sauce	Less moisture to maintain the crunchy texture	A firmer thicker sauce that can adhere to the long soft noodles

The History of Chow Mein

Originally, chow mein is a Chinese dish. But I got to know it in Nepal, on the streets of Kathmandu. In the 1950s, many refugees from Tibet ended up in Nepal. And with them, their eating habits. It quickly became integrated into the local cuisine.

With the emigration of many Chinese to other parts of the world, their eating habits naturally emigrated with them. Thus, these Chinese stir-fried noodles also began their rise in the rest of the world.

Read more about chow mein in the following articles:

• Chow mein (Wikipedia).
• The untold truth about chow mein (Mashed).
• The difference between chow mein and lo mein (The Spruce Eats).
• Discover the origins of Chinese chow mein (Chef Reader).

More surprising.Chinese

We all known Chinese cuisine very well. At least we think so. But below you may find some surprising Chinese recipes that you will want to make:

• Chinese scrambled eggs with tomatoes.
• Sweet and sour fried Chinese chicken.
• Sweet and sour pork squares.

If you speak Dutch, you can find the Dutch version of this recipe on gerechtenweb.blog.