# Chow Mien recipes needed.



## austin_

I hate takeout, but I love making Chinese food at home. However, I'm really on a lookout for a great chow mien recipe- it doesn't have to be fancy or super complicated, but I would like it to be delicious. Any help possible would be great. Thank you!


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## mezzaluna

What meat (if any) do you prefer? Any flavors, veggies, etc. that are favorites?


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## austin_

I kind of like chicken chow mien a lot. As far as veggies go, I like onions, carrots, scallions, and garlic. I usually like my chow mien with teriyaki, ginger, or some kind of aciditic, such as lime or lemon. I don't usually cook chinese food a lot, and (forgive me for being a food snob ), but all the recipes on the net seem to contain those nasty, rotten, cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, etc. etc, and I would never even touch a can of that stuff . I don't need a recipe, but it would be nice if I could get down the procedures so I could make it at home, and then I could experiment with adding all of my favorites later. I can cook Italian, I can cook Japanese (suprisingly), I can cook Tex-Mex, I can definately cook American, but there's something about these Chinese dishes that really get me confused. I guess it's because I've never really cooked it at home or had a relative who liked to cook it as well. Thank you for responding.


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## dc sunshine

Chow Mein Noodles - Chow Mein Recipe

You might like to have a look at this recipe. It is pretty much the same as what I do and the method works really well. Plus the bonus of no canned soups (I can't abide them for Chinese cooking either). You can leave out or substitute the various veggies for your preference, just start with the harder/longest cooking ones first. You could also vary the wonton noodles to noodles you prefer. I also like to add some garlic at the same time as the onions - just be careful not to burn it or the whole dish will be spoilt.

Have fun! - DC


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## mezzaluna

DC Sunshine posted what looks like a good recipe to start with, Austin. Seems to be a stir fry with the crispy fried noodles ('mein' means noodles).


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## austin_

It looks really good. Perhaps a little too many ingredients for my taste however. But it does look pretty easy, and it gives me a lot of good ideas for making it my own. Thank you. I really appreciate it.


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## dc sunshine

Welcome Austin - let us know how you go


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## headless chicken

Chow Mein is nothing more then a noodle version of Fried Rice, just about anything goes. But the 1 thing I do look out for when it comes to making it is the noodles, my grandmother swore by specific brands whenever she would make chow mein and it made a world of a difference.

Generall, heres what I do.

In a wok, heat up some corn or veg oil and season a little with salt. Fry the noodles till chrispy and set aside.

Back onto the wok, cook your meats (I like using left over BBQ pork from the chinese BBQ restaurants, large dices), add some veg (sugar snap peas are great with beef, some blanched bean sprouts does well with chicken), season and add oyster sauce. Pour it all over the noodles and its ready. 

With beef (flank steak, thin slices) or chicken (breast meat, cubed) say 1lb of either, marinate for minimum 30mins with:
1 heaping tbsp cornstarch
1 tbsp dark soya sauce
2 tsp sesame seed oil
1 tbsp corn or veg oil
my mother calls this the standard chinese marinade...its pretty much all purpose.


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## austin_

That's a nice way of putting it, chicken. I'll remember that. And the BBQ Pork sounds like a nice addition as well. Thank you so much. Highly appreciated. :roll:


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## pablopabla

If the above picture interests you, you can get my recipe for the above Stir-Fried Instant Noodles here. Replace the fish cake with any meat of your choice.


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## lady dewinters

Here's a recipes which you may wish to try:

Chicken chow mein

If I find some more good chow mein recipes then I'll post them here.


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## phoenixv

Headless chicken, that's a very good way to put it haha. You can even add a little rice wine if you like, or soy sauce.

Corn starch, I was told, was to soften the meat.

Is there a special type of noodle that becomes crispy? As the noodles I get from the supermarket are the type that need to be boiled, not fried, and even if you tried frying them they never really become crispy. However, if a certain type of noodles (I believe they are called yee mien) are used, then it is crispy naturally.


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## pablopabla

Erm...I think corn starch is used to make the outer layer smoother rather than softening the meat. I am unaware of its tenderizing properties.

As for crispy noodles, you might want to consider rice vermicelli (also called bee hoon). Deep fry it in oil and you'll get the crispiness you want. Yee mien looks like brown rubber-bands and are usually topped with a watery gravy to soften it prior to eating. It doesn't taste nice on its own.


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## phoenixv

Haha, I'll have to beg to differ based on personal choice then, as yee mien done on it's own is really crispy and me and my friend love it.

Yeah I know about the deep-fried vermicelli noodles, it's what they serve yam rings on! Not really my type though. It's down to personal taste I guess. 

Not sure on the corn starch, just heard it from someone haha. You most probably are right.


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## phatch

The reference is to "velveting", usually a combination of cornstarch and egg.

Here's an example: Velveting Chicken - Chinese Cooking Techniques  What is Velveting Chicken


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## lady dewinters

As you asked for help in making chow mein here's a chinese pork chow mein recipe. Try it out and let me know how it turns out for you.


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## pablopabla

Thanks for the link! I've been doing this so often in my cooking that I didn't even know it's called velveting!


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## linguini

Heres an excellent chicken chow mein recipe.

Alternatively, you can try beef chow fun,

or even Chinese chicken noodle broth


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## lady dewinters

If you like a pork chow mein recipe then please try this one and let me know what you think:

pork chow mein


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## boar_d_laze

Milady,

Two problems: (A) Your link doesn't work; and (B) There's a 28 month gap between the last thread and yours.

Interesting nic. Is it taken from the Lady de Winter of _The Three Musketeers_?

BDL


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## chefguy

This ones a knockout!!


Serves 6

Ingredients

* 3 cups finely shredded cooked chicken
* 1/2 cup oil
* 1 1/2 cups diced canned water chestnuts
* 1 1/2 cups diced canned bamboo shoots
* 3 cups diced celery
* 2 cups sliced Chinese cabbage
* 3/4 cup diced mushrooms
* 1 large green pepper, diced
* 3/4 cup thinly sliced green beans
* 9 scallions, chopped
* 2 garlic cloves, minced
* 1 tablespoon sugar
* 3 cups chicken bouillon
* 3 tablespoons cornstarch
* 1/4 cup soy sauce
* 1 tablespoon salt
* freshly ground black pepper
* chow mein noodles.
* 3/4 cup toasting almonds

Method

Fry vegetables, sugar, salt and pepper in oil for 1 minute, stirring briskly. Add bouillon, bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Combine cornstarch, soy sauce and 4 tespoons water. Add to vegetable mixture and cook until thickened, stirring constantly. Add chicken and cook for 5 minutes. Serve with noodles, garnish with almonds.


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## phatch

Umm, maybe in a huge wok for a restaurant burner but at home that's a recipe for failure. Wok will be overloaded and spilling. A home burner won't heat that much volume for stir frying temperatures. 

a 10 minutes simmer, plus 5 minutes more with the chicken added? Isn't this supposed to be stir fry?

And mega salt dose betwee the mulitiple bouillion cubes, 1/4 cup of soy and tablespoon of salt. 

This recipe just doesn't make sense.


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## ed buchanan

buy yourself some rice noodles

Starch does not tenderize it helps seal in natural juices and satinizes the chicken


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## gnnairda

even my giant wok can't fit all that


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## chefguy

try mine, mine is good


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## phatch

That's what gNairdA's talking about. 

I don't believe you've ever cooked it according to that recipe. Ever. 

It won't fit in a wok and it makes no sense. I know it came from the forum on your site and you copied and pasted it word for word.

But if you'd cooked it, you'd know it doesn't work.


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## chris.lawrence

I really miss westernised chinese food- its so creative.

here chao mian is simply noodles, soy sauce, msg, a handful of green things and some shredded pork. BUT its the best street food you can find for 5 kuai (about 80c)!!

6 Kuai if you want mushrooms or egg with it (7 if you want both!)!


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## coulis-o

chow mein is one of my favourite chinese dishes, here's how i make it for chicken or beef chow mein::


Medium Egg noodles cooked in adequate ammount of chicken or beef stock, adding a dash of soy sauce when all the stock has been absorbed.

at the same time fry some onions, beansprouts, water chestnuts, spring onions, mushrooms in a wok until tender and set aside.
stir fry some chicken or beef strips in the wok until cooked adding a little salt and or soy sauce to season, then add all the ingredients to the wok for a final 2-3 mins stirring over a gentle heat
serve with prawn crackers :thumb:


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## chefguy

First, Wok have different size. The one you see in restaurant is the large size. I have a small one in my home. It is great, portable, most women can handle that easily.

stir fry means you have to stir. Simmer means you don't have to stir.
So, it is not a stir fry...


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## phatch

Chow is one of the two stir fry techniques. Mein means noodles. The dish above is not chow mein.


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## boar_d_laze

The profundity of, should not go unobserved. Bravo, sir. Bravo.

However, you miss phatch's point. Your recipe called for That is, the first 10 cups (!) of ingredients. It also called for adding another 6 cups of chicken and liquid after the fry-stirring (?!). It's true that many woks can handle a gallon of food for simmering, but it begs the question of, "why use a wok at all?" And one certainly wonders whether the putative female-friendly, portable, home-sized ones have the capacity. 

Finally, what about the noodles? Your recipe doesn't say much. You'd think a chow mein recipe would have a little to offer on the subject. 

BDL


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## gnnairda

so I guess its more like wet noodles .


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## chris.lawrence

Excuse me if there are westernised rules of chinese cuisine here that i'm missing but 炒 (chao) just means fry.

No expert in chinese cuisine- but my chinese is pretty good.


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## phatch

I'm no Chinese either. 

But what I've read is that there are two wok stir fry techniques. Chow is stirred with the shovel or ladle by most pros. Pao is a tossing technique for stir frying. Pao is more northern, chow more cantonese. 

So I've read.


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## chris.lawrence

Very interesting. One thing I always loved about Western(ised) cuisines are the immediate systems that are developed. Its something I see an incredible lack of here in every day cooking.


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