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I just want to make a PSA, and tell you all, that I NEED to eat some kind of noodle dish at least ONCE A WEEK to keep me sane. No noodles = no happiness. Noodles (and rice) are life. And I’m sorry that I cannot make a dish low in carbohydrates; it’s just not going to happen for me.

With that being said: this week, we are cooking Chow Mein. 🙂 Chow Mein is a Chinese stir-fried noodle dish, the name is a romanization of the Taishanese chāu-mèn, that is commonly found in most Chinese restaurants and takeout places. Chow Mein is cooked with many hidden vegetables, normally prepared with chicken or beef, but you can also find many vegetarian versions of this dish using tofu or a variety of other vegetables.

While I am a total nerd for any Asian noodle dish, I can honestly say, Chow Mein is my favorite because it is very savory and it has layers of rich flavors – which is all in the stir fry sauce. It also takes me back to my college days, living in the Philippines, and most of my meals were a fusion between Filipino and Chinese cuisines (I literally had fried noodles and steamed siomai on the side about eighty percent of my college years). Those were the days.

This dish, is generally, really easy to make. It can be time consuming because of the amount of chopping vegetables needed but once everything has been prepared, tossing all the ingredients into a single pan is easy.

CHOOSING YOUR NOODLES

I used frozen stir fried noodles found in the Asian frozen section. Chow Mein noodles are somewhat thinner and a bit shaggier. They are also slightly firmer, even when heated, as they are meant to crisp a little in high heat without losing its form and getting soggy from the sauce. You always want to check for any egg (or other animal ingredients) before purchasing stir fried noodles. I highly recommend going for frozen or pre-cooked noodles as they require less cooking or preparation time.

If you absolutely cannot find stir fry noodles in your area, ramen or yakisoba noodles will work just fine.

STIR FRY SAUCE

Key flavors of making a really great, all around stir fried sauce – especially in Asian cooking: rich, savory, a little sweet, nutty, with a hint of acidity or something funky like fermented flavors. For this recipe you will need:

  • Soy sauce
  • Sesame oil
  • Rice wine vinegar (Shaoxing wine for traditional Chinese flavors but you can swap with mirin, sake, soju, or white wine – see recipe notes for full lists of substitutes).
  • Hoisin sauce
  • Brown sugar
  • Corn starch

In all seriousness, you can use this stir fry sauce on any dish you’d like. If you are not feeling noodles, use it for a crispy tofu stir fry or on any other vegetables you desire. I will be sharing another recipe using this stir fry sauce in the next few days 😉

KEY INGREDIENTS NEEDED:

The following vegetables used are of my choice, both mixing traditional and what I prefer. You can always switch up and use whatever is available to you.

  • Carrots
  • Baby bok choy
  • Bell pepper (red)
  • Snap peas
  • Mushrooms (it’s a fungi but you get it)

CRISPY GARLIC TOPPING

Now this is when being Filipino (and a love for garlic) kicks in and I just had to top this wonderful noodle dish with crispy garlic. The result left a very delicious finishing touch and, while it is not necessary, I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT. Making crispy garlic at home is very easy, you just need to keep an eye on it from burning.

  • Slowly deep fry fresh minced garlic until they are golden brown (meaning add it while the oil is semi-heated and slowly cook from there)
  • Add red chili flakes in the mix for a little bit of heat
  • Strain the garlic out of the oil and let it cool so it can crisp up
  • Use the garlic oil for the stir fry itself or as a finishing touch

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Print Pin

Vegetable Chow Mein

Course Dinner, Entree, Lunch, Side Dish
Cuisine Asian, Chinese
Keyword Asian Cuisine, Noodles, Stir Fry, Vegan Noodles
Prep Time 25 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 50 minutes
Servings 4 people
Author The Earth Kitchen

Equipment

  • large sauté pan, cast iron, or wok
  • spatulas / tongs
  • Mixing bowls
  • strainer / colander

Ingredients

  • 550 g (5-6 cups) stir fry noodles (see notes)
  • 1 large (¾ cup) carrots julienned or sliced into matchsticks
  • 1 lb (1 cup) snap peas thinly sliced
  • 1 whole red bell pepper julienned or sliced into matchsticks
  • 1 head baby bok choy roughly chopped
  • ½ large (1 cup) white or yellow onions thinly sliced
  • 3 cloves (2 tbsp) garlic crushed & minced
  • 1 tsp fresh ginger minced
  • 1 cup white portobella mushrooms roughly chopped
  • 2 stalks green onions thinly sliced
  • sesame seeds for garnish
  • black or white pepper to taste

FOR THE STIR FRY SAUCE

  • 3 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
  • 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar (see notes)
  • 1 tsp corn starch
  • ½ tbsp sesame oil

FOR THE CRISPY GARLIC TOPPING (OPTIONAL STEP)

  • 1 whole head garlic minced
  • 1½ cup cooking oil
  • 1 tbsp red chili flakes

Instructions

FOR THE CRISPY GARLIC TOPPING (OPTIONAL)

  • Preheat a frying pan on medium heat and generously coat in oil (about ⅓ inch deep). Toss in the minced garlic to slowly fry and stir around every minute to prevent it from burning. If you wish to add heat, add a tablespoon of red pepper flakes into the oil and stir.
    Continuously stir until garlic becomes golden brown and crispy. Be careful, if you feel that your stove top is getting too hot, lower down the heat. Over frying the garlic will make it bitter. This process may take between 5-10 minutes depending on your stove top. Strain garlic from the oil and let it cool. It will crisp up as it cools down. DO NOT DISPOSE GARLIC OIL, this can be used as an aroma oil for cooking and condiment for Asian cuisines.

FOR THE SAUCE

  • Using a small mixing bowl, whisk together all the ingredients until well combined. Set aside until ready for use.

FOR THE CHOW MEIN

  • Carefully read instructions for preparing stir-fry noodles. If you are using frozen stir fry noodles (see notes), soak the stir fry noodles in hot water for 5 minutes and allow it to soften. Drain on a colander and pat dry before using.
  • Preheat a pan (cast iron or wok) into medium high heat. Coat with a tablespoon of cooking oil (or the garlic infused aroma oil used for the garlic crisp). Once pan is fully heated, toss the stir fry noodles and allow it to crisp a little bit by leaving it alone on the pan on each side. Pour (2) tablespoons of the stir fry sauce on the noodles and mix. Parts of your noodles might crisp or caramelize a little (depending on your pan) and that is perfectly normal. Give it 4-6 minutes to pan fry.
  • Remove the noodles from the pan and set aside. Using the same pan, coat another tablespoon of oil and stir fry the aromatics first – such as the onions, ginger, and garlic. Stir until fragrant. Next, add in the mushrooms and toss until it shrivels in size before adding the of the vegetables. Add the vegetable ingredients such as the carrots, snap peas, and bell peppers.
    PLEASE NOTE: It is important that you don't toss all the ingredients all at once; mushrooms release liquid and if it is not fully cooked or pan is not heated properly, it will turn into a puddle of mess. Be sure all ingredients are nice and dry before tossing into the pan.
  • Add the noodles back in and stir. Gradually add the stir fry sauce (season according to your liking) and mix until well combined. Add the chopped bok choy and fold into the mix. Let the stir fry noodles sit on the pan for about 3-4 minutes before turning off the heat. Toss in green onions and sesame seeds to finish. Sprinkle with black or white pepper to taste. Top with crispy garlic to serve with a small drizzle of aroma oil.

Notes

Stir Fry Noodles – You can use frozen stir fried noodles in any Asian frozen section of the grocery store. Packaging would normally be labelled as Stir Fry Noodles or Chow Mein noodles – ideally made for crispy noodles. If you cannot find these in the frozen aisle, you can also get them dried or use any dehydrated noodles of your choice; though it may require boiling beforehand. I prefer using frozen because it requires less time to rehydrate and it will keep the Chow Mein from getting soggy. Always check for eggs or dairy in any noodle products.
Rice Wine Vinegar – Traditional Chinese cuisines make use of Shaoxing Wine – which is a dark rice wine vinegar that resembles a very light soy sauce. This may require deep diving into Asian supermarkets OR ordering online on Amazon. Accessible substitutes will include dry sherry wine (found in most cooking wine section of main grocery stores), mirin (Japanese rice wine which you can pick up at Tokyo Mart in Tamuning if you live on Guam or in most Asian markets), sake (Japanese rice wine), plain soju (Korean wine made from rice, wheat, or barley), any white cooking wine, and non-alcoholic options like veggie broth, mushroom broth, and the Better Than Bouillon vegetable base (diluted in a tablespoon of water).