Recipes for Self Isolation
Mom's Crispy Chow Mein
As we're eating dinner, my mom complains that she's made the chow mein too crispy–to which my sister and I emphatically yell "THAT'S HOW WE LIKE IT." After a few bites she concedes, telling us that it reminds her of what popo and gong gong (our grandparents) would order for siu yeh.
In Chinese culture, siu yeah is your equivalent to a late-night snack, or more commonly known as your fourth meal. Growing up, she remembers the round tin foil containers full of crispy chow mein delivered to her door step.
Since chow mein is embedded within our western world's take-out culture, and since take-out for some, isn't an option right now, I thought I'd share my easy chow mein recipe. When I was living in the UK, I noticed that there was no differentiation between chow mein and lo mein, so while we're here, the main difference between chow mein and lo mein is: authentic chow mein noodles are fried to crispness, while lo mein noodles are boiled, tossed, and soft in texture. Now that I've got that off my chest...chow mein is great because it's one of those add "everything in your fridge dishes": you can use chicken, pork, beef, prawn, and just about any veggie you can find! My typical chow mein "order" at home is chicken, prawns, baby bok choy, bean sprouts, carrots, onion and cabbage, and green onions. Today our bean sprouts got slimy so we had to toss them. Pictured here is my "quarantine chow mein" thrown together with a frozen chicken breast, leftover baby bok choy, leftover cabbage, carrot, and onion.
Other good combos if you have the ingredients around:
-beef, green pepper, onion
-broccoli, mushroom, carrots, bok choy, snow peas, canned baby corn!
-prawn and gai lan (omg)
Ingredients (for 4 people)
- 1 chicken breast
- 1 bag of fresh (or dried) chow mein noodles - you can find these at any grocery store
- 1/2 onion
- 2 green onions
- 4 cups of finely chopped or shredded cabbage
- 1 small carrot or 1/2 a large carrot , julienned
- 1 & 1/2 cups bean sprouts (washed!)
- 2-4 cups of baby bok choy.
Chicken Marinade
- 1 tsp. sesame oil
- 2 tbsp. shaoxing wine or sherry
- 1 tsp. salt
- few slivers of ginger
- half a tsp of cornstarch
Sauce
- 1 & 1/2 tbsp. of cornstarch mixed with 1/4 cup water
- 2 tbsp. oyster sauce
- 1 & 1/2 tsp. soy sauce
- 1/2 & 1/2 tsp. shaoxing wine
- 1/2 tsp. sesame oil
Instructions:
1. Marinate the Chicken
- Cut the chicken against the grain into thin slices and put it in a bowl. Add chicken marinade to bowl, mix well, and set aside to marinate for 15-30 mins at room temperature.
2. Prepare the Vegetables and Noodles
- Thinly slice the onions, cabbage, bok choy and carrots. Rinse your bean sprouts and set aside.
- Fill your pot/wok with hot water and bring to a boil. Blanch the noodles in boiling water for a few minutes to soften/loosen them.
- Drain your noodles and set aside in a colander.
3. Make your sauce
- In a bowl, combine 1/4 cup of cold water and corn starch and mix until the corn starch has dissolved well with no clumps.
- Add your sauce ingredients into a bowl and mix until the sauce is smooth. Set aside.
4. Crisping the Noodles
- In a wok or frying pan, set the heat to medium to medium-high heat.
- Add 2-4 tablespoons of canola oil to the pan and wait for the oil to smoke.
- Add in the noodles and let them fry untouched for 1-2 minutes (depending on how hot your stove can get). Flipping once every minute for around 5-8 minutes.
- My mom and I like to fry our noodles in small batches to make sure they crisp evenly. Heat your oven and keep your noodles in a heat-proof dish to keep them crisp and warm in-between batches.
- Once the noodles are crispy and done, remove them from the pan and spread it out on a serving plate or into your dish.
5. Putting it Together
- Set the stove to medium-high heat again and add a tbsp. of oil if necessary.
- When the oil is hot, add in the slices of ginger and fry until golden and aromatic.
- Add the chicken and fry it for 5-8 minutes until the chicken is cooked. Take your chicken out of the pan and set aside in a bowl or plate.
- Add in your onions, cabbage, carrots, bok choy and bean sprouts. Toss for 2-3 minutes (I like my veg to still be crunchy)
- Take your cooked veggies and set them aside.
- Give your sauce a quick stir and add to the hot pan. Stir consistently- once the sauce heats up, it will start to thicken and bubble, your sauce will be done when it becomes darker, translucent and thick.
- Toss your meat and veggies back into the sauce. Making sure everything is coated, cook for about 1 minute.
- Pour everything over your noodles and you're finished!
*if you're making lo mein, toss your noodles in your pan for a few minutes after cooking your meat and vegetables, then set aside. Once your sauce is made, add your lo mein, cooked meat and veggie altogether and stir fry for a few minutes.
