Plain Chow Mein
Simple plain chow mein with bean sprouts, spring onions, and delicious savoury sauce. Made with minimum cupboard-friendly ingredients and taste just like your favourite Chinese takeaway. Ready in 15 minutes and so delicious!
Servings: 2 - 3
Calories: 529kcal
Equipment
- 1 Large wok or pan Non-stick or traditional carbon steel wok
- 1 Medium pot For boiling noodles
Ingredients
- 150 grams Dried egg noodles About 5.3oz, Medium/thick dried egg noodles, see details in note
- 2 cloves Garlic Finely chopped
- ½ Onion Cut thin slices
- 100 grams Bean sprouts Washed/cleaned
- 3-4 Spring onion Cut 2" pieces
- 1 tsp Chicken powder Chicken bouillon powder or msg, see details in note
- 2-3 tbsp Cooking oil Sunflower, canola, vegetable, peanut oil, etc.
Chow mein sauce
- 1 tbsp Light soy sauce thin soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Dark soy sauce thick dark soy sauce
- 1 tsp Sesame oil toasted sesame oil
- 1 tbsp Brown sugar or regular white sugar
Instructions
- Prepare the dried noodles according to the packet instructions. Then rinse with cold water and set it aside. ( If you are using fresh egg noodles, you can skip this step. )
- Meanwhile the noodles are boiling, prepare the vegetables. Combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until sugar dissolved. Set them aside.
- Heat the large wok/pan over medium-high heat, drizzle 2-3 tbsp of vegetable oil. Add onions and garlics and stir fry for a few seconds until fragrant.
- Next, add the noodles, add chicken powder and pour the sauce mixture over the noodles.
- Bring the heat to high and stir fry 1-2 minutes or until the sauce dries out.
- Add bean sprouts and spring onions and toss everything well for 1-2 minutes.
- Transfer to a serving plate and serve immediately! Enjoy!
Notes
- Noodles - Medium-thick dried or fresh egg noodles, chow mein noodles, or lo mein noodles are ideal for this recipe. You can also add wheat noodles, wholewheat noodles, pasta, udon, etc.
- Dry noodles cooking time - it usually takes 3-4 minutes to boil them, but it can vary according to the brands you use. So make sure to check the packet instructions and make sure to rinse with cold water just right after boiling it.
- Fresh egg noodles - If you are using fresh noodles you will need 350-400 grams ( 12.3-14.1 oz ) of noodles.
- Chicken powder - is a chicken bouillon powder, and it brings a rich umami flavour to the noodles. The secret behind the delicious Chinese takeaway plain noodles is the' Msg '. So if you wish to taste your chow mein like takeaway, you will need to add msg or chicken powder. Vegetable/vegetarian seasoning powder can be also used.
- Vegetables - bean sprouts, onions, and spring onions ( green onions ) are ideal for this recipe but you can swap them with your choice of stir fry vegetables.
- Protein choice - you can also add fried prawns, cooked chicken slices/strips, fried egg, fried tofu, or your choice of meat or seafood.
- If you have leftovers, you can keep them in the fridge in an air-tight container for a couple of days. Simply reheat in the microwave or over the stovetop for 1-2 minutes until hot, before serving.
- Do I need salt? Soy sauces, chicken powder, and some noodles brands contain salt and I don't usually add extra salt. You can make a taste test and sprinkle some salt to your taste if needed. Or if you prefer your noodles less salty, you can add low-sodium soy sauces or reduce the amount of sauces.
Nutrition
Calories: 529kcal | Carbohydrates: 65g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 26g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 0.1mg | Sodium: 2286mg | Potassium: 341mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 200IU | Vitamin C: 13mg | Calcium: 62mg | Iron: 4mg
