This easy 15-minute Chow Mein is sure to become your new family’s favorite weeknight meal! It’s crisp fresh veggies that are quickly sautéed and then tossed together with yummy Chinese egg noodles and a homemade simple stir fry sauce that is bursting with layers of Asian flavor.
Easy Chow Mein Recipe
Noodle lovers, this recipe rocks! Just like my Asian noodle recipes for Quick Chicken Peanut Noodles and Thai Drunken Noodles, this is one of those dishes that proves sometimes cooking at home is quicker than takeout! And cheaper too. Let’s face it, with these rising prices it matters!
And it’s a really versatile recipe! You can serve these tasty noodles as is or use them as a base for a more complex Asian palate pleaser. Why!?! Because this recipe for chow mein is easy to transform into shrimp, beef, or chicken chow mein with little effort. What matters most is that you use the 6-ingredient sauce and cook the dish as instructed in the recipe.
It’s a quick and easy foolproof dish! One that will please the most hungry kids or noodle loving adults.
Why You’ll Love This Chow Mein Recipe
- Quick and Easy! It’s an incredible plate of simple noodly goodness that you can whip together in just 15-minutes using just one pan.
- Oodles of Noodles! This dish is like one of the ultimate Asian-style comfort foods. It’s filling, super tasty, and leaves you wanting more with each and every bite.
- Easily Customizable! It’s easy to add any protein or veggies you like to this recipe, which means it’s perfect to suit all your Asian noodle cravings.
Ingredients You’ll Need
Sir Fry Sauce
- Oyster Sauce – It’s the base of the sauce and adds a deep umami flavor. But be sure to omit it if you have any shellfish allergies. There are vegan versions you can use instead.
- Soy Sauce (Low Sodium) – I always use a low sodium variety to control the added salt. However, regular soy sauce will work just as well as gluten-free tamari.
- Dark Soy Sauce – It’s a bit sweeter as well as both thicker and darker in color. You can find it in any Asian grocery store and oftentimes in your local market too.
- Rice Wine Vinegar – Made from rice, it is less acidic than regular vinegar.
- Sesame Oil – Makes the dish along with the oyster sauce. It’s full of rich toasted sesame flavor and should not be substituted.
- Hot Water – Works to both thin out the sauce a tad and aid in cooking the noodles. You must add the hot water.
Stir Fry
- Vegetable Oil – Any type of neutral oil like vegetable, soybean, or canola will work.
- Garlic – Always use fresh garlic for the best results, especially in Asian recipes.
- Cabbage – I like using Napa cabbage, but regular cabbage works well too.
- Red Bell Pepper – Adds a little more flavor and a dash of color.
- Carrots – I use julienne my carrots, but you can also use shredded carrots.
- Chow Mein Noodles – You will find these in the grocery store in the Asian aisle. However, if you have trouble finding them you can replace them with ramen noodles, spaghetti, or some other thin egg noodles.
- Green Onions – Adds a layer of flavor and a lovely colorful garnish.
How To Make Chow Mein
This noodle dish is basically composed of an amazing no-cook stir fry sauce that is used to coat all the other chow mein ingredients. It’s a super tasty 15-minute recipe that you are going to fall in love with!
Make The Stir Fry Sauce
To begin, make the sauce that coats the noodles by whisking all the ingredients together in a medium size bowl. It’s super easy to do, but the water must be hot! It’s not optional. Then set the sauce aside for a later step.
Stir Fry The Veggies
Once the sauce is made, it’s time to get cooking! Start by heating the vegetable oil over medium-high in a large wok or skillet. Then add the garlic and cook for just 30 seconds until aromatic. No longer! Next, add the cabbage, red bell pepper, and carrot to the wok and continue to saute until the cabbage starts to wilt. Also, you need to be continuously moving the veggies around while sautéing to ensure even cooking and prevent them from burning.
Add And Cook The Noodles
Now it’s time to get noodling! So add the noodles to the wok with the veggies. Next, pour the stir fry sauce over everything and let it sit for about 1 to 2 minutes to give the noodles time to soften up. Now, toss it all together until all the ingredients are well coated in the sauce. Finally, throw in the chopped green onions and toss once more to finish the dish!
Garnish And Serve
To serve, add a few more chopped green onions for garnish if you like. Then dish out the noodles into your favorite bowls and eat as is or topped with some Garlic Soy Chicken! And if you like, for a full-blown Asian dinner experience start with some Homemade Egg Rolls.
Can I Use Other Types Of Noodles?
Yes! Ramen noodles are a fantastic alternative! Just keep in mind that thin noodles work best and some noodles may need to be precooked or soaked before adding to the dish.
Can I Add Meat Or Tofu?
Yes! You can easily saute some sliced chicken, beef, or shrimp before adding the veggies. However, if you want to add tofu, I suggest using extra firm tofu. Then saute it first, remove it from the wok, and add it to the chow mein at the very end with the green onions to prevent it from falling apart.
Can I Make Vegetarian Chow Mein?
Yes! Just use a vegetarian-friendly oyster sauce, which is pretty easy to find. Then the recipe is completely meat-free and vegetarian.
Expert Tips
- No wok required. There’s no need to buy a wok to make this recipe. Just use an extra large skillet instead with a surface big enough to properly stir fry all the ingredients.
- Hot water is a must. When making the sauce you must use hot water to both thin it out correctly and aid in cooking the noodles.
- Fully cook added protein. If you choose to add a protein to the dish it needs to be fully cooked before mixing it together with the noodles and stir fry sauce.
Storage
Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months when stored in an airtight container. To reheat, just pop the noodles in the microwave for a few minutes on medium power. You can also reheat them on the stovetop in a pan. However, when reheating from frozen, allow the noodles to completely thaw out first.
Other Great Recipes To Try
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Chow Mein
Ingredients
Stir Fry Sauce
- ¼ cup oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce low sodium
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons rice wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons sesame oil
- 1 cup hot water
Stir Fry
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 3 cups shredded cabbage
- 1 medium red bell pepper julienned
- 1 medium carrot peeled and julienned
- 12 ounces chow mein noodles
- 2 green onions chopped
Instructions
- In a medium size bowl, whisk all the sauce ingredients together and set aside.
- In a large wok or skillet heat the vegetable oil over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds until aromatic.
- Add the cabbage, bell pepper and carrot to the wok and cook for 2 to 3 minutes until cabbage starts to wilt.
- Add the noodles and pour the prepared sauce over the noodles and toss everything together until well coated. Stir in the green onions.
- Serve immediately.
Tips & Notes:
- No wok required. There’s no need to buy a wok to make this recipe. Just use an extra large skillet instead with a surface big enough to properly stir fry all the ingredients.
- Hot water is a must. When making the sauce you must use hot water to both thin it out correctly and aid in cooking the noodles.
- Fully cook added protein. If you choose to add a protein to the dish it needs to be fully cooked before mixing it together with the noodles and stir fry sauce.
- Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months when stored in an airtight container.
