Chow mein

Name: Chow mein
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 55 min
Yield: 4 people
Cuisine: Cantonese
Ingredients: 400 g Egg noodles, fresh thin Hong Kong-style, or 250 g dried thin egg noodles; 1 tsp Dark soy sauce, for colour; 5 tbsp Neutral oil, 1 tbsp to toss, 4 tbsp for frying; 300 g Chicken, boneless thigh or breast, thinly sliced; 1 tsp Soy sauce, light; 1 tsp Potato or corn starch; 1 tbsp Neutral oil, 1 tsp for the marinade, the rest for the wok; 250 g Pak choi, choy sum or pak choi, in 5 cm lengths, stems and leaves apart; 150 g Mushrooms, shiitake, sliced; 1 small Carrot, thinly sliced; 150 g Bean sprouts; 2 clove Garlic, sliced; 10 g Ginger, cut into fine matchsticks; 3 piece Spring onion, cut into 4 cm lengths; 250 ml Chicken stock; 2 tbsp Oyster sauce; 1 tbsp Soy sauce, light; 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine; 1 tsp Sugar; 1 pinch White pepper; 1 tbsp Potato or corn starch; 1 tsp Toasted sesame oil

炒面

Cantonese pan-fried noodles: thin egg noodles fried into a crisp golden cake, then covered with chicken, greens and a glossy oyster-sauce gravy that softens it in places.

Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen. Native name preserved: 炒面.

Start cooking

Prep: 30 min
Cook: 25 min
Rest: None
Total: 55 min
Difficulty: Medium
Spice: No chilli
Cost: Weeknight budget$8–16 USD · indicative, not a store price

Know it before you cook it

Image coming soon

About

In a Hong Kong restaurant, chow mein often means this: a nest of thin fresh egg noodles fried flat until both sides are golden and crisp, slid onto a plate, and topped with a quick stir-fry of chicken, choy sum, mushrooms and bean sprouts in a light, glossy gravy. The gravy soaks into the middle while the edges stay crunchy, so every mouthful is part soft and part crisp. The noodles must be blanched, drained and dried well before frying, or they steam instead of crisping. Use a heavy pan, enough oil and some patience; the cake needs ten minutes to colour properly.

What you'll need

22 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.

0 of 22 ready

4 servings

Noodles
Chicken
Vegetables
Sauce

Ingredients

Servings

Noodles

Egg noodles, fresh thin Hong Kong-style, or 250 g dried thin egg noodles400 g
Dark soy sauce, for colour4.9 ml
Neutral oil, 1 tbsp to toss, 4 tbsp for frying74 ml

Chicken

Chicken, boneless thigh or breast, thinly sliced300 g
Soy sauce, light4.9 ml
Potato or corn starch4.9 ml
Neutral oil, 1 tsp for the marinade, the rest for the wok15 ml

Vegetables

Pak choi, choy sum or pak choi, in 5 cm lengths, stems and leaves apart250 g
Mushrooms, shiitake, sliced150 g
Carrot, thinly sliced1 small
Bean sprouts150 g
Garlic, sliced2 clove
Ginger, cut into fine matchsticks10 g
Spring onion, cut into 4 cm lengths3

Sauce

Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.

Steps

Step 1
Toss the chicken with the soy, cornflour and 1 tsp oil and leave 15 minutes. Mix all the sauce ingredients together in a jug.
15 min
Step 2
Loosen the noodles and blanch them in boiling water for 30 seconds if fresh, or as the packet says if dried, until just pliable. Drain, rinse under cold water, shake very dry and spread on a tray to air for 10 minutes. Toss with the dark soy and 1 tbsp oil.
15 min
Tip: Dry noodles make crisp noodles. Pat them with a tea towel if they still look wet.
Step 3
Heat 2 tbsp oil in a large heavy frying pan over medium heat. Spread the noodles in an even layer, press them flat and fry without moving for 5 to 6 minutes until golden and crisp underneath. Slide onto a plate, flip back into the pan with the last 2 tbsp oil, and crisp the second side for 4 to 5 minutes. Slide onto a serving plate.
12 min
Step 4
Heat a wok until smoking, add the rest of the chicken's 1 tbsp oil and stir-fry the chicken for about 2 minutes until just cooked. Lift it out.
3 min
Step 5
Add a splash more oil, then the garlic, ginger and carrot for 30 seconds, the mushrooms and choy sum stems for 1 minute, and the leaves, bean sprouts and spring onion for 30 seconds more.
3 min
Step 6
Return the chicken, stir the sauce and pour it in. Let it bubble for a minute until it thickens and turns glossy, then pour everything over the noodle cake and serve at once, with vinegar on the table if you like.
2 min

Nutrition

Per serving · estimate

Calories: 567 kcal
Protein: 44.3 g
Carbs: 19 g
Fat: 35.2 g
Saturated fat: 6.6 g
Fibre: 2.9 g
Sugar: 7.2 g
Sodium: 881 mg

Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.

Allergens

Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.

Wheat
Eggs
Soy
Shellfish
Sesame

Dairy-free
Nut-free

Adapt this recipe

The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.

Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 11 November.

Substitutions

Choy sum → Gai lan or Chinese leaf
Any green that stays crunchy works. Slice gai lan stems thinner so they cook in time.
Fresh thin egg noodles → Dried thin egg noodles
Cook them a minute less than the packet says and dry them well. The cake holds together a little less firmly.

Tips

Cut the noodle cake into wedges with kitchen scissors at the table. It is easier than knives and chopsticks.
Swap the chicken for prawns, beef, char siu or a mix. Seafood chow mein is the other restaurant standard.
If the cake breaks as you flip it, push it back together. The gravy hides everything.

History & culture

This is a Cantonese restaurant and cha chaan teng staple, ordered as a one-plate lunch or shared at dinner. Red vinegar sits on many tables for it, and a splash over the crisp noodles is the Hong Kong habit. Chinese takeaways abroad mostly sell a softer, tossed style under the same name.

Chao mian simply means fried noodles. The word travelled from Taishan and the Pearl River Delta with Cantonese emigrants to California, Britain and Australia in the 19th and 20th centuries, and entered English as chow mein. The crisp, pan-fried style is the restaurant version of Hong Kong and Guangzhou, a cousin of the Jiangnan dish called 'both sides yellow'.

Traditional — Hong Kong kitchens fry the noodle cake in a lot of oil in a wok and sometimes finish it in the deep-fryer. A heavy frying pan and moderate oil give a crisp cake at home without a pan of hot oil.

Provenance: Editorial adaptation.

Questions about this recipe

Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.

How long does Chow mein take?

55 min all in — 30 min prep, 25 min cook. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.

How many does it serve?

The recipe is written for 4 people. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.

How hard is it?

Medium.

How spicy is it?

No chilli.

What allergens should I watch?

This recipe is labelled for Wheat, Eggs, Soy, Shellfish, Sesame. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.

Does it fit a diet?

The published recipe is labelled Dairy-free, Nut-free.

12 more questions

What does it cost to cook?

Weeknight budget — about $8–16 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.

What equipment do I need?

Frying pan, Wok, Saucepan, Baking tray, Chef's knife, Cutting board.

How much salt do I put in?

This recipe does not list salt as its own ingredient. Saltiness comes from Dark soy sauce — 1 tsp (for colour); Soy sauce — 1 tsp (light); Oyster sauce — 2 tbsp; Soy sauce — 1 tbsp (light). Taste at the end rather than adding a number we did not write.

How much dark soy sauce?

1 tsp (for colour) of Dark soy sauce.

How much soy sauce?

1 tsp (light) of Soy sauce.

How much oyster sauce?

2 tbsp of Oyster sauce.

How much soy sauce?

1 tbsp (light) of Soy sauce.

How much sugar?

1 tsp of Sugar.

How much toasted sesame oil?

1 tsp of Toasted sesame oil.

What can I use instead?

Choy sum → Gai lan or Chinese leaf. Any green that stays crunchy works. Slice gai lan stems thinner so they cook in time. Fresh thin egg noodles → Dried thin egg noodles. Cook them a minute less than the packet says and dry them well. The cake holds together a little less firmly.

Any tips from this recipe?

Cut the noodle cake into wedges with kitchen scissors at the table. It is easier than knives and chopsticks. Swap the chicken for prawns, beef, char siu or a mix. Seafood chow mein is the other restaurant standard. If the cake breaks as you flip it, push it back together. The gravy hides everything.

Can I use an air fryer?

This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.