How to Make Chicken Chow Mein | MYOTO | Rachael Ray (2024)

FAQs

What is chow mein sauce made of? ›

The BEST Chow Mein Sauce:

Combine soy sauce, light sesame oil, oyster sauce, granulated sugar, cornstarch, and chicken broth to make the signature sweet and savory sauce that makes chow mein taste authentic.

Ideally, you'd use thin, fresh chow mein, or fresh pan fried noodles. They're thinner than lo mein and contain less egg compared to wonton mein, resulting in a crispy, chewy texture when pan fried.

For chow mein, we half-cook the noodles, put them into the wok to stir fry them with other ingredients, then add the sauce. For lo mein, we boil the noodles until fully cooked, stir fry the other ingredients with sauce, then toss the noodles in the sauce.

The biggest difference between chow mein and lo mein lies in the translations of their names: chow mein is fried, and lo mein is tossed. The experience is somewhat different between the two. Lo mein tends to be saucier and more toothsome, with a texture some describe as “slippery” because of the noodles' softness.

The careful combination of ingredients like soy sauce, sesame oil, oyster sauce and sugar results in a chow mein sauce that has hints of both savory and sweet notes.

Oyster Sauce: Oyster sauce is said to have originated when an oyster seller left his oysters over the heat for too long, and they became a rich, caramelized sauce, which is used in many Chinese food dishes, including Chinese brown sauce.

In the American market, two types of chow mein include crispy chow mein and steamed chow mein. The steamed chow mein has a softer texture, while the former is crisper and drier. Crispy chow mein uses fried, flat noodles, while soft chow mein uses long, rounded noodles.

An expert chef's tip for perfect chow mein

Before frying them, it's best to steam the noodles rather than boil them, then dunk them in the hot water for just a minute. Remember to let the noodles cool down. When you're pan frying the noodles, let them cook and crisp up, and don't move them around too much.

The white Chinese crispy noodles are called "chow mein noodles." They are made from wheat flour and are often deep-fried until crispy. Chow mein noodles are a popular ingredient in Chinese cuisine and are used in dishes such as chow mein and crispy noodle salad.

First, boil enough water in a large non-stick pan. Now add the amount of Hakka noodles to boiling water and stir gently for 10 minutes. (You can add some oil and salt if you want.) Once the Hakka noodles are cooked, remove from heat, drain completely and pour cold water to prevent clumping.

Do Chinese boil chicken before frying? ›

Velveting is a critical Chinese cooking technique. Meat or seafood is marinated and pre-cooked in oil (or sometimes poached in boiling water). Then, the cook adds it to a stir-fry with other ingredients.

Chinese food can be a healthy option if you know what to look for on the menu. Chow mein noodles prepared in light oil with lots of vegetables and lean protein is a great option that's low in calories and high in nutrients.

Lo mein sauce

It's a simple umami filled mix of light and dark soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, sugar, and a hint of ginger. It's super easy to make a batch of lo mein sauce and keep it in the fridge so you can easily make lo mein whenever the craving hits.

War mein, also spelled warmein or wor mein, translates from Cantonese as “deep pot noodles.” It refers to a type of noodle soup made in a deep pot, rather than a specific noodle variety. This dish is typically made using egg noodles, either thin or thick Chinese noodles.

Fish sauce is liquid, while oyster sauce is thicker. Fish sauce is fermented, while oyster sauce is caramelized. MasterClass says that when it comes down to taste, fish sauce is much saltier and deeply pungent and doesn't have the sweetness and subtleness that oyster sauce has.