Quick And Easy Chow Mein Recipe | CDKitchen.com (2024)

FAQs

Which vinegar is used in chow mein? ›

All you need is soy sauce, black vinegar, sugar, oyster sauce, black pepper, and sesame oil. The flavor that is often missing in homemade chow mein is the tanginess. Black Vinegar is less harsh than regular vinegar, which gives the chow mein a subtle hint of tanginess that brings the dish together.

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.

In fact, I recommend in my Chow Mein recipe to use ramen noodles if you can't find Chow Mein noodles! The main difference in the eating experience is the texture of the noodles themselves. While they are the same thickness, ramen noodles have a more slippery texture and are white, whereas Chow Mein noodles are yellow.

What is Chow Mein? Chow mein is a stir-fry noodle dish that is made in many different variations, but typically made with noodles, cabbage, celery, green onions, and garlic. Traditional chow mein is made with fried noodles but often it is prepared with boiled lo mein, chow mein, or yaki-soba noodles.

It is safe to use and can be added to any kind of dish. It might offer a slightly different taste, as it has fruity tones in it. Moreover, if you have a yeast allergy and can't add regular vinegar to your dishes, apple cider vinegar is your solution.

Rice Vinegar

This type of vinegar is mostly used in Asian recipes, including stir-fry, salads, noodles, and vegetables.

At my local Chinese, they call this Crispy Chow Mein Noodles. It's a Hong Kong / Cantonese style dish, and there are a lot of variations but the core of it is a bed of deep fried crunchy noodles topped with a saucy stir fry.

Use one tablespoon cornstarch mixed with one tablespoon cold water (aka a cornstarch slurry) for each cup of medium-thick sauce. Thoroughly mix the cornstarch and water together, then pour into your sauce. Cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly.

The first is to cook your protein and your vegetable separately, and combine them only after both are fully cooked. A second rule of thumb for stir-frying: Choose one vegetable per stir-fry. Finally, always remember to add liquid only after everything is more or less finished cooking.

If you can't find authentic Chinese chow mein noodles (see picture below) at your local grocery store, spaghetti could be used as a perfect substitution to make Chinese style stir fry noodles. Use Chow Mein stir fry noodles if you have them.

What to use instead of oyster sauce? ›

While chow mein with thin crisp noodles is a staple of many Chinese take-out restaurants, more authentic versions of chao mian have soft noodles. The main difference between the two comes down to frying time: for dryer, crisper noodles, add more oil and increase the frying time.

If you are unable to find noodles that are specifically labeled as chow mein noodles or lo mein noodles, you can use linguine noodles, regular Italian spaghetti noodles, or another type of Asian noodle as a similar substitute.

Tesco Chow Mein Stir Fry Sauce 165g - Tesco Groceries.

CHICAGO CHOW MEIN: Slices of vegetables in a dark sauce with mushrooms, water chestnuts, and pea pods.

Rice Vinegar (米醋, mǐcù)

It can range from clear to golden in color. You may find seasoned versions, with added sugar and salt. Most brands are either Japanese, Chinese, or Taiwanese, and you can use any of these types. Rice vinegar is widely available, even in regular supermarkets.

Chinese vinegar are less acidic than their distilled Western counterparts which, for that reason, are not appropriate substitutes for rice vinegars. The majority of the Asian rice vinegars are also milder and sweeter than those typically used in the Western world, with black vinegars as a notable exception.

The correct answer is Acetic Acid. Vinegar contains 6-10 % acetic acid.

Speaking to Bon Appétit, Teresa Lin, a chef and food stylist best known for her work on Ang Lee's "Eat Drink Man Woman," criticizes white vinegar as being "just sour," whereas, "black vinegar is more aromatic." Black vinegar is often described as having notes of licorice and malt and an earthy umami undertone.