Chow mein (炒面)! The pinyin is actually “chǎo miàn”, by the way. Chǎo refers to the action of stir-frying and miàn is noodles.
This is one of those dishes you can play around with. It is usually a quick and easy meal in China, where you just use what is available in your kitchen. This stir-fried chow mein with broccoli, carrot and cabbage recipe is very basic and the focus is on the method of stir-frying. Once you have mastered that, you can play around with different ingredients.
It’s important to note that stir-frying is a bit more nuanced than just tossing a few vegetables and noodles around in a wok and eating it. When making Chinese stir-fried noodles, or any type of stir-fry, it’s more important to pay careful attention to the method and not worry too much about the ingredients. Whether you want to use mushrooms or tofu, you will have to pay attention to how you prepare and use the ingredients.
Want to read more about basic Chinese ingredients and cuisine? Read our in-depth article on Chinese ingredients.
Very important tips
Be very mindful of the following tips when making stir-fry to avoid a soggy soupy mess:
- Get everything ready before you even start thinking about heating the wok. Everything must be chopped and ready to just add to the wok. Vegetables should be cut to a uniform size to ensure even cooking.
- Vegetables should be dry before adding them to the wok. If it’s not, they will steam and not fry.
- When using what is available in your fridge, stick to a maximum of 2 to 3 veggies as main elements in the dish.
- The wok must be heated to very hot, then you add oil, and then only start adding the first ingredients.
- Never overcrowd your wok. Rather fry in batches if you must. The whole shebang will steam and not fry and you’ll end up with a soggy mess. Ew.
- Everything happens super fast. There’s no time for last minute chopping or waiting for an ingredient to cook. If the stir-frying process is taking longer than about 5 minutes, your wok was not hot enough and you were never ready.
Method
Step 1
Cook noodles according to the instructions on the packaging. Make sure not to overcook. It’s actually better if they are slightly underdone. Set aside. If you are using pre-cooked or fresh noodles, skip this step.
Step 2
In a small bowl, mix the dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper, sugar, salt, and rice vinegar well together. Set aside.
Step 3
Par-cook the broccoli florets and carrots in generously salted boiling water for about 4 minutes. Drain and dry them properly. Set aside.
Step 4
Get all the ingredients ready and place them next to your stove/burner in the order you will be adding them to the wok. This is the order: oil, garlic & ginger, noodles, sauce mixture, cabbage, broccoli & carrots, chives, and sesame seeds.
Step 5
Heat your large wok over very high heat. Add the oil and swirl the wok. Add the garlic and ginger, at this point you must hear a sizzle. The wok is talking to you tell you it is ready. Immediately add the noodles after you have added the aromatics (garlic and ginger).
Using tongs or long chopsticks, spread the noodles around, toss them in the oil, and mix well with the garlic and ginger. Make sure the noodles are well coated with oil and well mixed with garlic and ginger. Cook noodles, while stirring, until they start to get a little bit crispy, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Add the sauce mixture, and continue to stir and toss the noodles around. Once the noodles are combined with the sauce, add the cabbage, broccoli florets, and carrots. Continue to stir and toss until the cabbage has shrunk, about another 2 minutes. Take off heat. Taste for seasoning and add 5 ml light soy sauce at a time if necessary. Stir and toss after adding more soy sauce.
Add the sesame seeds and chives. Serve immediately.
