Recipe & Food Styling Marisa Curatolo, Photography Cory Aronec
My friend Lillian made her mother’s famous homemade chow mein, with a delicately charred flavour of pan-fried noodles with a few fresh vegetables. It’s easy, she said. I never forgot it. -Mari
Here, we did our best to re-create this lovely dish. It’s delicious!
Ingredients
1 (6-ounce) package fresh chow mein noodles
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
3 tablespoons neutral oil, divided
1 cup red onion, chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons fresh ginger, minced
2 cups mixed mushrooms (oyster, cremini and portobello), torn or sliced into bite-sized pieces
¼ cup fresh bean sprouts
Fresh cilantro, to serve
Chow Mein Sauce
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
2 teaspoons hoisin sauce
½ teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon water
Shop our Kitchen Tools
For sauce, in small bowl whisk together ingredients, and set aside.
For noodles, cook according to package directions until just tender. Drain, rinse under cold water and toss with 1 tablespoon neutral oil.
In large skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon neutral oil and spread noodles into flattened cake. Cook undisturbed for 7–10 minutes until golden and crisp. Flip and cook another 4–5 minutes. Lightly salt the noodles immediately after frying, while they're still hot and crisp.
At the same time, in separate skillet, heat remaining tablespoon neutral oil. Add onion and cook for 3 minutes. Stir in garlic, ginger and mushrooms and cook for 5–7 minutes until mushrooms moisture has evaporated. Add sauce and toss to combine.
Transfer crispy noodles to serving platter, spoon mushroom mixture over top and finish with bean sprouts and fresh cilantro. Serve immediately.
Serves 2 generously or 4 smaller portions.
