BY: DR. KAVIRAJ KHIALANI- CELEBRITY MASTER CHEF.
We all love noodles and why not, they are so tasty and so versatile! Although a lot of negative publicity is done around them, they are still around and are savoured as a staple in several countries. The origin of noodles dates back to 4000 years ago in China. At present, noodles are available in more than 30 varieties in different parts of the world.
You will be surprised to know that the humble bowl of noodles is full of nutrients and has now reached even space, all thanks to technology. It was only after World War II; noodles became an integral part of Chinese food history. This 4000-year-old food item has some really interesting and shocking facts associated with it that no one can ever imagine.
Chow Mein is one of the forms of an authentic dish called, in Mandarin, “ch’ao mien”, or “stir-fried noodles”. The authentic dish is prepared by frying boiled noodles w with a few bits of meat and vegetables. Those crisp noodles served in this country are not found in China. Literal meaning. “Stir-fried noodles”.
Chow Mein are Chinese stir-fried noodles with vegetables and sometimes meat or tofu. Although food historians can’t really agree on who made the first chow Mein and when, this stir-fry dish whose name comes from the Mandarin chǎomiàn and Taishanese chāu-mèing (lit. fried noodles) had probably originated in Northern China.
Chow Mein is one of the all-time favorite dish popular throughout the Chinese diaspora and appears on the menus of most Chinese restaurants abroad. It is particularly popular in India, Nepal, the UK, and the US.
Here are a few easy to toss and relish recipes with CHOW MEIN!
Recipe-1] CHIN THAI CHOW MEIN
Ingredients :
- 1 packet noodles, boiled
To stir fry:
- 2 tbsp. oil
- 1 tbsp. garlic, chopped
- 1 tsp ginger, chopped
- 3-4 spring onions, sliced
- 2-3 red chilies, slit
- 2-3 green chilies, slit
- ½ cup carrots, shredded
- ½ cup red/ yellow capsicum, shredded
- ½ cup snow peas, blanched
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1-2 tsp soya sauce
- 1-2 tsp thai red chili sauce
- 1-2 tsp thai sweet chili sauce
- 1 cup stock/water
- ¼ tsp sugar
- 4-5 no fresh basil leaves
- 3-4 pieces’ lemon grass
- 3-4 no lemon leaves
- 2-3 tsp roasted crushed peanuts
- 2-3 tsp spring onion greens, chopped
Method : Pre-prep all the ingredients for the recipe as listed. Start with the boiling of the noodles and once they are just cooked, remove from the hot boiling water, refresh with cold water and sprinkle a little oil and toss, keep aside. Heat oil in a wok/ pan and add in the lemon grass, ginger, garlic, onions, chilies and stir for 1 min.
add in the assorted veggies and saute for 1 min. add in the sauces, seasonings, little water / stock and cook for 1-2 mins, add in the noodles, also add variety of other ingredients as desired like stir fried/ boiled/ roast chicken/ shrimps/ prawns/fish cubes can also be added. For the veg options we can use tofu/mushrooms as well. Add in the peanuts and greens at the end and serve hot.
Recipe-2] HIDDEN TREASURE CHOW MEIN
Ingredients:
- 1 packet noodles, boiled
To stir fry:
- 2 tbsp. oil
- 1 tbsp. garlic, chopped
- 1 tsp ginger, chopped
- 3-4 spring onions, sliced
- 2-3 green chilies, slit
- ½ cup carrots, shredded
- ½ cup white cabbage, shredded
- ½ cup green capsicum, shredded
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tsp soya sauce
- 2 tsp chili vinegar
- 2 tsp red chili sauce
- 1 tsp green chili sauce
- ¼ tsp sugar
- ½ cup sliced mushrooms
- ½ cup sliced Babycorn
- Water-1/4 cup
- 2-3 tbsp. spring onion greens
Method : Pre-prep the ingredients as per the recipe. Start with the boiling of the noodles, once just cooked remove from the boiling water and refresh with cold water, sprinkle little oil and toss, keep aside.
Heat oil in a wok/ pan and saute the ginger, garlic, onions and chilies, add in the assorted veggies as per choice and add seasonings, sauces, little water and cook for 1-2 mins. Add in the boiled noodles, cook for 2-3 mins, add in the non-veg options if any like boiled/shredded chicken/fish/shrimps/eggs etc and serve hot garnished with the greens.
Recipe-3] PEPPERY CHICKEN CHOW MEIN
Ingredients
- 1 packet noodles, boiled
To stir fry:
- 2 tbsp. oil
- 1 tbsp. garlic, chopped
- 1 tsp ginger, chopped
- 3-4 spring onions, sliced
- 2-3 green chilies, slit
- 1-2 red chilies, shredded
- 1-2 no star anise
- ½ cup yellow capsicum, shredded
- ½ cup red capsicum, shredded
- ½ cup broccoli florets, blanched
- ½ cup zucchini slices, blanched
- 1 cup shredded boneless chicken pieces, boiled.
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tsp soya sauce
- 2 tsp schezuan sauce
- 1 tsp green chili sauce
- ¼ tsp sugar
- 2-3 tbsp. sliced water chestnuts
- 2 tsp white vinegar with green chilies
- 2-3 tsp coriander leaves, chopped
- 2-3 tsp spring onion greens, chopped
Method : Pre-prep all the ingredients for the dish as per the recipe. Start with the boiling of the noodles, drain them once just cooked, refresh with cold water, sprinkle little oil over them, toss and keep aside. Heat oil in a wok, add in the ingredients one by one, start sautéing the ginger, garlic, chilies, onions for a few seconds.
Add in the assortment of vegetables as per choice and chicken/ meat/ fish etc as well. Add in the sauces, seasonings and little water and cook for 3-4 mins on a low flame. Now add in the boiled noodles, sliced water chestnuts adjust seasonings to taste and cook for 2-3 mins, turn off the flame add in the greens for garnish and serve hot.
Recipe-4] SEAFOOD CHOW MEIN
Ingredients:
- 1 packet noodles, boiled
To stir fry:
- 2 tbsp. oil
- 1 tbsp. garlic, chopped
- 1 tsp ginger, chopped
- 3-4 spring onions, sliced
- 2-3 pieces of lemon grass
- 3-4 no fresh basil leaves
- 1 cup prawns, shelled, cleaned, washed
- 1 cup boneless fish cubes
- 2 eggs, scrambled
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tsp soya sauce
- 2 tsp red chili sauce
- 2 tsp chili vinegar
- ½ cup carrots, shredded
- ½ cup green capsicum, shredded
- 2-3 tbsp. spring onion greens, chopped
Method: Pre-prep the ingredients as per the list as given. Start with the boiling of the noodles, drain them once just cooked, refresh with cold water, sprinkle little oil on them, toss and keep aside. Heat oil in a wok, start by sautéing the ginger, garlic, chilies, onions, lemon grass, basil leaves and cook for 30 seconds.
Add in the assorted seafood of your choice and cook for 1-2 mins, add in the veggies, sauces, seasonings and add in little water/stock just to cook up the mixture a little for a few mins, add in the cooked noodles and toss them well. Cook for 2-3 mins, add in the scrambled eggs for added taste and eye appeal along with greens to garnish and serve hot.
Recipe- 5] WOK TOSSED VEGGIE CHOW MEIN
Ingredients
- 1 packet noodles, boiled
To stir fry:
- 2 tbsp. oil
- 1 tbsp. garlic, chopped
- 1 tsp ginger, chopped
- 3-4 spring onions, sliced
- 1 cup assorted mushrooms, sliced
- ½ cup bean sprouts
- ½ cup water chestnuts, sliced
- ½ cup bamboo shoots, sliced
- ½ cup mix veggies like carrots, beans, capsicums, shredded.
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tsp soya sauce
- 2 tsp red chili sauce
- 2 tsp chili vinegar
- ¼ cup stock/water
- 2 tsp schezuan sauce
- 2-3 tbsp. spring onion greens, chopped
Method : Pre-prep all the ingredients as per the recipe listed. Start by cooking up the noodles first, boil them until just cooked stage and
refresh with chilled water, add a little oil and toss them, keep aside. Heat oil in a wok/ pan and saute the ginger, garlic, chilies, onions for a few seconds.
Add in the assorted veggies as per choice and toss them for a few seconds. Add seasonings, sauces, little water/stock and cook for 2-3 mins. Now add in the cooked noodles, toss well, adjust the flavor of the sauces/ seasonings and cook for 2-3 mins. Serve hot garnished with greens.
Recipe- 6] CHEFS SPECIAL CHOW MEIN
Ingredients
- 1 packet noodles, boiled
To stir fry:
- 2 tbsp. oil
- 1 tbsp. garlic, chopped
- 1 tsp ginger, chopped
- 3-4 spring onions, sliced
- ½ cup Babycorn, sliced, blanched
- ½ cup green/yellow zucchini, sliced, blanched
- ½ cup broccoli, florets, blanched
- ½ cup sliced/ shredded roast chicken/ meat
- 3-4 sliced chicken sausages
- 2 tsp soya sauce
- 2 tsp red chili sauce
- 2 tsp green chili sauce
- 2 tsp peanut butter
- 2 tsp tomato ketchup
- ¼ cup water/stock
- 2 -3 tsp roasted crushed peanuts
- 2-3 tsp spring onion greens, chopped
- 2-3 tsp chili vinegar
Method : Pre-prep the ingredients for the recipe as listed. Start with boiling of the noodles, cook them until just done and refresh with cold water, sprinkle little oil and toss, keep aside. Heat oil in a wok/ pan and saute the ginger, garlic, chilies, onions for a few seconds.
Add in the assorted veggies and toss them add seasonings, sauces to taste and little water to cook, allow to simmer for 2-3 mins. Now add
in the non-veg ingredients which can be pre-cooked and added. Also add in the boiled/cooked noodles and give it a nice mix. Cook for 2-3 mins and adjust the seasonings/ sauces as per taste. Serve hot garnished with peanuts, greens or even a double fried egg.
