Chow Mein Recipe (Vegetarian)

chow mein in an orange and white bowl with a pair of wooden chopsticks

4.95 from 18 votes

Chow Mein is a popular Chinese dish of stir fried noodles with mix vegetables, soy sauce, aromatics, herbs and spices. The vegetarian version of Chow Mein noodles is also a popular Indian street food.

Prep Time30

Cook Time20

Total Time50

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Indo Chinese

Diet: Vegan, Vegetarian

Difficulty Level: Moderate

Servings:

Calories: 368kcal

Author: Dassana Amit

Ingredients

For cooking noodles

150 to 200 grams hakka noodles - swap with plain or whole wheat noodles, soba noodles or flat noodles or chow mein noodles
5 cups water
¼ teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil or any neutral flavored oil

For Cornstarch Slurry - Optional

2 teaspoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons water

Other Ingredients

2.5 to 3 tablespoons oil - any neutral flavored oil
2 to 3 teaspoons finely chopped green chilies (skip if making for small kids) or add ¾ to 1 teaspoon spicy red chili sauce or green chili sauce
1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
⅓ cup finely chopped onions or ⅓ cup chopped spring onion whites - reserve the spring onion greens for garnish
¾ to 1 cup chopped button mushrooms
¼ to ⅓ cup finely chopped french beans
¾ cup grated carrots or shredded carrots
¾ cup shredded cabbage - green or purple cabbage
¼ cup thinly sliced capsicum (bell pepper) - can use green or yellow or red bell pepper
1 teaspoon finely chopped celery - optional
¼ cup sprouts - optional
⅓ to ½ cup tofu cubes - optional
3 teaspoons soy sauce or add as required
1 tablespoon tomato ketchup or add as required, optional
½ teaspoon ground black pepper or white pepper powder, add as required
salt as required add in moderation as soy sauce already has a lot of salt
½ teaspoon rice vinegar or regular vinegar

For Garnish

1 to 2 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
2 to 3 tablespoons chopped spring onion greens (scallion greens)

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Cooking noodles

Cook noodles according to the package instructions. The noodles don't need to be cooked till al dente. Since towards the end we will be just tossing the noodles with the stir fried veggies. But if you prefer you can cook them until al dente.
Drain the water from the cooked noodles in a colander. Rinse noodles in running water very well. This method stops the cooking process.
Add toasted sesame oil to the noodles. Toss them well, so that the oil gets coated evenly on the noodles. This method gets rid of stickiness from the noodles. Cover and keep the noodles aside.
When the noodles are cooking, you can chop and grate the veggies.
Prepare corn starch slurry or paste with the cornstarch and water. Keep aside.

Making chow mein

Heat oil in a pan or wok. On medium heat, first saute the green chilies, ginger and garlic for about 30 seconds. Green chilies add quite some heat in the dish. Skip if you do not prefer them or if making for kids.
Add chopped onions or spring onions. Saute for a minute.
Add sliced mushrooms and finely chopped french beans.
Stir and saute on a medium heat till the edges of the mushroom get lightly browned.
Add grated carrots, shredded cabbage and sliced bell pepper (capsicum).
Stir and increase the heat to a high. Stir fry everything on a high heat for 2 to 3 minutes.
Add soy sauce. At this step you can also add tomato sauce or red chili sauce or green chili sauce. Since I have already added green chilies, I have not added the chili sauce.
Season with ground black pepper or white pepper and salt as required. Mix well. At this step you can opt to add sprouts or tofu. Add them and stir fry for a minute.
Lower the heat and add the cornstarch paste. Stir the cornstarch paste in the bowl very well before adding to the stir fried vegetables.
Mix and sauté for a minute on medium-low heat.
Add the cooked noodles. Increase the heat to high. Mix and toss the noodles with the stir fried veggies.
Lastly add vinegar and give a final mix to chowmein. Switch off the heat.
Serve chow mein steaming hot in serving bowls.
You can also garnish chowmein with about 1 to 2 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds and some chopped spring onion greens.

Video

Notes

Remember to keep all the sauces and seasonings ready when you begin to stir fry the veggies.
You can add veggies like cabbage, carrots, spring onions, zucchini, capsicum, french beans, bok choy, napa cabbage, broccoli, corn etc.
You can use noodles variety like whole wheat noodles, ramen noodles, soba noodles, chow mein noodles, hakka noodles etc.
To make gluten-free chowmein use your favorite brand of gluten-free noodles. Also swap soy sauce with tamari or coconut aminos or Bragg's liquid aminos.
You can add tofu or sprouts to the noodles.
You can make it without onion and garlic also. If making for small kids, then skip the green chilies, black pepper and use whole wheat noodles or soba noodles.
The recipe can be scaled to make a small or big batch as per your requirements.

Nutrition