On the dinner table in 15 minutes, this easy Cantonese Chow Mein recipe with spaghetti noodles & vegetables is a family favorite! The noodles are coated in a deliciously savoury sauce, and ever so moreish- healthier and better than takeout! No corn starch or wok needed- I use a large skillet!
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🥘 Ingredients
You only need a few simple ingredients:
- pasta noodles: I used linguini (for both lo mein and chow mein) as it's the most similar to Chinese egg noodles, and easier to find. However, spaghetti works too and is even quicker to cook up.(Click here to find out how pasta and noodles are similar/ different.) (Also, egg noodles can sometimes have a weird aftertaste if too much alkaline water is used!)
- To make it easy to cook at home, we're going to sauté the pasta, but it won't be as crispy as stir-frying at high heat. (Most people don't have the stir-frying skills to get the noodles so crispy to be honest.)
- red onion, ginger, garlic: you can use a shallot or yellow onions instead of red onion (which is sweeter.) Don't use ginger powder or garlic powder.
- Vegetables: I used bok choy. You can substitute with the same amount of Gai lan (Chinese broccoli), snap peas, Napa cabbage, or mung bean sprouts but it will change the cooking time. (Don't use veggies that give out a lot of water, unless you want to spend more time stir frying.)
For the homemade chow mein sauce:
- light soy sauce (regular soy sauce): this adds saltiness to the stir-fried noodles, as will the pasta cooking water we will add. I only added 4 Tablespoons of pasta water- if you end up using more, or if you salt your pasta water more than normal, start with less soy sauce (to prevent it from getting too salty) and add to taste. (You don't need chicken broth because chow mein is quite a dry dish, as compared to lo mein noodles.)
- oyster sauce: if vegetarian, use vegetarian oyster sauce.
- dark soy sauce: I first made this Chinese noodle dish without the dark soy- it was good but not as good as with the dark soy, so don't leave this out!
- shaoxing wine: you can substitute with dry sherry or sake but not mirin (unless you don't mind it sweeter)
- white sugar: if you use mirin instead of sake, you may want to omit this. I have not tested with brown sugar or maple syrup.
- sesame oil
Note: these ingredients for this vegetable chow mein are available in many mainstream supermarkets not but, if not, you can get them from any Asian grocery store or Asian market.
Garnish the cooked noodles with a little bit of sliced green onions or lightly toasted sesame seeds.
📖 Variations & Substitutes
You could also add protein like leftover BBQ pork or chicken (to make chicken chow mein), but you would need more of the savory sauce to coat the extra ingredient. (I recommend using dark meat, not chicken breast, if you do so, as the latter dries out fast.)
🔪 Step-by-Step Instructions
1a. Cook the pasta as per the packet instructions. My linguine took 10 minutes to cook al dente. (Don't overcook as we're stir frying it/ cooking it again later.)
1b. While the pasta is cooking, cut the vegetables. In a small bowl, mix the sauce well. (You won't be able to add the pasta water yet.)
(Start this step 3 minutes before the pasta has finished cooking)
2a. Over medium-high heat, stir fry the onion till translucent (2-3 minutes) then add the ginger.
2b. Reduce to medium heat or low heat then add the garlic (as garlic burns easily.)
Note: You will most likely need to add 2 Tablespoons of pasta water here to prevent the aromatics from burning and sticking to the pan.
3a. Increase to medium high heat again then add the bok choy stems. Stir fry till cooked, about 3 minutes.
3b. Add the (cooked) pasta noodles and the soy-based sauce. Mix well. (The other 2 Tablespoons of pasta water are added now.)
4. Add the bok choy leaves and stir through till wilted.
🥡 How to Store
Store extra stir-fry noodles in an airtight container in the fridge quickly- don't leave pasta at room temperature for too long as bacteria will breed.
Note: The noodles didn't taste as great when I reheated by stir frying. The texture was good, but the taste was blander and too dry. I will test to see what needs to be added to make them as good as new, and update accordingly.
🥗 Suggested Accompanying Recipes
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15 Min Chow Mein Recipe with Spaghetti
Equipment
- 1 Knife and cutting board
- 1 Stainless Steel pan
- 1 heat proof spatula
Ingredients
- 5.5 oz Linguine Noodles (155g) Can substitute with spaghetti or Chinese egg noodles just adjust the cooking time as per the packet instructions. Save 1 bowl of the (salted) pasta cooking water.
- 5 oz Bok Choy (140g) Divide into stems and leaves. Cut the stems again so each piece is about 1.5-2 inches long.
- ¼ red onion Substitute: 1 small shallot
- 2-5 garlic cloves
- 1 cm fresh ginger
Chow Mein Sauce
- 2 Tablespoons Shaoxing wine
- 2 Tablespoons Oyster Sauce
- 1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil
- 1 Tablespoon light soy sauce If your pasta water is very salty, you may want to use low sodium soy sauce. Alternatively add the soy sauce bit by bit and taste. (Season to taste.)
- 1 teaspoon White Sugar Don't use honey- the heat kills the honey's nutrients so it's a waste.
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce Important to make the sauce more savory and umamilicious.
- You will need to add 2 x 2 Tablespoons of pasta water to the sauce. (total 4 Tablespoons of pasta water- i.e. 2 Tablespoons added at 2 different steps.)
Instructions
- Cook the pasta as per the packet instructions. My linguine took 10 minutes.
- While the pasta is cooking, cut the vegetables and mix the sauce well. (You won't be able to add the pasta water yet.)
- (Start this step 3 minutes before the pasta has finished cooking) Over medium-high heat, stir fry the onion till translucent (2-3 minutes) then add the ginger. Reduce to medium or low heat then add the garlic (as garlic burns easily.) You will most likely need to add 2 Tablespoons of pasta water here to prevent the aromatics from burning and sticking to the pan.
- Increase to medium high heat again then add the bok choy stems. Stir fry till cooked, about 3 minutes.
- Add the (cooked) pasta noodles and the sauce and mix well. (The other 2 Tablespoons of pasta water will be added now.)
- Add the bok choy leaves and stir through till wilted.
Notes
Note: the nutritional information is an estimate automatically calculated using the WPRM recipe maker and I am not responsible for its veracity.
Nutrition
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Ccc says
Made this for dinner and it was delish
Zen says
So glad you liked the chow mein spgaghetti, CCC!