The Chow Mein, with Instant Noodles My Dad's Made 100,000 Times
Why this recipe
Most chow mein, with instant noodles recipes online are tested only a handful of times. My dad used to make this dish multiple times a day, every day, for 50 years and can make this in his sleep.
I know you'll love it as much as our community does! This recipe has over 190.5K views, 5.3K likes on YouTube.
Follow along as we adapt our Soy Sauce Chow Mein recipe with more
accessible ingredients! Fresh noodles can be hard to come by but, instant noodles are universally available and also, affordable!
Creatively approaching seemingly strict dishes is a great way to get comfortable making adjustments and playing in the kitchen.
Thank you, Kikkoman!
This recipe is brought to you in part by Kikkoman. My dad has been using Kikkoman flavors throughout his 50-year career as a chef, and it's a privilege to get to partner with them on such an iconic recipe, Beef Chow Fun with Gravy!
- Kikkoman products are a major flavor enhancer and bring out the “umami” taste, and help balance and round out flavors
- Kikkoman® Less Sodium Soy Sauce is perfect for home cooks who are looking to cut down on their sodium levels, without sacrificing flavor
- Kikkoman offers a wide range of Gluten-Free Asian sauces, including Gluten-Free Oyster Sauce and Gluten-Free Hoisin Sauce
- The KikkomanUSA.com Chinese site offers easy Asian recipes that home cooks can enjoy any night of the week
You can learn more about Kikkoman and follow them on social media here:
- Website: https://www.KikkomanUSA.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/KikkomanChineseUSA (Kikkoman 萬字在美)
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/kikkomanusa_chinese/ (Kikkoman 萬字在美)
Ingredients
Instructions
Prep veggies
Cut the green onions (2 ounce) into about 1.5-inch-long batons. Separate the whites and the greens, as we’ll be cooking the whites first.
Cut celery (2 ounce) into diagonal slices. Cut against the fibers but at an angle so the celery will soften nicely in the heat, but the pieces are longer than if you cut them perfectly perpendicular.
Cut the white onion (2 ounce) into slices.
Prep sauce
Prepare the sauce by combining oyster sauce (1 teaspoon), light soy sauce (1.5 tablespoon), dark soy sauce (2 teaspoon), chicken bouillon (1 teaspoon), sugar (1 teaspoon), and water (2 tablespoon).
Boil noodles
Add the instant noodles (5 packs) to a pot of boiling water on high heat. Cook till the noodles just soften and separate, or about 45 seconds. Drain the noodles and transfer them to a bowl.
Use chopsticks or tongs to lift and separate the noodles. Be careful, as steam will billow out from between the hot noodles. Airing out the noodles like this will help dry them for stir-frying later.
Stir fry veggies
Swap out the pot for a wok or a pan. Turn the heat to high. When the wok is hot, add 1 tbsp oil. Give the wok a quick swirl to coat it in oil.
When the oil is hot (rippling or shimmering), throw in the yellow onion and white parts of green onions, stir and cook until aromatic, or about 20 seconds.
For the bean sprouts (10 ounce), add most (not all) of them (8 ounce) and stir-fry together until they soften slightly, or 30-40 seconds. Keep a few uncooked bean sprouts set aside until the end. Transfer the cooked vegetables to a plate.
Stir fry noodles
Bring the wok back up to temperature on high heat. Add 2 tbsp oil, and again, swirl to coat.
Once the oil is shimmering, add the cooked instant noodles. Spread out the noodles so they can pan-fry to a nice, aromatic golden-brown.
Add 1 tbsp of oil along the perimeter of the noodles to help them get crispy. Decrease the heat to medium-low.
Cook the noodles for approximately 5 minutes. Stir and flip them every 30-45 seconds to allow the side in contact with the wok to develop a nice crisp and get that wok hei flavor. If necessary, add a bit more oil along the perimeter of the noodles for extra crisp.
Combine
Turn the heat down to the lowest setting. Stir the bowl of sauce to make sure it’s well-combined, pour it into the wok, mix everything around for 30 seconds until the sauce is evenly distributed.
Make room for the vegetables by pushing the noodles to one side. Add the stir-fried vegetables and green parts of green onion to the wok.
Turn the heat to high and stir-fry everything for 1 minute. Drizzle sesame oil (1 tablespoon) over the chow mein and mix it in. Add the remaining raw bean sprouts (2 ounce) into the wok and stir-fry for 30 seconds.
These will be the maximally juicy and crunchy sprouts. Turn off the heat and serve. Enjoy!