On Jun 11, 11:00*am, wrote:
> aem > writes:
> > Same for bean sprouts, never in the rice, almost
> > essential for the chow mein.......
>
> Wow! *I thought I was the only one who insists on bean sprouts in my
> chow mein. *
>
> Bean sprout-based chow mein used to be the norm. *When I was a kid,
> every dish of chow mein from every Chinese restaurant I ever ate at,
> and there were many, was basically bean sprouts and other great
> veggies --water chestnuts, snow peas, onions, baby corn, etc-- dished
> over crispy fried noodles. *Later, as an adult, when I moved to the
> SFBA, the largest Chinese population on the West Coast, I never saw a
> bean sprout ever again. *Chow mein was now always pan fried noodles
> (basically limp greasy spaghetti) with a few (very few!) veggies mixed
> in. *If I even mentioned bean sprouts, the resto ppl looked at me like
> I'd ordered bbq'd baby lips! *What the Hell happened?
>
> I thought is was all me. *One of the largest newsgroup threads I ever
> instigated was on ba.food and was about chow mein. *I argued tooth and
> nail for days against an overwhelming majority who claimed chow mein
> IS ALWAYS pan fried noodles. *Chow mein means noodles in Chinese, yada
> yada. *I even went to old restos I knew as a kid, if they still existed..
> Nary a bean sprout in sight. *I began to doubt my sanity.
>
> I finally found one lone restaurant, where my dad lives, that still
> serves bean sprout chow mein over crispy noodles. *I am vindicated!
> One other questionable source still does that particular combination.
> Unfortunately, it's canned. *Yes, Chung King! *Ick. *
>
> Now, if I want it my way with my beloved bean sprouts, I gotta make my
> own ...and I do. *
>
I'm not sure what you're saying. Chow mein is stirfried noodles, and
I like bean sprouts as one of the ingredients. The noodles are still
the thing (and they're not limp spaghetti, either). Do you mean that
restaurants up there exclude bean sprouts from chow mein? I don't
know what they do here in SoCal because I never order chow mein out.

One home version, seldom seen in restaurants as far as I know, is what
we used to call "pancake" noodles. You stir fry all your meat and
veggie ingredients and reserve. You boil the noodles and then put
them in a pan in hot oil and let them develop a fried consistency on
the bottom -- a little crustiness -- then you flip them and do the
same on the second side. Slide onto a platter, top with the stirfry.
Cut with a knife to serve. I'm sure there is a restaurant out there
that serves this, but I don't know what they call it. -aem