can somebody please point me to a website that has a recipie for chow
mein (or give me your own)?

thanks

Karen Cooke wrote:

> can somebody please point me to a website that has a recipie for chow
> mein (or give me your own)?
>

Chow mein is basically chop suey with chow mein noodles, and chop suey is
just a dish of stir fried vegetables with or without meat. It is more of
style of cooking than a particular dish.

Cut vegetables into thin slices or match stick sized strips. Meat should
be sliced into thin strips or cut into small pieces which will cook
quickly. Prepare your ingredients , add some hot oil to the wok or
frying pan. Start with the hardest vegetables first, tossing them in and
keeping them moving. As soon as their colour begin to intensify add the
next softer ingredients. As things cook they can be pushed up the sides
of the wok, away from the heat on the very bottom.

Toss in some chicken stock and soya sauce and add some corn starch mixed
with cold water and sir it until it starts to thicken, then stir in with
the meat and vegetables. Serve on top of chow mein noodles.

For a more flavourful variation, add some finely chopped garlic and
ginger root along with the first ingredients. Be careful not to burn
the garlic. If using chicken, sprinkle a little salt on the prepared
chicken meat before cooking.

In article >, Dave Smith
> wrote:


> Chow mein is basically chop suey with chow mein noodles, and chop suey is
> just a dish of stir fried vegetables with or without meat. It is more of
> style of cooking than a particular dish.


In the US, chow mein varies according to the area. The word "chow" means
stir-fried, and "mein" means noodles. In some areas of the US, chow mein
noodles come out of a can and are deep-fried. In my area, chow mein
noodles are made to order and are actually stir-fried.

When we make chow mein at my house, we take the fresh Chinese noodles sold
in the refrigerated produce section and cook them briefly in boiling
water. They are then set out to dry a little while. We fry them in a
little oil and then put them on the serving plate. We then stir-fry the
other ingredients, add the sauce and cook until thickened. When cooked,
we add the noodles back, stir them together and heat to serving
temperature.

Chop suey is not actually a Chinese dish. One version of its history is:

'Chop suey, therefore, is a mispronounciation of "chopped sewage."'

I got this from:

http://www.snopes.com/food/origins/chopsuey.htm

It's quite interesting, at least to me.

--
Dan Abel
Sonoma State University
AIS

In article >, Dave Smith
> wrote:

> Karen Cooke wrote:
>
> > can somebody please point me to a website that has a recipie for chow
> > mein (or give me your own)?

Which style? Crispy, soft, oily, watery, dry? Cantonese, Taiwanese? Kind
of like asking for a recipe for a sandwich.
Chow mein is quite simple in concept, but the variations boggle the mind.
I've eaten so many varieties here in Taiwan. I'll focus on the popular
variety found here.

Simple is the best. first you need a nice big wok, a gas stove, some
sizzling hot oil (don't be too skimpy on the oil), garlic, onions, sliced
meats or shrimps, some greens if you wish, cabbage is Ok, some sliced
carrots. Some chiles if you want, And of course a pile of precooked
Chinese noodles. Salt to taste, and add a bit of soy sauce if you wish. A
bit of stock if you like a wetter fried noodles. A dash of Chinese sesame
oil can be nice. also consider white pepper. Some cooks in Taiwan add
canned barbecue sauces. Taiwanese brands of course! Don't use American bbq
sauces, they are totally different in taste. NO STARCH! You don't put
starch in fried rice, why would you put it in fried noodles?

Stir fry the ingredients in this approximate order. Onions and garlic,
meats, vegies, noodles. As a rule, you don't allow the garlic or onions to
caramelize, some cooks do this but not a lot.

The secret is a large sizzling hot wok with a good gas flame to keep the
temp. at the base of the wok where you want it.

Too much soy sauce and you have made American fried noodles.

> Chow mein is basically chop suey with chow mein noodles, and chop suey is
> just a dish of stir fried vegetables with or without meat. It is more of
> style of cooking than a particular dish.

Hmm, bears some semblance to one kind of Cantonese noodles, but, nope,
chow mein is chow mein.

Authentic chow mein has nothing at all to do with American chop suey. Chop
suey is a purely American/Chinese dish descended from the Chinese cooking
that came with the Cantonese who came to the United States west coast in
the1800s gold rush.

Chow mein in Mandarin Chinese or any other dialect of Chinese literally
means stir fried noodles. Chow means stir fry, and mein means noodles.

Think of the word sandwich in English. In American English, sandwich
implies two pieces of bread with something between them. In Mandarin
Chinese, to say chow mein literally means stir fried noodles, with no
indication as to the meat or vegetables contained within. You will find in
Asia every cook in every shop or restaurant will favor a distinct flavor
of stir fried noodles.

In America you say PJ sandwich, roast beef sandwich, or tuna sandwich. In
the far east you specify the kind of chow mein you want. Most often by
specifying the type of meat. You would say sliced meat chow mein (pork),
beef chow mein, seafood chow mein ( this is a rough translation, because
the literal translation is quite literary and makes no sense in English).,
goat chow mein, etc.

> Toss in some chicken stock and soya sauce and add some corn starch mixed
> with cold water and sir it until it starts to thicken, then stir in with
> the meat and vegetables. Serve on top of chow mein noodles

Weird, this is American chop suey noodles, not chow mein as found in
Taiwan. But it does bear a similarity to Cantonese style noodles. However,
unless you use the Cantonese style yellow crispy noodles, and have that
one kind of green vegie, and then you need some oyster sauce or soy sauce
(dark or light?) depending on the recipe, well...

Anyway, just my two cents

rodney
Greetings from Taipei, Taiwan

"rodneesh" > wrote in message
...
> In article >, Dave Smith
> > wrote:
>
> > Karen Cooke wrote:
> >

(snip)

> In America you say PJ sandwich, roast beef sandwich, or tuna sandwich. In
> the far east you specify the kind of chow mein you want. Most often by
> specifying the type of meat. You would say sliced meat chow mein (pork),
> beef chow mein, seafood chow mein ( this is a rough translation, because
> the literal translation is quite literary and makes no sense in English).,
> goat chow mein, etc.

(snip)

> Weird, this is American chop suey noodles, not chow mein as found in
> Taiwan. But it does bear a similarity to Cantonese style noodles. However,
> unless you use the Cantonese style yellow crispy noodles, and have that
> one kind of green vegie, and then you need some oyster sauce or soy sauce
> (dark or light?) depending on the recipe, well...
>
> Anyway, just my two cents
>
> rodney
> Greetings from Taipei, Taiwan

Rodney, that was such a good post! Thank you for enlightening me. Plus,
you've made me hungry. LOL

kili