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Learn how to make this stir-fried chow mein using spaghetti. It is delicious and easy to put together.
What is chow mein ?
Chow means the act of stir-frying/sauteeing and mein means noodles in Cantonese and Mandarin. Chow mein is a Chinese-style stir-fried noodle often made with some veggies, protein, and seasonings.
Why I use spaghetti
Spaghetti is widely available for everyone to get from the store. I make sure to use high-quality spaghetti made with durum wheat (semolina) because it DOES make a difference. I highly recommend it!
Stir-fried Spaghetti Chow Mein
Ingredients
- 225 g dried spaghetti
- 1 tsp Salt for boiling pasta
- 3 Tbsp cooking oil divided
Aromatics:
- 1 small onion peeled and sliced
- 4 stalks green onion only the green parts, cut into 3-inch long
Veggies:
- 4 dried shiitake mushroom
- 2 cups shredded cabbage
- 1 small carrot shredded
Protein: (use what you like)
- 3 large eggs beaten
- 227 g large shrimp peeled and deveined
- 10 pieces Asian-style meatballs sliced
Sauce: (adjust taste to your preference)
- 2 Tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp fish sauce
- ¼ tsp ground white pepper
- ½ tsp sugar
- ¼ cup chicken broth or liquid from soaking mushroom
Instructions
- Rinse dried mushrooms with water. Soak dried shiitake mushrooms in hot water until softened, about 1 hour or so. Save the soaking liquid. Remove the tough stems and cut the mushrooms into slices
Cook the spaghetti:
- Bring large pot of water to a boil. When it comes to a boil, add 1 teaspoon of salt and cook according to the package instruction. I usually undercooked the pasta by about 1 minute. Drain the pasta and rinse with cold running water to stop the cooking process. Set aside
Mise en place:
- Combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a bowl and set aside
- Crack eggs in a bowl. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and whisk with a fork to loosen
- Put the shredded cabbage, carrots, sliced mushrooms and sliced onion on a large plate
Start cooking:
- Preheat a large wok or large skillet or non-stick pan, with one tablespoon of oil over medium heat. Add the eggs and let it cook undisturbed for about 30 seconds and when the bottom is set, flip the egg over and cook for another 30 seconds or until the eggs are set. Remove from the pan onto a cutting board. Slice into strips and set aside
- To the same wok or pan, add another tablespoon of oil and let it heat up. Add the onion and stir fry for about 2 minutes.
- Add the shitake mushrooms, cabbage, and carrots and stir fry for another 3 minutes.
- Push them to the side of the wok or pan. Add the rest of the oil and add the shrimp and cook until they just started to turn pink, depending on how large is the shrimp, this may take 2-3 minutes
- Then mix the shrimp with the rest of the veggies. Increase the heat to medium-high.
- Add the meatballs slices, and noodles and use two wooden spatula if necessary to help you toss the noodles with the rest of the veggies and shrimp in the wok/pan. Do this for about a minute or so to make sure the noodles are warm enough before you pour the seasonings. Then pour the seasonings and give them a toss again and cook for another minute or so until the seasonings coat the noodles evenly. Have a taste and adjust the seasonings to your preference
- Lastly, add the green onion stalks and gently give it a final toss to mix everything. Scatter the cooked omelette strips on top of the noodles and serve immediately
RECOMMEDED TOOLS
*Nutrition facts are just estimates and calculated using online tools*
Ingredients and substitutions
1. Pasta or noodles
I use dried spaghetti made with durum wheat (semolina). You can also use wider flatter pasta like fettuccine. If you don’t want to use pasta, you can use egg noodles, refrigerated chow mein noodles, yakisoba noodles, dried lo mein noodles, alkaline noodles (or ramen noodles – not the instant type), chuka soba noodles.
2. Veggies
You can also use broccoli, broccolini, snow peas, celery, kale, edamame, fresh mushrooms, or other greens of your choice. If you use broccoli or broccolini, blanch them first and then add them when you add the noodles
3. Protein
You can use meat like chicken, pork tenderloin, beef tenderloin, cut into strips and marinate in a teaspoon of soy sauce, pinch of sugar, salt, and pepper. Ground beef, chicken, turkey, and pork work too. If you want meatless protein, I suggest extra-firm tofu cubes.
4. Sauces
For a vegetarian or vegan version, use vegetarian oyster sauce, vegetable broth (or liquid from soaking mushrooms)
Can I make gluten-free spaghetti chow mein?
Absolutely! Simply use gluten-free spaghetti of your choice like Banza. Rice noodles work too. For the sauce: you can use gluten-free soy sauce, gluten-free oyster sauce. You can omit the fish sauce.
