My big sister got a new job this week and even though we had only a night’s notice to celebrate, we got together for a mid-week dinner at our favorite Chinese place. We’ve perfected our order to include all of our favorite flavors and a just-right amount of food, but sadly there’s no chow mein in the mix!
Not only is this recipe easy to whip up in ten minutes, but it’s so much less greasy than the restaurant version. If you’ve never used steamed noodles, these are different than the pan-fried noodles you might be used to ordering. For home, I think this noodle version is easier to get just right and I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised with their fuller texture.
Beef Chow Mein
1/2 pkg of steamed chow mein noodles (approximately 7 ounces)
1 pound of stir-fry beef, cut into strips
2 cloves of garlic, crushed
1 1/2 tablespoon of soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoon of oyster sauce
3 tablespoons of water
1/2 teaspoon of sugar
3-4 tablespoons of cooking oil (Olive oil has too low a smoking point for the heat you’ll want to use for this dish, I went with a vegetable oil blend)
Assorted vegetables: (Pick your favorites!)
3-4 handfuls of bean sprouts
1/2 shredded cabbage
1/4 cup shredded or grated carrots
chopped broccoli florets
1 onion, sliced
- Cook the steamed noodles according to the directions on the package. (My noodles required only 10 seconds in boiling water followed by a lot of rinsing.) However you’ve prepared yours, rinse until the water is clear and make sure you’ve drained out all the water before setting aside.
- Blend soy sauce, oyster sauce, water, and sugar into a small bowl.
- Heat up a wok or large frying pan with about a tablespoon of oil. Add in crushed garlic and stir-fry until light brown. Depending on your texture preference, you may want to add the tougher vegetables (like onions or broccoli) at this point.
- Add a bit more oil and stir-fry your beef until about 3/4 of the way done.
- Add softer vegetables (bean sprouts, carrots, cabbage), cooked boodles and your sauce mixture.
- Blend until well combined.
YUM.
