Stir Fried Vegetable Chow Mein

This Stir Fried Vegetable Chow Mein dish is so quick and easy that I feel pretty lame even posting it…but, quick and easy and delicious is always handy, so here you go.

I really love cheap, greasy Chinese takeout. There, I said it. It’s my food guilty pleasure (well, that and poutine if I’m completely honest). While my husband was away I may have ordered in a few too many times and now my nearly 3-year-old lists ‘Chinese noodles’ as among his favourite things to eat.

So, I am reviving an old stand by recipe that I have been making for my husband and I ever since our first apartment with its teeny tiny 1970s galley kitchen. It even converted him from a fried rice eater into a regular Vegetable Chow Main orderer!

Quite simply this dish is finely sliced vegetables stir fried with a splash of a couple different common Chinese sauces, thickened slightly with a cornstarch slurry (this is key to ensuring the sauce nicely coats the noodles) and plain old chow mein noodles. We like to serve ours with a good squeeze of Sriracha in big bowls that make for good slurping!

Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS (Serves 4):

4 SQUARES DRIED CHOW MEIN NOODLES

1 HEAD BROCCOLI – florets separated and stalk peeled and finely chopped

1 LARGE CARROT – julienned

1 RED BELL PEPPER – quartered, seeded and finely sliced

1/2 HEAD NAPA CABBAGE – halved and finely sliced

1 ONION – quartered and finely sliced

2 TBSP CANOLA OIL – substitute vegetable oil if you prefer

1 TSP SESAME OIL

2/3 CUP CHICKEN OR VEGETABLE STOCK

1/4 CUP HOISIN SAUCE

1 TBSP LIGHT SOY SAUCE

1 TBSP CORNSTARCH – mixed with a little water

DIRECTIONS

Prep all stir fry ingredients and set aside.

Cook noodles according to package directions (until just softened) then drain and set aside.

Heat oils in pan over medium high heat then add onion, carrots and bell pepper. Stir fry until just cooked through. Add broccoli and nap cabbage and continue to stir fry until cabbage has wilted and broccoli is brilliant green. Add sauces and mix well. Add cornstarch slurry a bit at a time until sauce is thickened. Add noddles and toss to combine. Serve hot.

Prep Time: 10 min

Cooking Time: 10 min