Vegetable Chow Mein Indo Chienese Noodles Playful Cooking

Growing up, we had a very standard Sunday ritual. Our breakfast was mostly this Vegetable Chow Mein that Ma would make followed by meat or chicken for lunch that my Dad would make. The homemade version of the noodle was always more mildly spiced as compared to the street style version. And as a result we friends would hog on occasionally after the school. I could never pick a favorite in between the two versions.

Indo-Chinese Cuisine:

When I moved to US several years back, one of the street foods that I missed the most was this Vegetable Chow Mein. While this dish is often referred to as Chinese Noodle however it’s not even remotely close to the authentic Chinese noodles. This Indian street-food style Veg Chow Mein is more of an Indo-Chinese version, which was passed on to our cuisine. With the settlement of Chinese people in Kolkata in the early part of 20th century, China Town came into existence and as a result the Indo-Chinese food culture began. And every Indian that I know loves it.

What variety of noodles to use for Chow Mein?

The best noodle would be the dried ones. Look for thin stranded, wheat egg noodles. KEY POINT: Most importantly, do not boil the noodles for more than 3 to 4 minutes. Boil it to al-dente like pasta.

The Vegetables:

Choose crunchy vegetables that won’t go soggy or release too much water on cooking. Apart from garlic, ginger and onion, few common vegetable choices are:

CarrotsGreen BeansCabbageGreen Bell PeppersGreen Onion

KEY NOTE: If you are adding chicken, tofu or eggs, stir-fry the tofu/chicken separately or scramble the egg separately and toss it in the end with the Chow Mein.

Key flavoring Ingredients for the Vegetable Chow Mein:

It’s a simple uncomplicated sauce that includes:

Dark Soya SauceKetchup (adds a mild sweetness)Green Chili Sauce (if you prefer spicy)White VinegarBlack PepperLots of Garlic and Ginger

Ajinomoto (optional): It’s a famous Chinese flavor enhancer. It looks like flaky salt and gives a perfect umami mouth-feel. One very important point to remember is to allow the boiled noodle to cool down a bit before you stir fry it. This will make sure that the end result will not turn into a soggy mess.

If you enjoy noodles and like a flavor punch for your palate, you definitely need to try this Indian street-food style Vegetable Chow Mein. I like to spread a little bit of pickled onion on top for punchy tangy taste.

Here are couple ways you could pair this noodle dish: