Vegetable Chow Mein

  

This dish is quick, easy and delicious.  It is such a simple thing and goes very well with stir fries of any kind, and if you add a bit of leftover cooked meat or poulrty can even double as a main course.  Mmmm . . . Chicken chow mein.  Who doesn't love that!

 

Its light and quite healthy I think.   I love noodles and more often than not will use the packets of ready cooked noodles, but you can cook noodles from scratch if you have them.  I confess I have even in the past used spaghetti because it is what I have had.

 

Feel free to adapt the vegetables for what you have to hand.  I like to use onions, carrots, and cabbage.  I also toss in a handful of mushrooms, spring onions and some beand sprouts and water chestnuts.

 

I don't use a lot of seasoning, just some soy sauce, toasted sesame oil and a bit of salt and pepper.  There is no heavy cloying sauce.  The end result is fresh and light, without any really overpowering flavours, just gentle subtleties with the nice flavours and crunch of the vegetables shining through..

 

If you have everything sliced and julienned and ready to go when you start, it really goes together in a flash!  I don't care if it is authentically Chinese or not.  I just know its tasty and we like it.  That's what counts the most!

 

*Vegetable Chow Mein*

Serves 4 to 6 

Printable Recipe 

Quick, easy and delicious! 

1 TBS vegetable oil

1 large brown onion, peeled, halved and cut into half moons

1 large carrot, peeled and julienned

4 spring onions, sliced

1/2 head of cabbage, thinly sliced

a handful of closed cap mushrooms, sliced

8 ounces Chinese noodles, cooked according to the package directions, drained and rinsed

small tin of sliced water chestnuts, drained and rinsed

1 tin of bean sprouts, drained, or the equivalent in fresh bean sprouts (about 2 cups)

60ml soy sauce (1/4 cup)

1 tsp toasted sesame oil

salt and pepper to taste 

First of all have all of your ingredients ready to go.  If you do this everything goes together in a flash! 

Heat the vegetable oil in a wok or a large skillet.  Add the onion and cook, until the onion is wilted, without browning.  Toss in the cabbage and carrots and cook until crispy tender.  Add the mushrooms and bean sprouts.  Toss and cook until the mushrooms have cooked.   Add the spring onions, water chestnuts, soy sauce and sesame oil.  Toss together until everything is coated and well mixed.  Season to taste with salt and pepper if desired.

 

This is not something we have really often, but when we do it is something we really enjoy.  I hope that you do too!  Bon Appetit!