Chicken lo mein with Chinese leaf and carrots
Written by Estelle & Alice for The Wok House
One minute under the lid, right after the noodles go in, and they come apart instead of staying in clumps. That's the moment I watch most closely in this lo mein, which I make when there's a piece of Chinese leaf and two carrots left in the fridge. It's on the table in 35 minutes, noodle cooking included.
Lo mein is the Cantonese pronunciation of 撈麵 (lāo miàn in Mandarin), "stirred noodles". In Guangzhou and Hong Kong, they're boiled noodles tossed with a sauce, without going near a wok. Chinese restaurants in the United States turned them into a stir-fry, often with chicken and cabbage, and that's the version this recipe follows. What sets it apart from chow mein is the noodles, which stay soft and coated in sauce instead of browning in the oil. To get it right, cook the noodles separately and sear the chicken in small batches.
Chicken lo mein
Egg noodles boiled separately, then stir-fried in the wok with cornflour-marinated chicken, Chinese leaf, carrots and beansprouts, coated in light and dark soy sauce.
For 3 or 4 people, use a 32 to 34cm wok. Once the noodles are in, it's two-thirds full, and that's the limit for lifting everything properly.
Ingredients
For the chicken
For the noodles
For the sauce
To cook and serve
Equipment
- 32 to 34cm wok with a lid
- Large saucepan, colander and chopsticks
- Two wok spatulas or tongs
- 2 bowls
Method
Marinate the chicken
Cut the chicken into thin strips 5mm thick. In a bowl, mix it with 1 tsp light soy sauce and 1 tbsp water, massaging until the meat has absorbed the liquid. Add 2 tsp cornflour, mix, then add 2 tsp oil, which helps the strips separate in the wok. Leave to rest while you prepare everything else.
Cook the noodles
Bring a large pan of water to the boil. Drop in fresh noodles for 1 minute, loosening them with chopsticks, or dried noodles for 1 minute less than the packet time (usually 3 to 4 minutes). They should stay a little firm, as they finish cooking in the wok. Drain, rinse under cold water, shake the colander well and toss with 1 tsp oil.
Prepare the sauce and vegetables
In a small bowl, mix the two soy sauces, the sesame oil, the sugar and the salt until the sugar has dissolved. Finely shred the Chinese leaf, cut the carrots and pepper into matchsticks, then cut the spring onions into 5cm lengths and split them in half lengthways. Slice the garlic. The stir-fry moves fast, so keep everything within reach.
Sear the chicken
Heat the wok over a high heat until it is lightly smoking. Sear the chicken in 2 batches: for each batch, add 1 tablespoon of oil, spread the strips out in a single layer, let them brown for 1 minute without touching them, then stir-fry for 2 minutes, until they're white all the way through and golden in places. Set aside on a plate.
Stir-fry the vegetables
Keep the heat high. Pour 2 tbsp oil into the wok, add the garlic and stir for 10 seconds, until fragrant. Add the Chinese leaf, carrots and pepper, then stir-fry for 1 minute: the leaves start to wilt but stay crunchy. Pour 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine in a thin stream down the hot sides; it sizzles and evaporates straight away.
Warm the noodles under the lid
Add the noodles and the chicken with its juices. Toss for 30 seconds, lifting everything from the bottom up with two spatulas or tongs. If the noodles stay stuck together in clumps, pour 4 tbsp water down the sides. Cover for 1 minute: the steam warms the noodles through and separates them.
Add the sauce
Take off the lid, pour in the sauce and stir-fry for 1 minute, still lifting from the bottom up, until all the noodles are the same brown colour.
Finish with the beansprouts
Add the beansprouts and spring onions, then stir-fry for 1 more minute. Stop as soon as the beansprouts turn translucent at the edges: they should stay crunchy.
Serve
Taste a noodle and add more salt if needed. Divide between warm bowls and serve straight away: if they wait, the noodles soak up the sauce and the beansprouts go soft.
Wok tips
- On induction, a flat-bottomed wok stays in contact with the hob: let it heat for 2 minutes on full power before adding the oil. A cast iron wok needs 3 to 4 minutes, but it loses less heat when the noodles go in.
- Never put more than 300g of chicken in a 32cm wok at once. Packed too tightly, the strips release their water and boil: they should sizzle as soon as they touch the metal.
- Drain the noodles carefully. Any water left clinging to them cools the wok and waters down the sauce.
- If the noodles still stick, the wok often needs more seasoning: a well-seasoned wok lets them slide. To mix, lift them from the bottom up rather than stirring round in circles, which breaks them.
Variations
- No dark soy sauce: replace it with 1 tablespoon of light soy sauce and ½ teaspoon of soft light brown sugar for 4 people. The taste stays close; the noodles are just paler.
- No Shaoxing wine: the same amount of dry sherry, or nothing at all. The stir-fry loses a little fragrance but holds up without it.
- Other proteins: 400g raw peeled prawns (seared for 1 minute on each side), beef sliced against the grain, or firm tofu cut into batons and patted dry. The marinade stays the same.
- More vegetables: quartered pak choi or sliced fresh shiitake mushrooms in place of some of the Chinese leaf, and 1 tablespoon of oyster sauce in the sauce for a rounder flavour.
Storage
Keeps for two to three days in the fridge, in an airtight container. Reheat in the wok over a high heat with 1 or 2 tablespoons of water: the steam loosens the noodles in 2 minutes. The beansprouts go soft in the fridge, so add a handful of raw ones when you reheat if you have any.
Frequently asked questions
What's the difference between lo mein and chow mein?
Both are made with egg noodles. For chow mein ("fried noodles"), they spend longer in hot oil, until golden and sometimes crisp. For lo mein, they're boiled, then just warmed through in the wok and coated in sauce, so they're softer.
Can you make lo mein with dried noodles?
Yes. For 4 people, 300g dried egg noodles replace 450g fresh: cook them for 1 minute less than the packet says, as they finish cooking in the wok. Fresh egg noodles are in the chilled section of Asian supermarkets, and dried nests in the world foods aisle of most supermarkets.
Why do my noodles stick in the wok?
Usually they're badly drained, the wok isn't hot enough or it's too full. Rinse them under cold water and oil them as soon as they come out of the pan. If they clump together in the wok, pour in 3 or 4 tablespoons of water and cover for a minute.
What cabbage should I use for lo mein?
Chinese leaf is the easiest: it cooks in a minute and stays juicy. White cabbage or sweetheart cabbage also work, shredded more finely and stir-fried for a minute longer.
