ingredients (1 cup = 250 ml)
for cooking noodles:
150 to 200 grams plain or whole wheat noodles or flat noodles, about 5.5 to 7 lb noodles
5 to 6 cups water or 1.25 to 1.5 litres water
¼ teaspoon oil
other ingredients for chow mein recipe:
cup grated carrots
shredded cabbage
finely chopped french beans
finely chopped onions
¼ cup thinly sliced capsicum
1 teaspoon finely chopped ginger
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1 teaspoon chili sauce
3 teaspoons soy sauce or add as required
1 tablespoon tomato ketchup or add as required, optional
½ teaspoon black pepper
½ teaspoon rice vinegar or regular vinegar
2.5 to 3 tablespoons olive oil or any other oil
salt as required, add in moderation as soy sauce already has a lot of salt.
making chow mein recipe:
heat oil in a pan or wok. on medium heat, first saute the green chilies, ginger and garlic for about 30 seconds. green chilies add quite some heat in the dish. skip if you do not prefer them or if making for kids.
add chopped onions or spring onions. saute for a minute.
add finely chopped french beans.
stir and saute on a medium flame till the edges of the mushroom get lightly browned.
add grated carrots, and sliced bell pepper/capsicum.
stir and increase the flame to a high. stir fry everything on a high flame for 2 to 3 minutes.
add soy sauce. at this step you can also add tomato sauce or red chili sauce or green chili sauce. since i have already added green chilies, i have not added the chili sauce.
season with black pepper or white pepper and salt.
stir everything.
stir and saute for a minute on medium flame.
add the cooked noodles. increase the flame to high. mix and toss the noodles with the stir fried veggies.
lastly add vinegar and give a final mix to chowmein. switch off the flame.
serve chow mein steaming hot in serving bowls. you can also garnish chowmein with about 1 to 2 tsp toasted sesame seeds and spring onion greens.
