You can trace many stir-fried dishes around the world back to chow mein. Introduced by the Chinese diaspora, the dish birthed local adaptations that eventually became cornerstones of national cuisines. Indonesian mi goreng. Malaysian Hokkien mee. Filipino pancit. All stir-fried noodles seasoned with sauce and tossed with meat and vegetables.
What sets Chinese chow mein and Filipino pancit apart? Besides the flavor profile, another major difference lies in the noodles. While pancit typically uses wheat flour noodles (canton) or rice vermicelli (bihon), you’ll often see chow mein make use of yellow egg noodles.
This recipe uses quality noodles from Good Life, which are proudly made with 100% real eggs. Most chow mein recipes will suggest boiling the noodles first, but Good Life Egg Noodles cook so quickly—3 to 5 minutes, to be exact—that you can toss them straight into the pan. With some gentle turning, the noodles will soften and reach perfect, sauce-coated firmness.
Ingredients
Sauce
- 3 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 tbsp oyster sauce
- 3 tbsp mirin
- 4 tsp cornstarch
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- white pepper, to taste
Chow Mein
- 100g shrimp, cleaned, shells and heads removed
- 100g squid, cleaned and cut into ½-inch rounds
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 cups red bell pepper, sliced into ½-inch batons
- 2 cups baby bok choy, individually peeled from core
- 1 medium carrot, julienned
- 200g Good Life Egg Noodles
- 1 ½ cups bean sprouts
- 3 green onions, sliced into 2-inch long batons
Prepare sauce: Combine sauce ingredients in a small mixing bowl. Whisk to combine and set aside.
Cook seafood: Coat a wok or pan with neutral oil over medium heat. Cook shrimp until firm and bright orange. Remove and set aside. Add squid and cook until firm and opaque; remove and set aside.
Cook vegetables: In the same wok, cook garlic until fragrant, but do not brown. If the wok looks a little dry, add 1–2 tbsp more oil. Add bell pepper, bok choy, and carrot. Stir to cook until vegetables are slightly wilted. Add back shrimp and squid, then stir to combine with the vegetables.
Cook noodles: Add dry Good Life Egg Noodles, reserved sauce, and ½ cup water. Gently fold and toss noodles until softened and all the liquid has been absorbed. Toss in bean sprouts and green onions. Toss until sprouts and onions have just begun to wilt. Remove from heat and transfer to a serving plate.
