Name: Plain Chow Mein (Chinese Noodles)
Prep time: 3 min
Cook time: 7 min
Total time: 10 min
Ingredients: 300 g Egg Noodles; 100 g Beansprouts (Big Handful); 2 Garlic Cloves (Diced); 4 Spring Onions (Chopped); 2 tbsp Oil (For Frying); 2 tbsp Oyster Sauce; 2 tbsp Dark Soy Sauce; 2 tbsp Vinegar; 1 tbsp Brown Sugar; 1 tbsp Sesame Oil; 1 tbsp Chilli Sauce; ½ tsp Salt

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Takeaway Style Plain Chow Mein Recipe

Plain chow mein with beansprouts tossed in a delicious chow mein sauce. This Chinese takeaway stir fry is utterly delicious and ready in only 10 minutes.

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Plain chow mein! The perfect dish to make an easy Chinese fakeaway at home. It’s packed full of flavour, veggies and the homemade chow mein sauce tastes incredible.

This is one of the easiest noodle recipes ever that’s BIG on taste and little on time. It’s hands down delicious and one of those recipes you’ll end up making over and over again.

It’s quite versatile, you can serve it by itself or with a meat dish like this beef with ginger and spring onions recipe.

This plain chow mein is made with classic ingredients to create a Chinese takeaway taste.

There’s garlic, sesame oil, soy sauce and oyster sauce for a chow mein with lots of flavour. I’ve taken the base ingredients from my king prawn chow mein and chicken chow mein recipe.

Watch How To Make It

Recipe Ingredients

Below are the ingredients needed for this recipe:

Egg Noodles: I prefer to use fresh egg noodles as they’re ready for cooking. Chow mein noodles are yellow in colour and packed in plastic or vacuum-packed packaging. You can use dried noodles, but they need to be cooked before starting this recipe.
Vegetables: For this plain chow mein, beansprouts, garlic cloves and spring onions are used to add flavour to this dish.
Chow Mein Sauce: A mixture of oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, sesame oil, chilli sauce and salt make the homemade chow mein sauce.

How To Make Plain Chow Mein

Below is a step-by-step guide on how to make Chinese takeaway plain chow mein. Full recipe instructions are on the recipe card.

Step One:

Make the chow mein sauce by mixing together oyster sauce, dark soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, sesame oil, chilli sauce and salt in a small mixing bowl. Set aside for later use.

Step Two:

Heat a wok on a high heat and add two tablespoons of oil. Fry the beansprouts for 1 to 2 minutes.

Step Three:

Add chopped spring onions and diced garlic and fry for an extra minute.

Step Four:

Pour the egg noodles into the wok and stir fry for 1 to 2 minutes. Finish by drizzling the chow mein sauce on top and mix until evenly distributed.

Remove from the heat and enjoy!

How To Serve Plain Chow Mein

Serve a bigger portion for a filling meal or a smaller portion to eat alongside other Chinese takeaway dishes.

To serve, I like to garnish the dish with chopped spring onions especially when I’m serving this to others. You could also garnish with sprinkled sesame seeds to make this dish even more enticing.

The best thing about making plain chow mein (besides the taste) is serving it alongside other tasty Chinese dishes.

Some delicious meaty options are:

For your sides you can make sesame prawn toast or salt and pepper chips or this crispy salt and pepper chicken.

Why not add sweet and sour chicken balls, sweet and sour pork balls or sweet and sour prawn balls on the side!

Plain Chow Mein Recipe Variations

Keep this chow mein plain or add more vegetables like cabbage, pak choi, mushrooms and carrots.

If you want to add protein, try chunks of salmon, beef, chicken or prawns. There are so many variations and changes you can make to this recipe.

Equipment Needed

To make a chow mein you’re going to need a wok, it’s the main utensil for this dish. A wok is used in a lot of Chinese takeaway dishes, so definitely will be used more than once.

A good wok is so important, look for a carbon steel wok as it conducts heat evenly. Avoid non-stick type woks, the non-stick coating is very fragile and can scratch easily.

Of course, you’ll also need kitchen basics like a sharp knife, a chopping board and mixing bowls.

Do You Need A Wok For Chow Mein?

It’s best to make chow mein with a wok for that ‘wok hei’ flavour (the extra flavour that comes from cooking food in a hot wok).

If you don’t have a wok, make this dish in a large frying pan or pot instead.

My Top Tips

Prepping vegetables and ingredients in advance makes this recipe extremely quick to make.

If you’re using uncooked noodles, you’ll have to cook them first which will add more time. Buy fresh noodles if possible or pre-cook the noodles before starting this recipe.

I like to mix the sauce ingredients beforehand as opposed to adding the sauce ingredients one by one when I’m cooking. It prevents burning the chow mein and searching through every cupboard to find the soy sauce!

You’ll want your wok to be hot before adding oil or ingredients to it, as this will prevent smoking and burning.

Chow Mein Leftovers

If you have any leftovers, place the plain chow mein in an airtight container and place in the fridge. You could also place leftovers in the freezer and reheat when you’re ready. When defrosting, make sure the chow mein is piping hot throughout.