Chow mein is one of the most common things I order when we do Chinese delivery. I love vegetable chow mein, but pork chow mein is great too! :D

It's really easy to make at home - you can eat dinner in 30 minutes if you're fast with prep work! You can also easily alter your chow mein to include whatever you like.

Step 1: Ingredients

10-12 oz package of chow mein noodles
2-3 tablespoons of soy sauce
1/4 cup of chicken stock
1 tablespoon hoisin
black pepper - a few good cracks!
6-8 cups of thinlly sliced veg OR 1 pound of meat + 3-4 cups of veg

If you're doing only vegetable chow mein, try to get between 6-8 cups of thinly sliced veggies. (less if you're not doing cabbage - cabbage shrinks a ton!) I'm doing small broccoli florets, asparagus, bean sprouts, shredded carrots, green onions and sliced white onions.

If you're doing meat + vegetables, do 1 pound of meat + 3-4 cups of vegetables.

The sauce here is simple - 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 1 of hoisin and 1/4 cup of chicken stock with some black pepper added. You can add more soy sauce at the end if you like!

Step 2: Boil, Drain and Oil the Noodles

Boil the noodles in unsalted water - you want to drain them a couple minutes before the package says they're "done" - I pulled mine out at four minutes instead of waiting the full six.

Pour them into a colander and rinse them with cold water until they're entirely cool - no hot spots should be happening! Now shake the colander with a fury to get the excess water out. Apply a little oil to them (I used canola - but you can use sesame for extra flavor!) too keep them from sticking. Massage it in.

Set these aside until later.

Step 3: Prep + Cook the Veg And/or Meat

Thinly slice everything you'll be using. If using meat, you'll want to cook it first and then add the veg.

In a large skillet or wok, heat a couple tablespoons of oil over high heat until it starts to smoke. Then add your vegetables. Stir this around as it cooks for a few minutes - you want them to brown slightly and become a little tender.

Once they're done, dump them out on a plate and set them aside.

Step 4: Fry the Noodles + Add the Sauce

Leave the pan on high heat and add more oil. Let it come back up to smoking, and then pour in the cold noodles. Mix these around - let them warm back up and get a little color.

This will take a couple minutes!

Once they're warm and slightly browned in spots, add back in the vegetables and/or meat and then pour over your sauce.

Mix mix mix this and turn off the heat. :)

Step 5: Serve!

Serve hot or cold with extra soy sauce and some sriracha! Because of the oil in this dish, it's just as good cold from the fridge because the noodles won't glop together. :D