One of my favourite takeaway meals recreated at home.. I LOVE chow Mein. This recipe uses a beef fillet steak but you can swap it out for something a bit cheaper such as rump or frying steak, whatever your budget allows. Chow Mein and stirfry's in general are a great way to practice your knife skills. There's a lot of chopping involved so like most Chinese dishes the prep takes longer then the actual cooking, but you can still have this lovely chow Mein knocked together with in 40mins.. quicker than a takeaway!!
Please read the method before you start prepping.
See my tips for a cooking hack!!
Serves 2 as a main, 4 as a side
Prep time 30mins
Cooking time 10mins
250g fillet steak, finely sliced
1tbsp cornflour
1tbsp rice wine vinegar
2tbsp veg or groundnut oil
3 garlic cloves, crushed
1 inch piece of ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks
1 onion, peeled and cut into wedges
1 carrot, peeled and julienned
Handful of sugar snap peas, cut into thirds
2 spring onions, sliced diagonally
Handful of beansprouts
2 portions of precooked noodles
150ml oyster sauce
2tbsp soy sauce
1tbsp honey
1tbsp sesame oil
In a bowl coat the sliced beef in the cornflour and rice wine vinegar, mix well and set aside for about 30 mins to tenderise.. you can use this time to prep your veggies.
Also in a bowl mix all of your chow Mein sauce ingredients together... its important to have everything ready because the cooking of this dish is so quick!
Once your veg are all prepped and your sauce is ready heat 1tbsp of oil in a wok or deep frying pan on a high heat and add the steak. Flash fry the steak (cook quickly) until its browned, this should take no longer then 2 mins. Once browned remove from the wok and set aside.
In the wok add the remaining oil (1tbsp) over a medium heat and add the garlic and ginger, cook until fragrant, stirring constantly so that it doesn't burn. This should take 2 mins.
Now add the onion and cook for 2mins, again stirring constantly.
Now in with the carrot, sugar snap peas and spring onions, stir fry for 1 minute.
Now add the beef, beansprouts, precooked noodles, cook for 1 minute then add your delicious chow Mein sauce and continue to cook for another 2 mins, stirring to ensure its all coated.
Dish up while its steaming and enjoy!!
If using fillet steak pop it in the freezer for about 30mins.. this will partially freeze the steak and make it really easy to slice extra thinly, like in a real takeaway chow Mein. Don't worry it will have already softened again by the time your finish cutting it.
