With any Chinese New Year menu, including a noodle dish is a must as it symbolizes having a long life. My Beef Chow Mein is a great noodle dish to include as it’s filled with vegetables, tender steak, and long chow mein noodles!
A Bit about Chow Mein Noodles
There are so many noodle dishes that you can make, however this year, I opted for making a homemade Beef Chow Mein. You can find chow mein noodles in just about any grocery store these days, and they take just a few minutes to make. Plus, I love the texture of these noodles since they are so thin as well as the fact that they can pick up any flavours you pair with them!
With most brands of chow mein noodles, you have to boil them separately for a few minutes before adding them into the vegetables since they are uncooked. It only takes just a few minutes since the noodles are so thin!
Just a Few Simple Steps to Make a Classic Chinese Recipe
To start this recipe, I marinate the beef (I use a flank steak cut) in some soy sauce and baking soda. The baking soda tenderizes the meat and makes it light and almost fluffy in texture, which is so great when eating.
Once the beef has marinated, I fry it in a hot pan until it is almost cooked through then I remove it from the pan. To follow, I add some garlic and ginger, followed by thinly sliced napa cabbage and carrots and I fry those for 2-3 minutes or until they have softened up nicely.
Following the vegetables, I add the chow mein noodles to the pan then I follow it up with some soy sauce, chicken broth and then add the beef back to the pan. The soy sauce gives it a nice salty umami flavour and the chicken broth adds extra flavor and enough liquid to steam through the vegetables and noodles to finish cooking them through.
Just as a finishing touch, I like to add some sesame oil and some thinly sliced scallions for garnish. And that’s how easy this recipe is! Serve this Beef Chow Mein right away in a large bowl or a nice platter!
Get the Recipe!
Beef Chow Mein
Ingredients
- 400 g flank steak thinly sliced
- 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
- 2 cloves garlic finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons ginger finely chopped
- 2 cups napa cabbage thinly sliced
- 2 cups carrots julienned
- 400 g chow mein noodles
- Water for boiling
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 scallions roughly chopped
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
Instructions
- Begin by preparing the beef. Slice the flank steak into thin strips and place in a bowl. Add 1 tablespoon of soy sauce and baking soda and mix to combine. Set aside to marinate for 15 minutes.
- Next, boil a pot of water. Once boiling, add the noodles and cook for 2-3 minutes. Drain the noodles and set aside.
- Add the oil to the pan and fry the beef over high heat for 2-3 minutes per side, until the beef is almost fully cooked. Set the beef aside on a plate for now. It will finish cooking once it is added back to the pan.
- Next, fry the garlic and ginger for 30 seconds over medium-high heat until fragrant. Then add the sliced cabbage and carrots. Fry these together for 2-3 minutes, or until softened. Add the par-cooked chow mein noodles to the pan, followed by the beef and the remaining ¼ cup of soy sauce and chicken broth. Mix everything to combine and cover the pan to let the noodles steam for 3-5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, the noodles should be soft and will be done! Garnish with the chopped scallions and a drizzle of sesame oil!
