Vegetable chow mein is a classic quick Indo-Chinese vegetable noodles stir fry, loaded with crunchy, healthy vegetables and mildly flavored with soy and chilli sauce. It makes for a perfect quick and tasty dinner or lunch.
There are days when you just want to serve something quick and healthy without reaching out to a takeout menu card from your local restaurant or rush to the nearby street vendor to get your fix of Indo-Chinese food! All you need is a fast and filling one-pot meal with lots of healthy vegetables and a carb to fill you up like rice or noodles or even pasta.
My favorite is a large bowl of spicy, crunchy, healthy quick stir fry with noodles and lots and lots of healthy vegetables I can find in my own kitchen without rushing to the store to get some!
Basic elements in a stir fry:
This gorgeous bowl of spicy vegetable chow mein has all the components like your favorite type of noodles with lots of crunchy vegetables; carrots, bell pepper, cabbage, snap peas etc. along with caramelized onions, ginger and garlic.
I have used the popular dry noodles available in most Indian stores: Chings' Secret Hakka Noodles". They need a boil of just 2 to 3 minutes. When cooked properly, they should have a firm bite and springy texture. Use any noodle you like; even spaghetti noodles, but DO NOT OVERCOOK! Nothing worse than mushy, sticky noodles! It is better to under cook the noodles as they continue to cook when stir frying.
To add flavor and heat, go simple. Just a dash of soy sauce along with any chilli sauce you have in the fridge. I love to add my homemade Chili-Garlic Sauce which is always in my fridge. This gives the right amount of heat and flavor to any dish!
How can I forget my favorite go to vegetable in most of my stir fries, pizzas, sandwiches and curries; mushrooms! So I have added a few sliced button mushrooms to add flavor and meatiness to the dish. When you want that meaty taste, mushrooms are the way to go. They are earthy, tasty, healthy and filling! If you can find Portobello mushrooms, nothing like it.
If you like, add a protein like chicken, seafood or tofu/paneer for the vegetarians. I wanted to make it vegetarian and had no tofu or paneer in the fridge; so had to forgo this one.
To my secret favorite ingredient:
I love those Maggi seasoning cubes you can find in all Indian stores. So, I normally sprinkle a crushed cube in most of my Indo-Chinese dishes. This is totally optional but gives it a lovely restaurant like “Chinese” flavor!
Another unique spice I have learnt to add to Chinese dishes is fennel seeds, one of the key ingredients in Chinese 5-spice powder. A sprinkle of this elevates the taste to a whole new level! Just let them infuse the oil in the beginning of the cooking process and this flavor carries over.
The key to making any stir-fry is to have everything prepped and ready to go. A lot of the chopping and cooked noodles can be done in advance , so the final dish comes together fast for a quick and easy weeknight dinner. Actually, you will be spending more time chopping and prepping than over a hot stove!
The whole process is fast and quick and done on high heat. This ensures that the vegetables do not overcook and the dish is ready in less than 10 minutes! Serve it right away so the vegetables are still bright and crunchy and the noodles are still firm. I like to serve it with soy sauce and more hot sauce on the side.
Leftovers taste great in lunch boxes the next day as well.
Loaded with fresh vegetables and easy to make, this vegetable chow mein recipe is a perfect go-to dish for a healthy dinner or as a main dish. Serve it with a bowl of soup like Vegetable Man Chow Soup, Sweet Corn Vegetable Soup or Hot and Sour Spinach Soup on the side!
Enjoy and Happy Cooking!
For more such Indo-Chinese noodle dishes, do try:
Lets make some noodles!!
Vegetable chow mein is a classic quick Indo-Chinese vegetable noodles stir fry, loaded with crunchy, healthy vegetables, mildly flavored with soy and chilli sauce. It makes for a perfect quick and tasty dinner or lunch.
Ingredients
- 1 packet dried vegetable noodles (about 150 to 200gm)
- 3 tbsp cooking oil
- 1 teaspoon saunf/fennel seeds
- 1 medium onion, sliced
- 1 green chilli/jalapeno, sliced
- 2 large cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped
- 1-inch piece ginger, grated or finely chopped
- 2 tsp hot red chilli sauce/chilli-garlic paste (homemade)/chili paste like sambal olek
- 1 cube of Maggi vegetable seasoning, crushed (optional)
- 1 tbsp Maggie green chilli sauce
- 1 stalk of celery, sliced
- 1 large carrot, peeled and cut into juliennes
- 1 medium bell pepper/capsicum, sliced long
- 1 cup shredded green cabbage
- 1/2 cup sliced button mushrooms
- Handful of snow peas (optional)
- 2 to 3 tsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp white vinegar
- Salt to taste
- Black pepper powder
- Handful of finely chopped green onions/cilantro for garnish
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to boil and cook noodles according to package instructions. I have used Chings’ Secret hakka vegetable noodles (found in any Indian store) which need only a boil of 3 minutes. This keeps them cooked just right with an “al dente” feel or a noodle with still a bite in it. Do not overcook; it is better to be undercooked than over as they will continue to cook with the vegetables.
- Drain and rinse with cold water. Drizzle some oil over it and mix well to coat them evenly; keeps them from not sticking to each other.
- In a large non-stick kadai/skillet or an iron wok, heat 3 tbsp oil over high heat.
- Sprinkle a teaspoon of saunf/fennel seeds and sauté for a few seconds to allow the spice to aromatize the oil with its amazing flavor!
- Add the sliced onions along with sliced or chopped green chilies and stir fry on high heat to sear the onions and slightly soften it. This will take about a minute.
- Toss in grated ginger and garlic and fry again for a few seconds until the raw smell is nearly gone.
- Add the chili garlic paste or any spicy red chilli paste and green chilli sauce along with a crushed cube of Maggie vegetable seasoning. I love adding this seasoning cube as I feel it gives it a lovely “Indo-Chinese” flavor!
- Stir fry on high heat for one more minute.
- At this stage, add all the vegetables in one go and give it a good mix. Add salt to taste and fry on high heat for a minute or two just to heat the mixture through. You do not want to overcook the vegetables. The heat in the pan will continue to cook them as you go along.
- Once the vegetables are heated through, stir in the drained noodles along with soy sauce and vinegar; mix well. Add more salt if needed.
- Turn off the heat and remove the pan from heat. Keep tossing all the noodles and vegetables until thoroughly mixed evenly; taste and if necessary, add more soy sauce or chilli sauce.
- The heat of the vegetable mixture is enough to heat up the noodles and marry all the flavors. Removing the pan from heat also keeps the vegetables from getting overcooked; nothing like soggy vegetables in a chow mein!
- Garnish with chopped green onions, cilantro (optional) and serve immediately!
Notes
Add a dash of sesame oil at the end for more pronounced Chinese flavors.
It is a pretty customizable dish. Use any combination of vegetables you have in your fridge.
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Thanks so much 🙂 🙂