Quick & Easy Beef Chow Mein
Bouncy chow mein noodles stir-fried with tender beef and colorful vegetables in a savory sauce. This one-pan, easy beef chow mein recipe is ready in 30 minutes, making it great for busy weeknights! It's a family-friendly meal that's better-than-takeout. It's also a great Asian noodle dish for parties or large gatherings.
- Prep time
- 23 min
- Cook time
- 7 min
- Yield
- 4 servings
- Difficulty
- MEDIUM
Ingredients
Quantities are shown as originally provided.
- 1 lb chow mein noodles (fresh kind)
- 1/2 lb flank steak (or skirt/flat/hanger steak, sliced into 1/4” thick pieces on a bias)
- 2 cups mung bean sprouts (or soybean sprouts, rinsed & strained )
- 2 cups napa cabbage (or green cabbage, chopped)
- 1 cup carrot (or bell peppers, julienned)
- 4 green onions (chopped into 1.5” long pieces)
- 3 tablespoon vegetable oil (or any neutral oil)
- 1 tablespoon water (cold)
- 1/2 tablespoon cornstarch (or potato starch)
- 1/2 tablespoon vegetable oil (or any neutral oil)
- 1/2 teaspoon regular soy sauce (or light soy sauce)
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda (do not skip!)
- 2 tablespoon oyster sauce (or vegetarian stir-fry sauce)
- 2 tablespoon regular soy sauce (or light soy sauce)
- 2 tablespoon dark soy sauce (or mushroom soy sauce)
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine (/ dry sherry wine / dry white wine / chicken stock)
- 1 tablespoon white granulated sugar (or cane sugar)
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 2 teaspoon cornstarch (or potato starch)
- 3 garlic cloves (finely minced)
- ½ cup chicken stock ((low-sodium) or beef stock / cold water)
Instructions
- 1
In a large bowl, marinate the sliced beef with the marinade ingredients as listed above for 15-20 minutes at room temperature.
- 2
In a small bowl or measuring cup, combine the noodle sauce ingredients as listed above and set aside.
- 3
Fill a large pan or wok with enough water and bring to a boil on high heat. Blanch the noodles just until loosened, about 20 seconds. Then strain in a colander and shake out any excess water. Set aside.
- 4
Heat 1 tbsp (15 mL) vegetable oil in a dry wok or large pan on medium-high heat. Fry the marinated beef until cooked and slightly browned on the edges, about 1-2 minutes. Remove and set aside.
- 5
Add another 1 tbsp (15 mL) vegetable oil into the pan. Stir fry the carrots and cabbage for 30 seconds and push to the side of the pan.
- 6
Then add remaining vegetable oil into the empty space. Add noodles and noodle sauce and toss until evenly coated and there is little sauce on the base of the pan.
- 7
Add cooked beef, bean sprouts, and green onions and toss until evenly combined, about 30-60 seconds. Enjoy hot!