Grandma’s Authentic Traditional Taiwanese Chow Mein
Authentic Traditional Taiwanese Pan-Fried Noodles
The long-awaited AUTHENTIC, Traditional Grandma’s Taiwanese Chow Mein recipe, is finally here! Nothing reminds me more of home than my Grandma’s Taiwanese Chow Mein that is savory, addicting, and is the one that you find at night markets in Taiwan.
Crunchy cabbage, juicy pork, fragrant shiitake mushroom, and saucy pan-fried noodles, this recipe is everything you want in your chow mein!
The best part … grandma’s chow mein wastes no time; this noodle recipe is quick and super easy to make at home! I love having this noodle recipe for dinner!
Key Ingredients for Authentic Taiwanese Chow Mein
What are some key ingredients that make a delicious Authentic Taiwanese Chow Mein?
First, you will need to have shallots, mushrooms, and a generous amount of oil. The shallots, mushroom, and dehydrated shrimp (optional), are the main ingredients that adds fragrance to the oil.
Next, the critical component is the savory, tangy sauce. Taiwanese Chow Mein is known for that slight, subtle tanginess. All you need is soy sauce, oyster sauce, black vinegar, white pepper, and a pinch of sugar.
Taiwanese Chow Mein Toppings
You can add whatever toppings you like to your Taiwanese Chow Mein.
I use the most commonly used ingredients at Taiwanese street vendors. Still, you can also make this recipe vegetarian by substituting oyster sauce with vegetarian oyster sauce and skipping the pork.
Other popular toppings include bean sprouts, chicken or beef, tofu, and cilantro.
What Noodles Are Best for Taiwanese Chow Mein?
I am using fresh “oil noodles,” which is the most commonly used noodles for Traditional Taiwanese Chow Mein.
However, some other noodles you can use include Thick Shanghai Noodles, Frozen Udon, and Chow Mein Noodles. Every noodle has its own method of cooking, so make sure to follow the instructions on their packaging.
If you’re using frozen noodles, you’ll want to pre-cook or blanch the noodles ahead of time and use the moisture from the cabbage and the savory sauce to cook and coat the noodles.
Do you want more noodle recipes? Here are some of my go-to noodle recipes that you will LOVE, PLUS they are super easy to make at home!
- Chinese Hand-pulled Noodles (4 INGREDIENTS ONLY!)
- 3 Cup Chicken Noodle Stir-Fry (20 Minutes ONLY!)
- Instant Pot Authentic Taiwanese Beef Noodle Soup
- Japchae – Korean Glass Noodle Stir-fry
Ingredients
- 350g of Noodles (~4 servings)
- 250g of sliced Pork (pork shoulder, pork belly or, pork butt)
- 3 Green Onion (chopped into 2-inch pieces)
- 4 cups of Cabbage (sliced)
- 1 cup of Carrots (shredded)
- 2 cups of Shiitake Mushroom (sliced)
- 3 Small Shallots (minced)
- ¼ cup of dehydrated Shrimp (rinsed & optional)
- 0.5 cup of Water
Pork Marinate:
- 1.5 tbsp of Soy Sauce
- 1 tsp of White Pepper
- 1 tsp of Sugar
- 2 tbsp of Chinese Cooking Wine (optional)
Chow Mein Sauce:
- 2 tbsp of Soy Sauce
- 2.5 tbsp of Oyster Sauce
- 3 tbsp of Black Vinegar
- 2 tsp of Sugar
- 1.5 tsp of White Pepper
- Marinate the sliced pork with soy sauce, white pepper, sugar, and Chinese cooking wine (optional) for 5-10 minutes.
- To prepare the sauce, mix soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, white pepper, and black vinegar.
- In a pan, drizzle in a generous amount of oil and turn the heat to medium-high. Once the pan is hot, add in sliced shallots, sliced shiitake mushroom, and dehydrated shrimp. Sauce for 2-3 minutes.
- Next, add in pork and saute for another 2-3 minutes.
- Add in the sliced cabbage and shredded carrot, and mix. Pour in 0.5 cups of water and put the lid on, and let it cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Add in the noodles, pour in the sauce, mix everything. Put the lid on and let it cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- Add in green onion, turn the heat up to high, saute on high heat for another 1-2 minutes.
Taiwanese Chow Mein
By Tiffy Cooks
Ingredients
- 350 g Noodles ~4 servings
- 250 g sliced Pork pork shoulder, pork belly or, pork butt
- 3 Green Onion chopped into 2-inch pieces
- 4 cups Cabbage sliced
- 1 cup Carrots shredded
- 2 cups Shiitake Mushroom sliced
- 3 Small Shallots minced
- ¼ cup dehydrated Shrimp rinsed & optional
- 0.5 cup Water
Pork Marinate:
- 1.5 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 1 tsp White Pepper
- 1 tsp Sugar
- 2 tbsp Chinese Cooking Wine optional
Chow Mein Sauce:
- 2 tbsp Soy Sauce
- 2.5 tbsp Oyster Sauce
- 3 tbsp Black Vinegar
- 2 tsp Sugar
- 1.5 tsp White Pepper
Instructions
- Marinate the sliced pork with soy sauce, white pepper, sugar, and Chinese cooking wine (optional) for 5-10 minutes.
- To prepare the sauce, mix soy sauce, oyster sauce, sugar, white pepper, and black vinegar.
- In a pan, drizzle in a generous amount of oil and turn the heat to medium-high. Once the pan is hot, add in sliced shallots, sliced shiitake mushroom, and dehydrated shrimp. Sauce for 2-3 minutes.
- Next, add in pork and saute for another 2-3 minutes.
- Add in the sliced cabbage and shredded carrot, and mix. Pour in 0.5 cups of water and put the lid on, and let it cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Add in the noodles, pour in the sauce, mix everything. Put the lid on and let it cook for another 2-3 minutes.
- Add in green onion, turn the heat up to high, saute on high heat for another 1-2 minutes.
Authentic and yummy! Exactly what I remembered from home. Thank you for sharing