Shrimp Chow Mein

Learn how to make shrimp chow mein with fresh vegetables, head on shrimp and delicious soy based sauce, easily cooked together in a wok.

Happy Chinese New Year!!

2014 marks the year of the Horse! Which means if you are born the year of the Horse, your finances may fluctuate and if you are not (like me..I’m born the year of the Boar), we are supposed to attain health and prosperity!

This couldn’t have come at a more perfect time, because this shrimp chow mein is crossing off the first item from my culinary bucket list. Asian cuisine is the cuisine that I am most UN-familiar with, so I figured being my first true authentic Asian dish, I would make something simple yet authentic.

For this dish, we decided to purchase our first wok! I am so excited about this because I have been fantasizing about owning a wok for years, but I was too intimidated to jump in head first. But honestly, it is not any more difficult than caring for a cast iron skillet. Of course, I researched how to “season” my new accessory and paid close attention to the progress and anatomy of the wok.

Here is what I learned about seasoning a new wok:

When you come home and before heating anything, use a scrubber to scrub off the entire inside and outside of the wok. There is a shiny coating that is on the wok to preserve while it’s on the shelves, and you need to take this off!  Then dry thoroughly.

Next, put the wok on the stove and crank the heat up full blast! Add a small drizzle of canola or vegetable oil and aromatics, such as ginger, scallions and celery. None of the vegetables has to be trimmed since you won’t be eating them. Begin to cook the vegetables, stirring them around with the oil all through the wok. We turned the wok every so often so the oil and veggies coated everywhere. Eventually your vegetables will get super charred.

There is a progression that the wok goes though and it can change dramatically over the years. Our wok stayed the same color mostly but I did notice that it was not nearly as shiny anymore and instead began to dull in appearance. Articles also said to refrain from any kind of acidity or vinegar for the first few uses since your wok is still aging gracefully.

When you are done with your wok, rinse it and do not scrub again. Dry thoroughly and  coat both the inside and outside with a thin layer of canola or vegetable oil.

For my first true Asian dish, shrimp chow mein was on the menu. According to Chinese culture, shrimp means happiness and well-being and noodles mean longevity. There are other meanings too, such as lettuce meaning prosperity (perfect reason to have spicy lettuce wraps) and spring rolls meaning money since they are supposed to look like gold bars.

As far as chow mein goes, it is a VERY quick dish. I tried to take photos of the process as I went a long, but honestly..it happened so quickly..so bear with me! My advice is: be ready and have your wok screaming hot.

Method:

1) Have all your ingredients prepped and ready to go, such as your shrimp, vegetables and seasonings.

2) In a bowl, mix together all the sauce ingredients and set aside.

3) Cook chow mein noodles according to package directions. When done, strain and rinse a bit to stop the cooking process. Drizzle a teaspoon of sesame oil in the noodles and toss to coat. This will help the noodles from ticking while you make the rest of the dish.

4) Begin to heat your wok and pour a drizzle of canola or vegetable oil. Add shrimp first and allow to cook for about 30 seconds until cooked through, but don’t over cook them. Remove shrimp to a plate and reserve.

5) Add all your vegetables, garlic and ginger. Cook for 1-2 minutes until vegetables begin to break down. Add sauce mixture and stir to combine then add noodles and gently toss to combine.

6) Plate shrimp chow mein and top with shrimp and garnish with scallions.

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Shrimp Chow Mein

Servings: 2 -3 servings

Ingredients

• 4 oz chow mein
• 6 shrimp head on or not
• 1/2 small cabbage chopped
• 1 carrot peeled and cut into 1 inch strips
• 2 scallions chopped + more for garnish
• 1 red bell pepper cut into 1 in strips

Chow Mein Sauce

• 1 Tb soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce
• 1 Tb oyster sauce
• 1/2 in ginger peeled and grated
• 1 garlic glove grated
• 1/2 tsp sriracha
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp cornstarch

Instructions

1. Have all your ingredients prepped and ready to go, such as your shrimp, vegetables and seasonings.
2. In a bowl, mix together all the sauce ingredients and set aside.
3. Cook chow mein noodles according to package directions. When done, strain and rinse a bit to stop the cooking process. Drizzle a teaspoon of sesame oil in the noodles and toss to coat. This will help the noodles from ticking while you make the rest of the dish.
4. Begin to heat your wok and pour a drizzle of canola or vegetable oil. Add shrimp first and allow to cook for about 30 seconds until cooked through, but don't over cook them. Remove shrimp to a plate and reserve.
5. Add all your vegetables, garlic and ginger. Cook for 1-2 minutes until vegetables begin to break down. Add sauce mixture and stir to combine then add noodles and gently toss to combine.
6. Plate chow mein and top with shrimp and garnish with scallions.

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