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    Home » Recipes » Asian + Hawaiian Recipes

    Shrimp Chow Mein

    Published: Jan 9, 2019 · Modified: Jun 6, 2020 by Samantha Ferraro · This post may contain affiliate links · 6 Comments

    Jump to Recipe

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

    Shrimp Chow Mein with Cabbage, Peppers and Delicious Soy Based Chow Mein Sauce

    Happy Chinese New Year!! (well almost)

    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.

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

    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.

    Before making shrimp chow mein recipe, you need to season the wok with aromatics.

    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.

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

    Other recipes that may inspire you to cook for the Lunar New Year

    My Shrimp and Pork Potstickers which are so fun to make with a group of people!

    Honey Walnut Shrimp is a Chinese take-out favorite and this Sweet and Spicy Shrimp Stir Fry with Pineapple sounds so good!

    What is Shrimp Chow Mein

    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.

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

    How to make Shrimp Chow Mein Recipe

    Method:

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

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

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

    To make chow mein sauce,stir together both dark soy sauce and soy sauce, ginger, grated garlic, sriracha, sesame oil and corn starch.

    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.

    First heat the wok to very hot and cook the head on shrimp for shrimp chow mein.

    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.

    To make shrimp chow mein, add the vegetables, chow mein noodles and sauce to the hot wok after th shrimp is cooked.

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

    More Asian recipes

    • A simple salmon curry with with strong Thai flavors of ginger, galangal and lemongrass. Serve with basmati rice for a flavorful and quick weeknight dinner.
      Salmon Curry with Lemongrass and Galangal
    • Asian Cabbage Salad
      Crunchy Asian Cabbage Slaw with Peanut Dressing
    • Coconut curry mussels in a creamy coconut broth with fresh lime as garnish.
      Thai Coconut Curry Mussels
    • Thai beef salad with cucumbers, mint and mango.
      Thai Beef Salad with Mango

    Shrimp Chow Mein

    Samantha Ferraro

    LittleFerraroKitchen.com

    Learn how to make shrimp chow mein with fresh vegetables, head on shrimp and delicious soy based chow mein sauce, easily cooked together in a wok.
    5 from 6 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 15 minutes mins
    Cook Time 10 minutes mins
    Total Time 25 minutes mins
    Course Main Course
    Cuisine Chinese
    Servings 2 servings
    Calories 541 kcal

    Ingredients
     
     

    • 8 oz chow mein
    • 6 shrimp head on or not
    • ½ 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
    • ½ teaspoon dark soy sauce
    • 1 Tb oyster sauce
    • ½ in ginger peeled and grated
    • 1 whole garlic clove grated
    • ½ teaspoon sriracha
    • ½ teaspoon sesame oil
    • 1 teaspoon cornstarch
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    Instructions
     

    • Have all your ingredients prepped and ready to go, such as your shrimp, vegetables and seasonings.
    • In a bowl, mix together all the sauce ingredients and set aside.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • 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.
    • Plate chow mein and top with shrimp and garnish with scallions.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 541kcalCarbohydrates: 102gProtein: 25gFat: 3gCholesterol: 45mgSodium: 1779mgPotassium: 661mgFiber: 14gSugar: 13gVitamin A: 7300IUVitamin C: 164.8mgCalcium: 136mgIron: 5.8mg
    Did you make this recipe?Let us know by leaving a comment and 5 star rating!

    More Easy Asian & Hawaiian Recipes

    • Recipe for sweet and refreshing lychee mojito with cucumber and mint.
      Cucumber Lychee Mojito
    • Vegan rice paper rolls with peanut sauce.
      Vegetable Rice Paper Rolls (Fresh Spring Rolls)
    • Asian cucumber salad seasoned with gochugaru, sesame seeds and soy sauce.
      Spicy Korean Cucumber Salad
    • Kalbi ribs served with rice, kimchi and fried egg.
      Kalbi Ribs with Kimchi (Korean Beef Short Ribs)

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Katie says

      January 14, 2019 at 5:10 pm

      5 stars
      Oh wow that sauce looks absolutely amazing! What a delicious recipe!

      Reply
    2. Jennifer Blake says

      January 11, 2019 at 10:41 am

      5 stars
      LOVE this recipe. So simple and great flavor. It's been forever since I used my wok!

      Reply
    3. LM says

      July 29, 2014 at 8:18 pm

      5 stars
      Can you tell me how you cooked those noodles? I have exactly the same noodles judging from the pictures, but the directions are all in Chinese! I really can't wait to make this: bought the noodles just for this recipe! 🙂

      Reply
      • Samantha says

        July 30, 2014 at 11:18 am

        Haha Oh gosh, I had the problem with other ingredients that weren't in English! lol I remember cooking them for about 3-4 minutes. Have the water rolling boil like regular pasta and put noodles in. I honestly didn't know, so I checked in about 3-4 minutes and it was ready. but if yours arent maybe check again? Then I poured the noodles in a colander and tossed with a teaspoon of sesame oil so they wouldn't stick together. Then made the chow mein with the cooked noodles. I made a mistake once when making pad Thai. I did not cook the noodles at all thinking the sauce would cook them and boy was I wrong! lol Let me know how that goes 🙂

        Reply
    4. katie says

      February 19, 2014 at 7:39 am

      5 stars
      Oh my this sounds so good. Love that you keep the shrimp whole, too!

      Reply
      • Samantha says

        February 19, 2014 at 8:50 am

        Thank you so much Katie!

        Reply

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