Beef Chow Mein Recipe - Cook it Real Good (2024)

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This easy and hearty Beef Chow Mein is great for weeknight dinners. A complete meal cooked in just one pot with beef mince, rice and vegetables. The whole family will love this delicious Beef Chow Mein recipe.

Beef Chow Mein Recipe - Cook it Real Good (1)

If you grew up in Australia in the 70's or 80's, chances are your parents made something similar to this Beef Chow Mein. It's hard to source it's exact origins, but the original recipe featured in many popular cookbooks and on the back of a chicken noodle soup packet!

It's a spin off of the classic Chinese Chow Mein, and is absolutely delicious. My version features curried mince and is loaded to the brim with veggies.I've also taken the liberties of using rice instead of noodles to make it a complete meal in just one pot. Anything for less washing up!

Why you'll love this recipe...

  • Quick and easy to prep.
  • Bursting with flavour.
  • One pot - easy clean up.
  • Has a bunch of added veggies!

Looking for more Aussie food nostalgia? Try these Easy Curried Sausages.

Beef Chow Mein Recipe - Cook it Real Good (2)

What is Chow Mein? Chow Mein is a stir-fried dish featuring noodles or rice, meat and vegetables with a sauce.

BEEF CHOW MEIN INGREDIENTS LIST

To make this Beef Chow Mein you'll need the following (full measurements listed below)...

  • Olive Oil
  • Brown / Yellow Onion
  • Celery
  • Beef Mince / Ground Beef
  • Curry Powder - use mild yellow curry powder (e.g. keen's).
  • Carrot
  • Powdered Chicken Stock
  • Basmati Rice
  • Soy Sauce
  • Green Beans
  • Green Cabbage

HOW TO MAKE BEEF CHOW MEIN - STEP BY STEP

Beef Chow Mein Recipe - Cook it Real Good (3)

Heat oil in a large wok or frying pan on medium heat. Add onion and celery and cook until onion softened, approx. 1-2 minutes (photo 1).

Add mince / ground beef, and cook, stirring to break it up, until browned - approx. 5-8 minutes (photo 2).

Add curry powder and stir through for 30 seconds or until fragrant (photo 3).

Add 2 cups of water, carrot, powdered chicken stock, rice and soy sauce and stir to combine. The water should cover the mince completely, so if it hasn't, add a touch more (photo 4).

Bring to the boil, then place the lid on and reduce to a simmer. Stir occasionally for 10 minutes, or until water absorbs and rice is cooked.

Add ½ a cup water to the wok, then pour in the green beans and cabbage and stir through. Place the lid on and cook for a few minutes, allowing the cabbage to steam (photos 5 & 6).

Serve with extra soy sauce and sesame seeds, if desired.

STORING BEEF CHOW MEIN

Once cooled, store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to a month.

Beef Chow Mein Recipe - Cook it Real Good (4)

MORE DELICIOUS DINNER IDEAS

  • Grilled Chicken Burger
  • Creamy Carbonara (No Egg)
  • Beef Pasties
  • Savoury Mince
  • Sheet Pan Crispy Baked Chicken Thighs and Vegetables
  • OR see allDinner Recipes

If you’ve tried this Beef Chow MeinI’d love to hear how you enjoyed it! Pop a comment and a star rating below!

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📋 RECIPE

Beef Chow Mein Recipe - Cook it Real Good (5)

Beef Chow Mein

Yield: 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 30 minutes

This easy and hearty Beef Chow Mein is great for weeknight dinners. A complete meal cooked in just one pot with beef mince, rice and veggies. The whole family will love this delicious Beef Chow Mein recipe.

Ingredients

  • 1 teaspoon Olive Oil
  • 1 Brown / Yellow Onion, diced
  • 1 Celery Stalk, finely sliced
  • 500g / 1.1 lbs Beef Mince / Ground Beef
  • 2 tsps Curry Powder
  • 2 ½ cups Water
  • 2 tbsps Powdered Chicken Stock
  • 1 Carrot, peeled and finely diced
  • 1 cup Basmati Rice, OR use long grain white rice
  • 2 tbsps Soy Sauce, more to serve
  • ½ cup Green Beans, sliced
  • ½ Green or Sugarloaf Cabbage, finely shredded

Instructions

  1. Heat oil in a large wok or frying pan on medium heat. Add onion and celery and cook until onion softened, approx. 1-2 minutes.
  2. Add mince / ground beef, and cook, stirring to break it up, until browned - approx. 5-8 minutes.
  3. Add curry powder and stir through for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
  4. Add 2 cups of water, carrot, powdered chicken stock, rice and soy sauce and stir to combine. The water should cover the mince completely, so if it hasn't, add a touch more.
  5. Bring to the boil, then place the lid on and reduce to a simmer. Stir occasionally for 10 minutes, or until water absorbs and rice is cooked.
  6. Add ½ a cup water to the wok, then pour in the green beans and cabbage and stir through. Place the lid on and cook for a few minutes, allowing the cabbage to steam.
  7. Serve with extra soy sauce and sesame seeds, if desired.

Notes

SERVING:

Serves 4 large serves, could stretch to 5-6 smaller serves - so easy to feed a family with small children.

STORING:

Once cooled, store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to a month.

NUTRITION:

Nutrition information is from a nutrition calculator and is based on one of four serves.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 4
Amount Per Serving:Calories: 560Saturated Fat: 10gCholesterol: 89mgSodium: 1242mgCarbohydrates: 50gFiber: 5gSugar: 7gProtein: 28g

Beef Chow Mein Recipe - Cook it Real Good (2024)

FAQs

What is chow mein sauce made of? ›

Combine soy sauce, light sesame oil, oyster sauce, granulated sugar, cornstarch, and chicken broth to make the signature sweet and savory sauce that makes chow mein taste authentic.

What is difference between lo mein and chow mein? ›

The sauce: Chow mein is more of a dry noodle dish with an extremely light and delicate sauce — if any sauce at all. Lo mein is a saucy noodle dish that depends on a rich sauce for much of its flavor. The texture: Chow mein noodles tend to be crunchier than lo mein noodles due to the way they are cooked.

What is lo mein sauce made of? ›

Lo mein sauce

The sauce is what makes this dish so addictive. It's a simple umami filled mix of light and dark soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, sugar, and a hint of ginger. It's super easy to make a batch of lo mein sauce and keep it in the fridge so you can easily make lo mein whenever the craving hits.

What makes chow mein taste like chow mein? ›

The sauce is what gives chow mein all of its seasoning and addictive flavors. It's a mix of oyster sauce, sweet soy sauce, toasted sesame oil and freshly ground black pepper. It's full of sweet and savory umami and seriously SO good.

How to make beef tender like Chinese restaurants? ›

There are a few methods, but this is the easiest way:
  1. Sprinkle 3/4 tsp baking soda (bi-carbonate soda) on 250g / 8oz sliced economical beef cuts.
  2. Toss with fingers, leave for 30 minutes.
  3. Rinse, pat off excess water.
  4. Proceed with stir fry recipe. It can be marinated with wet or dry seasonings, or cooked plain.
Feb 23, 2019

Can you buy ready made chow mein sauce? ›

Chow mein stir fry sauce with soy sauce, garlic and chives.

What is authentic chow mein? ›

Chow mein (/ˈtʃaʊ ˈmeɪn/ and /ˈtʃaʊ ˈmiːn/, simplified Chinese: 炒面; traditional Chinese: 炒麵; Pinyin: chǎomiàn) is a dish of Chinese stir-fried noodles with vegetables and sometimes meat or tofu.

What is authentic Chinese chow mein? ›

If you look at the ingredients of chow mein, you'll see typical, Chinese ingredients: dark soy sauce, noodles, green onion/scallions, spam or some other greasy meat, oyster sauce, and bok choy/Chinese cabbage. Also, traditional Chinese cooking is done via stir-fry in a wok or through steaming.

What kind of noodles do you use for chow mein? ›

Chow mein noodles are typically made from wheat flour and eggs. They can be found fresh or dried in Asian markets and some grocery stores. If you can't find chow mein noodles, you can substitute them with ramen noodles or other long noodles, even thin spaghetti noodles.

Can you use spaghetti noodles as lo mein? ›

15 Minute Lo Mein! Made with just soy sauce, sesame oil, a pinch of sugar, ramen noodles or spaghetti noodles, and any veggies or protein you like. SO YUMMY!

What are the two types of chow mein? ›

While chow mein with thin crisp noodles is a staple of many Chinese take-out restaurants, more authentic versions of chao mian have soft noodles. The main difference between the two comes down to frying time: for dryer, crisper noodles, add more oil and increase the frying time.

What sauce do Chinese restaurants use? ›

Soy sauce has been used in Chinese cooking for over 1,000 years. This classic dipping sauce is a staple in Chinese restaurants, as it is served with dim sum dishes and is used together with vinegar, ginger, and chili oil.

What is the brown sauce in Chinese food called? ›

There are many Chinese sauces that are brown just a few most common, soy sause, oyster sauce, sweet bean, Hoisin

What is the best Chinese sauce? ›

From soy sauce to rice wine, here are nine essential sauces and seasonings that you won't want to be without.
  • 01 of 09. Soy Sauce. The Spruce. ...
  • 02 of 09. Hoisin Sauce. ...
  • 03 of 09. Rice Wine. ...
  • 04 of 09. Rice Vinegar. ...
  • 05 of 09. Oyster Sauce. ...
  • 06 of 09. Asian Sesame Oil. ...
  • 07 of 09. Chili Paste/Sauce. ...
  • 08 of 09. Chili Bean Sauce.
May 7, 2019

What can I use instead of oyster sauce? ›

  • Fish sauce. Although it's not a perfect substitute, you can use fish sauce in place of oyster sauce in some recipes. ...
  • Soy sauce. Soy sauce is an easy substitute for oyster sauce since it's a common pantry staple. ...
  • Hoisin sauce. ...
  • Worcestershire sauce with soy sauce. ...
  • Teriyaki sauce. ...
  • Vegan mushroom sauce.
Jul 12, 2021

What is the difference between chow mein and chop suey sauce? ›

Although the two dishes may seem similar, the way they are prepared sets them apart as distinct dishes. The sauces for each dish are markedly different, with chop suey usually having a thicker, starchy gravy-like sauce, while chow mein is prepared with a thinner soy-sauce based topping.

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