14 Facts About Chow mein

Chow mein is a dish of Chinese stir-fried noodles with vegetables and sometimes meat or tofu.

Steamed chow mein has a softer texture, while the latter is crisper and drier.

Crispy chow mein uses fried, flat noodles, while soft chow mein uses long, rounded noodles.

Crispy chow mein either has onions and celery in the finished dish or is served "strained", without any vegetables.

Steamed chow mein can have many different kinds of vegetables in the finished dish, most commonly including onions and celery but sometimes carrots, cabbage and mung bean sprouts as well.

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Crispy chow mein is usually topped with a thick brown sauce, while steamed chow mein is mixed with soy sauce before being served.

At some restaurants located in those areas, the crispy chow mein noodles are sometimes deep fried and could be crispy "like the ones in cans" or "fried as crisp as hash browns".

Crispy version of chow mein can be served in a hamburger-style bun as a chow mein sandwich.

In Philadelphia, Americanized chow mein tends to be similar to chop suey but has crispy fried noodles on the side and includes much celery and bean sprouts and is sometimes accompanied with fried rice.

Outside of Chinese restaurants, what is labeled as chow mein is actually a chop suey-like stew that has very little resemblance to actual chow mein.

Cantonese style chow mein contains deep-fried crunchy golden egg noodles, green peppers, pea pods, bok choy, bamboo shoots, water chestnuts, shrimp, Chinese roast pork, chicken, and beef, and is served in a thick sauce.

In Panama, chow mein is prepared with a mixture of onions, peppers, celery and carrots with pork or chicken and stir fried with noodles.

Chow mein is common in Indian Chinese, Bangladeshi Chinese, and Pakistani Chinese cuisine.

Chow mein has gained popularity in Mexico, which received waves of Chinese immigrants in the past, particularly in northwestern Mexico.