Cantonese Chow Mein (豉油王炒面)

This classic Cantonese chow mein is known as "f 鼓油王炒面", which translates roughly to supreme soy sauce pan fried noodles. (Also, chow mein = pan fried noodles.)

This is traditionally more of a breakfast or lunch kind of dish, and especially popular for dim sum.

Why is it called Supreme Soy Sauce Chow Mein?

Supreme soy sauce chow mein is always served without meat.

You can certainly cook this with beef or anything else you'd like, but then the dish wouldn't be called "supreme soy sauce chow mein", it'd be called "beef chow mein."

It's named based on the most dominant flavor. Even if it's cooked exactly the same way, adding beef to the dish would supersede the flavor of the soy sauce.

Selecting the Right Noodles

We talk A LOT about this throughout the video, but we'll be using fresh, unsteamed Hong Kong Style Pan Fried noodles.

These are Chinese egg noodles, and there are many, many different types, varieties, and brands that offer them.

For simplicity’s sake, here are 3 of the most common Chinese egg noodles: Wonton Mein, Lo Mein, and Chow Mein.

We’ll want to use Chow Mein, also known as Hong Kong Style Pan Fried Noodles. Chow Mein is the ideal type of noodle for the traditional flavor and texture profile we’re going for. They’re thinner than Lo Mein and have less egg content than Wonton Mein.

My dad talks about this in our video during Meal Time, but you can also buy the dried variety and boil it according to the instructions, cool it with water, and then proceed with our instructions as written.

On Soy Sauce

Soy sauce dates back to around 2200 years ago during the Han Dynasty in China. Much like congee and rice, soy sauce was originally developed to stretch salt, which used to be a very expensive commodity. It has since become one of the most common and important ingredients in all of Asian cuisine. 

In Cantonese, soy sauce is called“sih yàuh 豉油”, and there are a ton of different names and variations for soy sauce all across Asia.

Traditionally, Chinese soy sauce is produced by fermenting soybeans and grains, brewing with some sort of salt, purifying and pasteurizing, and then it’s either stored for further aging or bottled immediately for distribution.

It’s primarily during this final step where dark soy sauce differs from light soy sauce. 

In Cantonese, dark soy sauce is known as“lóuh chāu 老抽”, which roughly translates to“old extract”, a reference to a longer aging process than its younger brother, light soy sauce, or“sāang chāu 生抽”. Dark soy sauce is also commonly mixed with mushrooms, caramel coloring, and molasses.

If you don’t have dark soy sauce, you can skip it and substitute it with light soy sauce which is generally easier to buy. You can also check below for links to buy dark soy sauce online.

Finding Asian Ingredients

Some of these ingredients are hard to find in a typical grocery store.

If you don't live near an Asian market, most or all of what my dad uses in this recipe can be found on Amazon:​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​

• Kadoya Sesame Oil​ - https://amzn.to/3c7EOTu​
• Pearl River Bridge Superior Light Soy Sauce​
• Pearl River Bridge Superior Dark Soy Sauce​
• Lee Kum Kee Premium Oyster Sauce​

I've also included some other Chinese kitchen essentials, used in many of my dad's other recipes.

• Michiu Rice Cooking Wine​
• Lao Gan Ma Chili Oil​
• Koon Chun Hoisin Sauce​
• Shaoxing Cooking Wine​
• Bullhead Shacha (BBQ Sauce)​
• Dried Orange Peels​
• Koon Chun Ground Bean Sauce​
• Dried Shiitake Mushrooms (soak for 15-20 minutes in warm water before slicing)
• Dried Wood Ear Fungus (a few options, depending on what's in stock):
  • https://amzn.to/3cHYFc1
  • https://amzn.to/36jgm0o​
  • https://amzn.to/36vx1OH​

These links are affiliate links, which means that if you use our links to purchase these ingredients, Amazon pays my family a small amount for the sale - at no extra cost to you. If you use these links, we really appreciate the support!

Alternatives to Oyster Sauce

If you're vegetarian or need to stay away from gluten, we have three alternatives for you!

Vegetarian Oyster Sauce

Since oyster sauce is made out of oyster extract, here are some alternatives that have a similar taste without using the actual oyster:

• Wan Ja Shan Vegetarian Mushroom Oyster Sauce​
• Lee Kum Kee Vegetarian Stir Fry Sauce​
  • Lee Kum Kee also sells a bigger container of this

Gluten Free Oyster Sauce

Wok Mei has a gluten-free oyster sauce, but it still contains oyster extract, so it's not vegetarian friendly.

Vegetarian + Gluten Free Oyster Sauce

Unfortunately, we don't know of a vendor that sells an oyster sauce that caters to both dietary restrictions, so you'll need to DIY the sauce.

Mix equal parts gluten free soy sauce and gluten free hoisin sauce. This isn't exactly the same as oyster sauce, but it's pretty close.

Other Supplies + Tools

You'll need a good wok, which provides a ton of versatility for the classic Chinese cooking methods: steaming, stir frying, deep frying, and etc.

If you're using fresh, unsteamed chow mein noodles, it'll help to buy a steamer rack with holes. Otherwise, you can use a regular steamer rack and steam the noodles on a plate for an extra 2-3 minutes than my dad prescribes in this recipe.

Enjoy!

My sister and I have many, many happy memories enjoying this dish growing up.

Now, hopefully, you can create your own memories with this dish with your loved ones.

Also, I cordially invite you to eat with us and learn more about the dish, Chinese culture, and my family.

Cheers, and thanks for cooking with us!

Feel free to comment below if you have any questions about the recipe.