Meat & Poultry

How to Make Chicken Chow Mein at Home.

I’m a huge fan of Guyanese Style Chow Mein and while this is not such a recipe, you will see some similarities in this version. If you grew up in Jamaica, Guyana or Trinidad and Tobago (where Chinese Indentured Labourers “settled”) you grew up being exposed to excellent Chinese food, so it’s common for us to boast about our version of Chinese food.

2 lbs chicken breast (boneless)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
3 tablespoon veg oil (divided)
1 medium onion (sliced)
2 cups bell peppers (rough chopped)
1/4 lb mushrooms (sliced)
3 cloves garlic (diced)
1/4 lb veg mix (kale, carrot, purple cabbage and brussels sprouts)
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce (optional)
1 tablespoon Hoisin sauce
1 Tablespoon Oyster sauce
1 tablespoon Mushroom Flavor Soy Sauce
1 package Chow Mein noodles | 1 teaspoon veg oil
1/4 cup water | 1 teaspoon Sesame Oil (add more?)

Note! Please use the video below as a guide to follow along as much more about the recipe is discussed there. If you want to add a kick to the Chow Mein, feel free to add a couple diced bird’s eye peppers or a teaspoon of your fave peppersauce. Should you want, you may marinate the chicken breast with a teaspoon of Caribbean Green Seasoning. I didn’t as explained in the video.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a pan on a med/low flame. Season the chicken breast with salt and black pepper and add it to the pan. Cook for about 10-12 minutes (until fully cooked) and then set aside to cool. Be sure to flip them every 3 minutes while cooking so they cook evenly. I used chicken breast, but thighs are an excellent option as well.

As mentioned in the video I used a Guyanese style noodles for this recipe. Basically I cooked it according to the package instructions, except I cut back the cook time as explained in the video. As you drain it, rinse the noodles with cold water. Drain, then mix in one teaspoon of veg oil and toss. This will stop the cooking process and stop the noodles from clumping. Set aside.

Let’s create the sauce we’ll be using to pull everything together. In a bowl combine the Hoisin, Oyster and Soy sauces. Then add the grated ginger and Sweet Chili sauce. You may leave out that sweet chili sauce if you want, but may I recommend that you put 1 teaspoon of white sugar.

Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in a wide pan or wok on a medium flame, then add the onion, bell peppers and sliced mushrooms. Stir well and if you’re using a wok, make use of the side of the work to spread things out so they cook evenly.

I cheated and used a pre-packaged bag of vegetable mix (rinsed). But you may opt to use any vegetables you have on hand or prefer. Typically I’d use chopped cabbage, scallions and broccoli. After 3 minutes, you may add the other vegetables and stir well. Add the garlic at this point as well, so we don’t risk burning it.

2 minutes after adding the vegetable mix, create an opening in the center of the wok and pour in the sauce mix we created. Swish around 1/4 cup of water in the same sauce bowl to rinse it and pour into the wok. We’re essentially heating the sauce.

Slice the chicken and add it to the wok, give everything a good mix at this point.

After a minute or so, add the precooked noodles to the wok and again, mix well!

After 2-3 minutes everything should be heated through and coated with the wicked sauce we created. You’ll notice that the only salt we added was when we cooked the chicken. The sauces we combine will have a sodium element to them, so this is when you should taste the Chow Mein and adjust the salt to your liking. I forgot to mention that when we added the onion etc to the wok, you may add 1/2 teaspoon white pepper if you wanted. I’m not a fan of white pepper.

It’s important that you prep your ingredients in advance as this is a quick dish to put together. As you turn off the stove, drizzle on the Sesame oil and give it a final stir.

Meat & Poultry

Caribbean Inspired Chicken Lo Mein.

chicken lo mein

As I’ve mentioned in previous posts, the cuisine of the Caribbean is heavily influenced by the many cultures and people which make up the melting pot the Caribbean is. This chicken lo mein  is something I remember purchasing from food trucks in San Fernando (next to the train engine) after school. Back then the menu of the day was fried rice, lo mein (or chow mein) and five spice chicken (fried with that crispy skin). I could still taste the uniqueness the Caribbean added to these wonderful Chinese dishes. Funny thing is, there were no Chinese cooks in any of these food trucks!

You’ll Need…

8 oz egg noodle
1 carrot
2 cups bean sprouts (or cabbage)
1-2 cups of pak choi
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon grated ginger
2 scallions
2 chili pepper (I used bird peppers)
1 1/2 cup sweet pepper (bell – different colors)
1 cup broccoli
1 cup celery
2 small chicken breasts (about 1 lb)
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 table spoon vegetable oil (see note below)

For the sauce….

2 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
1 tablespoon soya sauce

* 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil

Notes: Try to cut all the vegetables the same size for uniform cooking. The recipe calls for 2 tablespoon veg oil, but after cooking the chicken you may need to add an extra tablespoon of oil to the pot. Depending on how seasoned your wok is or if you’re using a non stick pan or not. I used a Guyanese style chow mein noodle (egg), which I found in the local West Indian store. I cooked the noodle according to the directions on the package, but I did cut the recommended cooking time by half as I knew I was going to cook it a bit further in the main lo mein pot and I didn’t want it to go soggy.

Start by preparing all the vegetables (wash – chop) and also slice the chicken into very thin slices, wash, dry and get ready to cook.

Heat your wok or large non-stick pot on med/high heat and add the vegetable oil. Now add the slices of chicken and cook for about 4 minutes. Remember to keep stirring so it cooks evenly. Now turn down the heat and remove the pieces of chicken and set aside. At this time you should also cook your egg noodles, drain and allow to cool.

If your wok is dry, do add a bit more oil and get ready to continue cooking. Turn the heat back up to med/high and add the onion, garlic (grated) and grated ginger to the pot. Allow that to cook for a minute or two to release all it’s wonderful flavors.

Now add the carrots (remember to slice/chop everything thin so it cooks fast), bell peppers, hot pepper, celery, broccoli  and salt. Stir and allow to cook for 2 minutes. Then in a small bowl combine the oyster, soya and hoisin sauces.. then add to the wok and stir. Now add back the pieces of cooked chicken.

Stir in the chopped pak choi and allow to cook for another minute before adding the cooked egg noodles. Give this a good stir to coat everything with the different sauces we added moments ago.

As you can tell, this dish cooks very fast so it’s important to have everything prepped and handy. Now top with the chopped scallions and bean sprouts and cook for a minute. Remember to keep stirring.

I know I didn’t mention this in the ingredient list (but it’s in the main pic above), but feel free to top the dish with about 1/2 teaspoon of sesame oil for a bright finish and to add another layer of flavor. I’m not a huge fan of sesame oil, so I only added a small amount.. but you can obviously add more if you wish. Remember to also check for salt and adjust accordingly.

This is a quick and absolutely wonderful dish you must try. I can’t tell you how thankful I am for the Chinese influence on Caribbean cuisine, as I must admit that I have a weakness for Chinese food… especially the way we make it in the Caribbean. Once you’ve had Caribbean style Chinese food, you’ll know what I mean.

Before you go, don’t forget to check out the latest cooking videos, connect with me on twitter and join our community on facebook. oh yea! leave me a comment below – it’s appreciated.