Chow mein

Chow mein is a generic term for a dish of noodles, of which there are many varieties. Authentic chow mein is generally made of soft noodles, whereas chow mein in Westernized Chinese Cuisine may also be made from thin crispy noodles.

American Chinese cuisine

In American Chinese cuisine, it is a stir-fried dish consisting of noodles, meat , and cabbage and other vegetables. It is often served as a specific dish at restaurants with soy sauce and vegetables such as celery, bamboo shoots, and s.

Chow mein is mentioned as early as 1920, in the novel '''' by Sinclair Lewis.

There are two kinds of chow meins available in the market: 1) Steamed chow mein, and 2) Crispy chow mein. The steamed chow mein has a softer texture while crispy chow mein is crispier and dryer.

Canadian Chinese cuisine

may offer up to three different types of chow mein, none of which are identical to Western 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 pork , chicken, and beef, and is served in a thick sauce. Plain ''chow mein'' is similar to Western chow mein but contains far more mung bean sprouts; some recipes may be up to one-half bean sprouts. ''Hong Kong style chow mein'' is similar to plain chow mein but is always served on a bed of deep-fried crunchy golden egg noodles.

Indian Chinese cuisine

Chow mein is also common in Indian Chinese cuisine, having been introduced by the Chinese of Calcutta. It is usually offered '''' or with gravy. Catering to vegetarian diets, there is an Indian variant, vegetable chow mein, which consists of noodles with cabbage, bamboo shoots, pea pods, green peppers, and carrots.

Caribbean style

Many West Indian people include chow mein in their cuisine, especially peoples from islands like Trinidad and Tobago and Jamaica which include a significant ethnic Chinese population; much of the cooking has infused itself into the population in general. As well, in the South American country Guyana the culture and cuisine is similar to Trinidad's. These chow mein are cooked in a similar manner, with green beans, carrots, peas, onions and sometimes other vegetables. Meat used is mostly chicken and sometimes pork and/or shrimp. The main difference is that local spices are added, and the dish is often served with hot peppers and/or pepper sauce.

In Cuba, aside from the foreign owned tourist hotels which often serve Western-style Chinese food, local Chinese restaurants can be found in Havana that offer a distinct Cuban style.

Etymology

The pronunciation "mein" comes from the Taishan dialect of Chinese, which was the dialect spoken by the first Chinese immigrants from Taishan to America. In Taishanese it is pronounced ''meing4'' . The character for "mein" is , which means "noodles."