Cantonese Soy Sauce Chow Mein | A Basic Chinese Dish X Mama Cheung

This is the first episode of a brand new season of “A Basic Chinese Dish,'' where we teach you how to cook classic, simple dishes from China — so easy to make, they’re like learning your ABCDs. This time, we’re recreating recipes from Instagram- and Youtube-famous  chefs known for their homely Chinese food. 

Si Jau Wong Caau Min, or “supreme” fried soy sauce noodles, is a classic vegetables and noodles stir-fry Cantonese people like to eat for breakfast or lunch. And it’s one of Mama Cheung’s best dishes. 

The noodles are popular because the ingredients are cheap, the dish is easy to make, and it’s still packed with flavor.

You can use any noodles for the stir-fry, but Cantonese people like to use thin egg noodles. These are noodles made with eggs, flour, and alkaline water with an al dente texture. 

Locals like to eat this dish with XO sauce and a thick sweet sauce.

If you’d like to follow along, we have the recipe here:

Recipe

• Egg Noodles 300g (0.66 lb)
• Bean Sprouts 100g (0.22 lb)
• Chives 100g (0.22 lb)
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• ½ teaspoon five-spice powder
• 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
• ½ teaspoon dark soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil 
• A pinch of sesame seeds

1. Boil the noodles for about 1 minute till half cooked
2. Pour noodles into a bowl of cold water and drain
3. Heat up a wok and add cooking oil
4. Stir-fry chives and bean sprouts and set aside
5. Heat up the wok with oil again 
6. Loosen up the noodles and fry them
7. Season noodles with sugar, five-spice powder, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, and sesame oil
8. Add in the chives and bean sprouts
9. Sprinkle sesame seeds on top 
10. Serve with XO sauce and thick sweet sauce