King Prawn Chow Mein | Greedy Gourmet

Question 1

What is a chow mein?

Accepted Answer

Chow mein is a stir fry dish consisting of noodles, onions, spices and meat or fish. Beef and chicken are common main ingredients in a chow mein, but king prawn chow mein is the king of stir fry dishes in my opinion.

Question 2

What’s the difference between chow mein, lo mein and chop suey?

Accepted Answer

There are a lot of similarities between these popular dishes. Lo mein and chow mein are both noodle dishes with vegetables, sauces and spices. However, the key difference is in the way they are cooked.

In lo mein stir fry dishes, the noodles are boiled before being added to the sauce at the end of the cooking process. They tend to be quite soft in texture, oily and contain a lot of sauce. In contrast, chow mein stir fry dishes are usually crunchy, with the noodles fried with the other ingredients for a few minutes until slightly crispy.

Chop suey, on the other hand, is an American Chinese dish. It contains egg and meat, as well as vegetables and a thick, velvety sauce. It’s usually served on a bed of fluffy white rice.

Question 3

Should I use pre-shelled prawns for prawn chow mein?

Accepted Answer

Yes, I recommend it. This recipe is all about speed and simplicity, so save yourself time and get raw king prawns that are pre-shelled.

Question 4

Can I use pre-cooked prawns?

Accepted Answer

You can, although I recommend getting raw king prawns. If you use cooked prawns, they’ll be slightly rubbery once heated through, as they’ll end up overcooked.

If you do go for pre-cooked prawns, heat them through in the pan for a minute.

Question 5

Can I use frozen prawns?

Accepted Answer

You can, but I’d defrost them first. King prawn chow mein stir fry is supposed to be cooked fast in a hot pan. Once you start throwing frozen things into the pan, things are going to turn soggy, fast.

Question 6

What wine should I use for the marinade?

Accepted Answer

As with the wine pairing, you should go for a crisp dry white wine. I recommend using a Sauvignon Blanc. Don’t break the bank though – cooking wine doesn’t have to be expensive to be effective.

Question 7

How do I store leftovers?

Accepted Answer

This king prawn chow mein deserves to be devoured in one sitting. However, you can keep leftovers in the fridge. Allow to cool properly, then store them in an airtight container for up to 2 days.

Reheat on the hob in a frying pan or saucepan for 2 minutes, or until piping hot.

Description

Ingredients

Marinated Prawns

Stir Fry Vegetables

Chow Mein Sauce

Remaining ingredients

Instructions

Notes