Chicken Chow Mein

Having been fortunate enough to live in Guyana and the US has afforded me the opportunity to indulge in tons of different cuisines. As mentioned in the last post, Guyana is made up of six different cultures including Chinese. Every time we go to Guyana, the Fish Shop and the Chinese Restaurant are our #1 & #2 destinations and of course the bakery for mom.

The Chinese food in the US is in no way comparable to the Chinese food in Guyana. The food there is just sweet! To think of it, they have access to fresher ingredients, freshly picked herbs, freshly grounded spices, shrimp and fish that were just caught yesterday, chicken that was just beheaded this morning! (lol) No really, no shipments of frozen processed meats here. On my last visit I noticed quite a difference when we cooked chicken and eggs in particular. Everything was just so light and fresh tasting.

Chow Mein and Lo Mein (I plan to share Low Mein in the coming weeks and discuss the difference) are two of my favorites, so the other day I was doing some meal planning and going through my pantry and saw a pack of chow Mein noodles. 'Oh Yeah' I said. 'Ah dat mi want.' So here we go, Chicken Chow Mein.


Ingredients
Marinate
1 lb Chicken ( 4 thighs, skins removed provides the best flavor

2 tbsp Kecap Manis (Sweet Soy Sauce) or Guyanese Chinese Sauce

1 tbsp of Soy Sauce

1 tsp Chinese 5 Spice Powder

2 tsp Salt

1 tsp Black Pepper

2 cloves of Garlic, chopped finely or minced

12 oz Chinese Noodles

2 tbsp Oil

2 tbsp Butter

1 med Onion

½ lb Cabbage

2 Carrots julienned

1 oz dried mushrooms chopped finely (optional)

25-30 Bora Beans or 1 cup of green peas
1 tsp of pepper sauce

1 tbsp MSG or Accent Seasoning

2 Eggs

4 blades Green Onions chopped

Preparation

• Cut the chicken into small pieces and season with kecap manis, soy sauce, Chinese spice, salt and black pepper, garlic and green seasoning. Marinate for 2 hours or overnight. Remove from fridge and set aside.
• Boil the noodles in salted water for about 10 minutes or as directed on package. Strain and pour cold water through to loosen the noodles.
• Meanwhile, cut vegetables into very small pieces and set aside in a bowl.
• Beat the eggs and scramble with light salt and set aside.
• Heat the oil in skillet on medium high head and fry the meat until tender. Add 3/4 cup of water and bring to a simmer for about 10 minutes. Add butter and once melted into the stew, add the vegetables and fry for about 5 minutes.
• Add the noodles and fry further for 3-5 minutes.
• Add MSG, salt and pepper and pepper sauce to taste. (I like mine spicy, so I used a full teaspoon of pepper sauce)
• Remove skillet onto a dish and garnish with scrambled eggs and chopped green onions.

Notes: I used green peas because the farmers market didn't have any good looking bora beans. I also omitted the mushrooms for personal preference, but traditionally, this dish is cooked with mushrooms. You can use Pork or shrimp for the recipe or omit the meat for a great vegetarian version. Cheers!