Mushroom Chow Mein | Easy Healthy Meals

My quick and easy mushroom chow mein not only satisfies your taste buds but it’s also healthy and plant-based. It’s packed with B vitamins thanks to the nutritient-dense mushrooms, and can be served on its own, or alongside your favourite protein source.

Earthy mushrooms take centre stage in this classic Chinese dish and it’s seasoned to perfection with soy sauce, rice wine, sesame and hoisin sauce. The best part is, this mushroom chow mein only takes 20 minutes to make, so it’s perfect for those busy weekdays when you want something tasty but don’t want to spend an hour in the kitchen.

The main ingredients for the mushroom chow mein are Mushrooms – I used a variety of mushrooms including chestnut, oyster and shiitake.

The noodles I chose are Udon noodles (by the brand Yutaka) although egg-noodles would be more traditional. Udon noodles however, are vegan and they happen to work really well in this recipe. You can use whichever noodles you like, including rice noodles, soba noodles, etc.

Chow Mein sauce often contains Oyster sauce. To make this recipe plant based, I’ve substituted that with Hoisin sauce. Combine the hoisin sauce with dark soy sauce and some rice wine to create a perfect balance of salty and sweet that season this noodle dish beautifully.

Rice wine can be found in most supermarkets in the world foods aisle, sometimes called Mirin. Don’t get this mixed up with rice wine vinegar!

I have used Sesame oil to cook with. Usually the sesame oil would be added to the sauce and a different oil with a higher smoke-point would be used to cook the mushrooms. I decided to change this because I wanted to minimise the amount of oil used in this dish so that it didn’t feel too greasy. I also find the sesame oil does not lose too much flavour from being cooked at a high heat in the wok.

To start with, prepare the sauce so it can meld together while you prepare the rest of the dish. In a small bowl combine the soy sauce, rice wine, hoisin sauce, minced garlic and sesame seeds. Set aside for later.

Prepare your noodles according to package instructions. For my Yutaka thin Udon noodles I boiled in water for 8-10 minutes until soft. Drain your noodles and set them aside for later.

Get started on the stir fry. Get your wok nice and hot using the biggest burner you have. Add the sesame oil to the sides of the wok to coat the wok evenly.

Add your chopped mushrooms, and, keeping them moving in the pan, cook for 5 minutes or so. Cook them until the start to turn golden. You can now add the spring onion and fry for another couple of minutes.

Add the noodles to the wok along with the sauce you made earlier, toss to combine in the pan and cook for a couple of minutes to cook off the raw garlic.

That’s it! For best results serve immediately. Sprinkle on some more sesame seeds on top for a garnish. I like to add tofu and some steamed broccoli to this dish to boost the protein and fibre.

For more east-asian inspired recipes, click here!