Knowing The Difference Between Lo Mein And Chow Mein Might Make You Change Your Go-To Order (2024)

FAQs

Knowing The Difference Between Lo Mein And Chow Mein Might Make You Change Your Go-To Order? ›

Lo mein typically features a thicker sauce, often with ingredients like soy sauce, oyster sauce and sesame oil. In contrast, chow mein tends to have a lighter sauce, which allows the delicate flavors of the ingredients to shine through without overpowering the dish.

“Lo mein usually uses the fat, chewy noodles, while chow mein uses the thin type of noodles that sometimes contain egg.” Lo mein uses fresh noodles that are boiled for a few minutes, while chow mein uses dried noodles that are parboiled for five to six minutes. Then there's the difference in cooking method.

Worst: Lo Mein

The noodles are made from white flour, which raises your blood sugar faster than fiber-rich whole grains. Plus, they're cooked with oil and soy sauce, so you get extra fat and sodium. Can't pass it up? Order the vegetable version, and only have half the order.

For starters, chow mein is a stir-fried dish whose name comes from the Mandarin word chǎomiàn, which translates to "fried noodles." Lo mein, on the other hand, is called lao mian in Cantonese, which translates to "mixed" or "tossed noodles." That said, the two major differences between these two dishes are the noodles ...

Crispy chow mein uses fried, flat noodles, while soft chow mein uses long, rounded noodles. Crispy chow mein either has onions and celery in the finished dish or is served "strained", without any vegetables.

Lo Mein Noodles

The thickest variety, lo mein is reserved for stir-fried noodle dishes with a heavy or rich sauce. Think sliced beef, like in this stir-fried lo mein with beef and broccoli, or the thick brown gravy you find at food court steam tables.

Shrimp lo mein, lobster lo mein, vegetable lo mein, and "house" lo mein (more than one meat) are sometimes available.

The term 'chow mein' means 'stir-fried noodles', also loosely translating to "fried noodles" in English, chow (Chinese: 炒; pinyin: chǎo) meaning 'stir-fried' (or "sautéed") and mein (simplified Chinese: 面; traditional Chinese: 麵; pinyin: Miàn) meaning "noodles".

Mein gon (面干 miàn-gān), informally referred to as crunchy noodles or crunchy chow mein, are a type of noodle-shaped cracker (or dried biscuit) used in American Chinese cuisine.

Some may argue that Panda Express chow mein is a LO mein, but looking over these qualifications above, you know that is actually IS a chow mein. Panda got it right. The noodles are stir-fried, they are a little oily, there is little sauce used, and they aren't easy to slurp.

Can vegans eat lo mein noodles? ›

Is lo mein vegan? Authentic Chinese/Cantonese lo mein is not vegan-friendly because it's made with egg noodles and meat. The good news is that lo mein recipes are very flexible, so you can easily swap the traditional ingredients for plant-based alternatives, like rice noodles and lots of extra veggies or tofu.

The biggest difference between chow mein and lo mein lies in the translations of their names: chow mein is fried, and lo mein is tossed. The experience is somewhat different between the two. Lo mein tends to be saucier and more toothsome, with a texture some describe as “slippery” because of the noodles' softness.

A great Chow Mein comes down to the sauce, made of soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, sugar and cornstarch for thickening. Slippery noodles slick with the savoury sauce is noodle heaven! One of my favourite noodles, up there with all time greats Pad Thai, Pad See Ew and Singapore noodles.

In New York, if you order it from a Chinese takeout restaurant, you'll get vegetables cooked in white sauce (with a protein of your choice) served with white rice. You'd probably find a small bag of crackers in the delivery bag.

Chow Mein (with beansprouts) is among the most popular of dishes on Chinese takeaway menus, and for good reason. Smokey, charred onions, crispy beansprouts and soft noodles combine with soy sauce & white pepper for a deliciously fragrant dish.