🍜 Desi chicken chow mein

Name: Desi chicken chow mein
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: South Asia · India and Pakistan
Ingredients: 250 g dried wheat noodles; 300 g chicken breast, cut into thin strips; 200 g cabbage, shredded; 1 carrot, cut into thin sticks; 2 eggs, beaten; 3 tbsp soy sauce; 2 tbsp chili sauce; 2 garlic cloves, chopped; 2 tbsp oil, salt and black pepper

Origin: South Asia · India and Pakistan

578kcal

per serving · 350 g

165kcal

per 100 g

30 gProtein8.5 g / 100 g

21 gFat6 g / 100 g

70 gCarbs20 g / 100 g

Desi chow mein is the South Asian street-food take on Chinese stir-fried noodles. Wheat noodles are tossed in a hot wok with strips of chicken, shredded cabbage and carrot, scrambled egg, soy sauce and a generous splash of chili sauce. The result is slick, chewy and noticeably spicier than its Chinese ancestor, served straight from the wok in a plate or takeaway box.

Diets

✓

No porkfor halal, the meat must be halal-slaughtered

✓

Dairy-freeno milk, cheese, butter or yogurt in a typical recipe

Not vegetarianbecause of: chicken

Not veganbecause of: chicken, egg

Contains glutenbecause of: noodles, soy sauce

Not keto20 g carbs per 100 g

Allergens

Contains (in a typical recipe):

⚠ Gluten ⚠ Eggs ⚠ Soy

What it is made of

noodleschickencabbagecarrotsoy saucechili sauceoilegg

Recipe

4 servings30 min

Ingredients

250 g dried wheat noodles
300 g chicken breast, cut into thin strips
200 g cabbage, shredded
1 carrot, cut into thin sticks
2 eggs, beaten
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp chili sauce
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tbsp oil, salt and black pepper

Method

Boil the noodles until just tender, drain, rinse with cold water and toss with a few drops of oil.
Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok and scramble the eggs, then set them aside.
Add the remaining oil and stir-fry the chicken with the garlic over high heat for 4–5 minutes.
Add the cabbage and carrot and toss for 2 minutes so they stay crisp.
Add the noodles, soy sauce, chili sauce and egg, toss everything together for 2 minutes, season and serve hot.

How to make it lighter

Use half the noodles and double the cabbage and carrot for a bigger, lighter plate.
Measure the oil: 1 tbsp is about 120 kcal, and a non-stick wok needs very little.
Ask for extra chicken instead of extra noodles when ordering from a stall.

History

The dish grew out of Indo-Chinese cooking, which Chinese communities in Kolkata helped shape in the twentieth century. From there chow mein spread to street stalls, wedding buffets and food courts across India and Pakistan, picking up local heat along the way.

Count it in one photo

Point your camera at the table — Me Nutrition recognises Desi chicken chow mein and every other dish, with calories and macros for each. Ate only half? Slide it.

Download on the App Store

Similar dishes

Values are estimates per 100 g for a typical recipe; home and restaurant versions vary. Diets and allergens are worked out from the ingredients of a typical recipe — always check with whoever cooked the dish. Not medical advice. Nutrition data: Me Nutrition dish database v13. How we count →