Chow mein is a Chinese Canadian dish of fried noodles, but in Newfoundland, where noodles were historically difficult to get, it is made with cabbage cut into ribbons. In Chop Suey Nation: The Legion Café and Other Stories from Canada’s Chinese Restaurants (2018) author Ann Hui writes, “…from its origin story, to its ingredients, to its execution — it was utterly and completely Newfoundland. It told the story of this place. It was as Canadian as it was Chinese.” When Calgary food writer Julie Van Rosendaal covered the release of Hui’s book, she shared her variation on Newfoundland chow mein.
Note: As with the rest of the ingredients, the sauce measurements don't need to be strictly adhered to.
Newfoundland-style chow mein, the finished product. Courtesy of Julie Van Rosendaal.
- Step 1: In a bowl or jar, whisk or shake together the corn starch and water. Stir in the oyster sauce, soy sauce, maple syrup and ginger. If you want to make it ahead, stash it in the fridge for up to a week.
- Step 2: Prep all your veggies so they're ready to go — a stir-fry comes together fast. Heat a generous drizzle of both oils in a large skillet or wok set over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add the sturdiest vegetables to it (carrots, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower) and stir fry for a minute or two, moving them around the pan.
- Step 3: Add more delicate veggies (pea pods, zucchini, peppers, kohlrabi) and cook for another minute or two.
- Step 4: Add the sauce — it will boil and thicken immediately. Ditch the slice of ginger, or hold it back in the jar. Add a splash of water or stock if it seems too thick. Remember — the veggies don't need to cook for very long, you want them tender-crisp.
- Step 5: If you have cooked meat, stir it in and you're done. If the meat needs cooking, add them to the pan (this works well with shrimp, which are best when they gently steam), or shake all the veggies out of the skillet onto a platter and add the meat to the pan with a little more oil, and cook it for a few minutes, until it's just cooked through.
- Step 6: Add it to the platter with the veggies. If there are lots of flavourful browned bits in the bottom of the pan, add a splash of water or stock either as you cook the meat or after it comes out of the pan, scrape up the flavourful bits and pour it over the meat and veggies.
Yield: Serves two to four people.
Sauce Ingredients
- 1 tbsp corn starch
- 1 cup water or stock
- ¼-⅓ cup oyster sauce
- 1-2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp maple syrup or honey
- a slice of ginger
Main ingredients
- Canola or other mild vegetable oil, for cooking
- Sesame oil, for cooking
- 1 carrot, sliced diagonally
- 1-2 celery stalks, cut into chunks
- a few Brussels sprouts, halved
- a handful of broccoli or cauliflower florets
- a handful of pea pods or kohlrabi, cut into sticks
- ¼ green or savoy cabbage, sliced about ½-inch thick
- 1 green onion, chopped
- ¼-½ lb of steak, chicken, pork or shrimp, cooked or not