Crispy chow mein noodles topped with meat and vegetables in a delicious gravy is a Chinese dish you're going to love! And instead of pan-frying the noodles, they're made crisp in the oven!
Course Main Dishes
Cuisine Chinese
Keyword Hong Kong noodles, oven-baked crispy noodles
Boil chow mein noodles until noodles have just loosened. Drain and rinse under cool water; drain well.
Make a couple of cuts through the noodles with kitchen shears.
Mix noodles with oil and salt, then spread noodles evenly on a greased baking sheet.
Bake for 20-30 minutes until noodles are crispy and golden. (See notes below)
Gravy Topping:
Combine all gravy ingredients (beef broth, oyster sauce, soy sauce/tamari, honey, sesame oil, and white pepper) in a measuring cup and mix well. Set aside.
Mix beef slices with tapioca starch.
In a skillet over medium-high heat, add 1 tablespoon of oil. Add onion chunks and scallion whites to the pan. Saute for about 1 minute.
Add beef to the pan and fry until about halfway done.
Add sugar snap peas to the pan and cook about 1 minute.
Stir sauce mixture before adding it to the pan. Bring mixture to a simmer.
Add scallion greens to the pan.
In a small bowl, mix together the tapioca starch and broth/water (thickening slurry). Add it to the sauce in the pan and stir well.
Transfer crispy chow mein noodles to a serving dish and top with the meat and vegetables and gravy, leaving a ring of crispy noodles around the edge uncovered. Serve immediately.
Notes
If noodles are done before you are ready with the gravy, keep them warm in the oven at 350F/180C until you are ready to plate.
If you choose to make it meatless, try it with Chinese, or shiitake mushrooms which are not only "meaty", but they're packed with umami for flavor.
Beef broth can be substituted with chicken or vegetable broth.
If you have a convection feature on your oven, reduce the oven temperature to 425F/220C. A convection oven will definitely help crisp the noodles faster.
Tapioca starch can be substituted with cornstarch.
If you are making a single serving of the recipe, you can pan-fry the noodles in oil in a cast iron or non-stick pan to make them crispy.