Easy King Prawn Chow mein - Or Shrimp Chow Mein is one of my favourite fakeaway recipes and a well known noodle dish. This Easy Prawn Chow Mein recipe is healthy, a fakeaway favourite and quick to make (ready to eat in 15 minutes)! Prawn Chow Mein is made with Fresh Egg Noodles, king prawns, Veggies and a Chow Mein Sauce.
Easy King Prawn Chow mein
Prawn chow mein is a stir fry usually made in a wok. It is made up of prawns, noodles, veggies of your choice and a sauce mixture made up of sesame oil, Dark Soy Sauce, Light Soy Sauce, Fish or Chicken Stock, Cornflour and White Pepper. You can use Black Pepper if you prefer.
why i love prawn chow mein
This is one of my favourite recipes because it is such an easy recipe as well as being delicious!
- Loaded with Veggies - It is the one way I can get my son to eat a load of veggies. He avoids them at all costs but not when I make a chow mein!
- Quicker to cook then ordering in - and there is hardly any clean up required!
- Easily adaptable - switch the protein and veg as you like!
- It is pretty healthy. See full Nutritional Information at the bottom of the post.
prawn chow mein sauce
What goes in a great Chow Mein Sauce -
Sesame Oil, Soy Sauce, Oyster Sauce, a touch of Sugar and Cornflour for thickening.
Anything else can be played around with - the noodles, the protein and even the veg but the sauce needs to be spot on. It is what makes the dish so delicious!
the difference between shrimp chow mein and lo mein?
The dishes are very similar and in a lot of cases you may be eating Lo Mein when you think you are eating Chow Mein and vice versa.
Both dishes include similar ingredients but Shrimp Chow Mein uses Chow Mein Noodles.
There are 2 types of Chow mien noodles.
One type can be soaked in boiling water then added to the sauce and the other type are fried and the sauce is served on top of the noodles.
Lo Mein Noodles are boiled and are oily.
They are boiled and sealed before adding to the sauce. Lo Mein is usually more of a slippery dish with more sauce too.
what goes in chow mein?
Chow Mein includes a load of veggies such as carrots, cabbage, bean sprouts.
There is also always a protein such as Shrimp, Chicken, Beef.
veggies you can add to chow mein
- Mushrooms
- Spring Onions
- Mixed Peppers
- Bamboo Shoots
- Water Chestnuts
- Broccoli
- Baby Corn
- Bok Choy
- Mangetout
ingredients in prawn chow mein
Oil
I would recommend any oil with a high smoke point. So Olive Oil isn't an option here.
king prawns/shrimp
Defrosted raw, peeled, deveined King prawns are used in this recipe. You can also use Tiger Prawns.
egg noodles
I used either fresh or dry medium egg noodles in this recipe. Cook as per packet instructions, drained and set aside.
stir fry sauce
Sesame Oil, Soy Sauce, Sugar, Stock, Corn Flour, White Pepper. You can also add Oyster Sauce if you like.
vegetables
Spring Onions, Peppers and Mangetout is that I like to use but you can use any veg you like such as Mushrooms, Carrots, Cabbage, Bean Sprouts.
garlic and red chillies
Sliced or crushed Garlic adds flavour. You can use it in paste form, a frozen defrosted block or as granules/powder.
how to make prawn chow mein
You need very little time to make this recipe AND is is made with simple supermarket ingredients, so having everything ready to go is recommended! For full details, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Make the sauce by combining all the ingredients in a small bowl and mixing together.
Prepare the Noodles according to the pack instructions then drain.
Season Prawns.
Heat oil in a wok or large frying pan over medium-high heat.
Add Garlic and Red Chilli and stir fry for 10 seconds.
Add Prawns and stir fry for 2-3 minutes.
Add Peppers and stir fry for 1-2 minutes.
Add cooked Noodles and Sauce. Stir fry for 1 minute.
Add Spring Onions and Mangetout.
Toss to combine.
Remove from heat, stir everything through and serve immediately.
tips and variations
Veggie Alternative - You can use firm tofu instead. I have even seen Paneer versions. Yet to try it myself but I can imagine that the flavours work well.
Heat - Keep the heat high, this recipe is cooked high and fast!
Flavourings - Feel free to add other flavours such as crushed or slivered Ginger or a squeeze of Sriracha.
Soy Sauce - This recipe calls for Light Soy Sauce. Tamari works well if you are Gluten Free. You can also add Oyster Sauce but I don't.
Ingredients - Have everything prepped and ready to go and the noodles cooking away.
Protein - This recipe also works with Beef and Chicken and who doesn't love Chicken Chow Mein?! You will have to adjust cooking times accordingly.
Stock - In Chow Mein recipes there is usually some Shoaling wine, I replace that with Fish or Chicken Stock in this recipe.
Veggies - You can buy stir fry veg packs and use those to make life easier as I often do. You can also add other fresh vegetables like extra spring/green onions, baby corn, red pepper.
Sesame Seeds - Add a sprinkling of Sesame Seeds to add soem texture.
Prawns - It is very easy to overcook prawns. The total combined time should be no longer then 5 minutes depending on the Prawns you are using.
faqs and tips
do i need a wok to make chow mein?
A wok makes life easier because of the sheer quantity of veg and noodles to begin with but you can absolutely use a large frying pan or saute pan instead. For other noodle recipes such as Yakisoba noodles (stir-fried noodles), a wok is essential!
how long does shrimp chow mein last?
Prawn chow mein is best eaten fresh but leftovers last in fridge in an airtight container for up to 4 days. Reheat with a couple of tablespoons of water on the stove or in the microwave.
Can you freeze Prawn Chow Mein?
Prawn Chow Mein cannot be frozen.
more stir fry recipes:
More Quick Shrimp Recipes:
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Easy King Prawn Chow Mein
Ingredients
Chow Mein Sauce
- 1 tablespoon Sesame Oil
- 3 tablespoon Dark Soy Sauce
- 2 tablespoon Light Soy Sauce
- 100 ml Fish or Chicken Stock
- 4 teaspoon Cornflour
- White Pepper
Chow Mein Noodles
- 225 g Egg Noodles
- 240 g King Prawns
- 3 tablespoon Sesame Oil
- 2 Garlic Cloves Sliced
- ½ Red Chilli Sliced
- 1 Red Pepper cut into cubes or slices
- 2 Spring Onions sliced
- 150 g Mangetout
Instructions
- Make the sauce by combining all the ingredients in a small bowl and mixing together.
- Prepare the Noodles according to the pack instructions then drain.
- Season Prawns.
- Heat oil in a wok or large frying pan over high heat.
- Add Garlic and Red Chilli and stir fry for 10 seconds.
- Add Prawns and stir fry for 2 minutes.
- Add Peppers and stir fry for 1 minute.
- Add Noodles and Sauce. Stir fry for 1 minute.
- Add Spring Onions and Mangetout.
- Toss to combine. Remove from heat, stir everything through and serve immediately.
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