Chow Mein Sandwich
The chow mein sandwich, invented in 1930s Massachusetts, consists of crispy noodles tossed in a typical New England style gravy, served either ‘strained’ or ‘unstrained’, meaning with or without vegetables, slopped on top of a hamburger bun and enjoyed.
Done in 30 minutes
Serves 4
Ingredients
You'll need:
150gegg noodles
1shallot, sliced
3ribs celery, sliced
3garlic cloves, sliced
100gmixed mushrooms, roughly chopped
250gpork mince
Handfulbeansprouts
250mlchicken stock
210mlchicken gravy
1 tspdark soy sauce
2 tbspcornflour
1 tspsugar
Vegetable oil, to fry
Brioche buns, toasted
The idea was to turn Chinese food into a form that European and Canadian immigrants would recognise - a sandwich.
Because the state of the world at the time could only be described as ‘economically depressed’, the ‘sandwich’ gained popularity fairly quickly. Because of the utilisation of simple, accessible and cheap ingredients, the sandwich would only set you back a nickel, or one dollar in today’s money.
I’ve kept mine pretty traditional with gravy, pork mince, onion, celery, and crispy noodles, but I’ve added some extra additions like mushrooms, soy, and garlic black bean paste.
Method
Start by whisking together the sauce ingredients, then setting aside.
Preheat the vegetable oil to 180 C. Cook the noodles according to the packet instructions, then lay out on a tray to steam dry and cool.
Fry the noodles in batches until they’re crispy, then remove. Let drain on paper towels.
Crisp up the pork mince in a pan, then remove with a slotted spoon.
Add the shallot, celery, garlic, mushrooms, and beansprouts. Once softened, add the crispy pork back in and the sauce
Add the crispy noodles, quickly toss, then serve in toasted buns with extra sauce.
Enjoy!
