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
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.
Spencer has been cooking since she got her first Easy-Bake oven at four years old, and began recipe developing professionally whilst completing her Master’s degree in 2020. Born in Los Angeles, she has an inherent love for all things Mexican, Japanese, and Korean, but is also heavily influenced by her family's Louisiana heritage. Spencer loves bright flavours, spice and fusion food. If she were a food, she'd be kimchi - versatile, spicy and funky.
