Char Siu Chow Mein

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Char Siu Chow Mein (also known as Roast Pork Chow Mein and similar to Lo Mein) is a local favorite found at many restaurants in Hawaii. Fresh chow mein noodles, char siu, and lots of veggies, so good! You can also make it at home. Great for family dinners and potlucks, everyone loves this ^_^

I made this big pan of char siu chow mein for dinner last night and everyone was so happy. I was originally wanted to make a vegetable or tofu side dish to go with it but instead decided to add more vegetables to the chow mein. Easier!

We eat chow mein a decent amount, but we usually buy it from one of the many restaurants and takeout shops in Honolulu. We have GOOD chow mein in Hawaii.

Char siu gon lon mein / char siu chow mein from Happy Day in Kaimuki.

In the Dine Out section of last Sunday's newspaper, my dad saw this photo of Char Siu Gon Lo Mein from Happy Day in Kaimuki. It looked so tasty he saved the page and put it on my desk hahaha.

Should we get it for dinner?
Yeah!

So a few hours later...

...two takeout orders of char siu gon lo mein from Happy Day! It came with little containers of hot mustard-soy sauce which is essential to the dish.

The noodles really hit the spot thought tasted more like chow mein than go lon mein.

Chow Mein vs Gon Lo Mein

Chow Mein versus Gon Lo Mein! They look similar, so what's the difference?

Chow Mein = fried noodles, so the noodles tend to be thinner and more crisp.

Gon Lo Mein = tossed and lightly sauced noodles, the noodles are a little softer.

The difference might seem small but it's a pretty big difference!

However, you'll find many dishes that taste halfway between chow mein and go lo mein. It's looks like chow mein but with softer (not as crisp) noodles. Because of this, you often see the name used interchangeably in Hawaii. That's just how it is! The noodles from Happy Day is a great example of this.

Then dad was like...why don't we make char siu chow mein at home tomorrow?

I was like, ok! Let's do it ^_^

Where To Get Char Siu

So the next day, I went to Asian Mix at 1234 S. Beretania Street for a pound of char siu. Try to go early in the day because they often sell out by late afternoon. The char siu was $16.50 a pound. Pictured above is $20 worth of char siu.

We also like to get char siu from New Char Siu House in Chinatown (1134 Maunakea Street). Whenever we stop by New Char Siu House, we also get breakfast/lunch at Lam's Kitchen because they are right by each other.

You can also make char siu at home! I will post a recipe for this soon.

Egg chow mein noodles from Young's Noodle Factory.

Where To Get Chow Mein

We are lucky to have several fresh noodle shops in Honolulu! We got this batch of noodles from Young's Noodle Factory at 1635 Liliha Street. They have parking right in front so it's quite convenient.

They have two types of chow mein noodles:

Chow mein noodles - thicker
Egg chow mein noodles - thinner

What's the difference? Thickness! We want the thinner noodles for this recipe, so got the "egg chow mein noodles."

Pictured above is 2 pounds of the egg chow mein noodles.

Ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make char siu chow mein:

Chow mein noodles
Char siu
Onion
Green cabbage
Bean sprouts
Green onions

Sauce

Instructions

Let's get cooking!

In a small bowl, mix together all the sauce ingredients (oyster sauce, soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sugar, chicken bouillon powder, and white pepper). Add a spoonful of water to help loosen the sauce and make it easier to mix. Set aside.

Thinly slice the char siu and set aside.

In a large pan over medium-high heat, add the sliced onions. Stir fry until lightly browned.

Then add the white parts of the green onions and cook 1 more minute.

Next add the sliced cabbage and stir fry for 2-3 minutes until slightly softened.

Add the bean sprouts and cook for 1 more minute.

Slide all the vegetables onto a plate and set aside.

In the same large pan over medium-high heat, add some more oil. Then add all the chow mein noodles followed by ¼ cup of water to help loosen the noodles.

Mix, mix, mix to cook the noodles for 2 minutes. Let it get golden and crisp.

Drizzle the sauce mixture (prepared in Step 1) over the noodles. Mix evenly.

Then add all the vegetables back to the pan and mix evenly.

Add the chopped char siu and the green parts of the green onions. Stir to mix.

Then the dish is ready to serve! Eat and enjoy ^_^

FAQ

About the sugar in the sauce.

This recipe calls for a little bit of sugar in the sauce mixture. But depending on how sweet/saucy the char siu is, you can omit the sugar. When I get a particularly saucy batch of char siu, I skip the sugar in the sauce mixture because it doesn't need an extra touch of sweet.

How long does this dish keep?

It's best fresh (crisp noodles!) but leftovers keep 2-3 days in the refrigerator in a sealed container. You can reheat in the microwave or better yet...reheat in a pan over medium heat.

About the noodles.

The fresh chow mein noodles we used this recipe were already cooked (steamed), then tossed and lightly dried so they cook up fast. Most fresh noodle shops will sell this type of noodle.

If you can't get fresh noodles, you can use regular dried noodles but many need to boil and drain the noodles first before using them for this recipe.