Name: Mushroom chow mein
Yield: 8
Ingredients: Sesame oil; 700g chestnut mushrooms, sliced; 3 red onions, thinly sliced; 6 garlic cloves, sliced; 8 spring onions, cut into 2.5cm pieces; 1 tbsp caster sugar; 4 tbsp light soy sauce; 4 tbsp dark soy sauce; 4 tbsp hoisin sauce; 3 tbsp oyster sauce; 4 tbsp boiling water; 500g egg noodles, cooked according to package instructions; Salt; Crispy chilli oil (optional); Chopped spring onion (to finish); Toasted sesame seeds (to finish)

My take on the UK’s favourite takeaway dish

Did you know chow mein is the most ordered Chinese takeaway dish in the UK? Yep, I’m not surprised either. Now your challenge is to make my funghi-filled version: can homemade beat the takeaway? According to extensive market research (aka friends who’ve eaten this), it can.

Why vegetarian?

I briefly lived a vegetarian lifestyle and do love a veggie take on a classic! Plus switching out the meat saves on the cost, so why not try this chow mein on your next meat-free monday or if you want to reduce your takeaway orders on a Friday night?

I used chestnut mushrooms for this one as they’re typically readily available and work great in this dish, however you can mix it up if preferred.

As this is a batch friendly recipe, follows my instructions below for eating now or enjoying later…

To eat now…

Serve immediately, piping hot and drizzled with crispy chilli oil for a bit of spicy heat, as well as scattered with chopped spring onion and toasted sesame seeds.

To eat later…

Freeze in an airtight container for up to 3 months.

Defrost fully in the fridge overnight, then tip the chow mein into a hot frying pan and stir-fry until piping hot, adding in a splash of boiling water to loosen, if needed. Follow the finishing instructions in the eat now section above!

An exclusive recipe from my latest cookbook!

This recipe is from my latest book, Poppy Cooks: The Actually Delicious Batch Cookbook(opens in new tab), and you can find even more sneaky recipes right here. Don’t tell my publisher please, because I don’t think I’m allowed to share this many…but oh well! Have a few freebies on me hehe.

Mushroom chow mein

By Poppy Cooks

https://www.poppycooks.com/recipes/mushroom-chow-mein/

Serves 8

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Ingredients

Metric Imperial

Metric

Sesame oil
700g chestnut mushrooms, sliced
3 red onions, thinly sliced
6 garlic cloves, sliced
8 spring onions, cut into 2.5cm pieces
1 tbsp caster sugar
4 tbsp light soy sauce
4 tbsp dark soy sauce
4 tbsp hoisin sauce
3 tbsp oyster sauce
4 tbsp boiling water
500g egg noodles, cooked according to package instructions
Salt
Crispy chilli oil (optional)
Chopped spring onion (to finish)
Toasted sesame seeds (to finish)

Imperial

Sesame oil
1.5lb chestnut mushrooms, sliced
3 red onions, thinly sliced
6 garlic cloves, sliced
8 spring onions, cut into 2.5cm pieces
1 tbsp caster sugar
4 tbsp light soy sauce
4 tbsp dark soy sauce
4 tbsp hoisin sauce
3 tbsp oyster sauce
4 tbsp boiling water
1.1lb egg noodles, cooked according to package instructions
Salt
Crispy chilli oil (optional)
Chopped spring onion (to finish)
Toasted sesame seeds (to finish)

Instructions

Heat a large wok or frying pan over a high heat. Pour in a glug of sesame oil and chuck in the mushrooms. Fry for 1-2 mins, until golden brown, then give them a toss an season with a pinch of salt.
Add the red onions, garlic and spring onions to the pan and cook for another 1 min until fragrant.
In a small bowl, mix together the sugar, both soy sauces, the hoisin and oyster sauces and the boiling water until combined.
Add the cooked noodles to the wok or frying pan and toss everything together. Pour over the soy-sauce mixture and cook for 30 secs to heat through.
Serve immediately, piping hot and drizzled with crispy chilli oil for a bit of spicy heat, as well as scattered with chopped spring onion and toasted sesame seeds.