My family is a fan of take-out! And if it’s Chinese we’re craving…more often than not it’s Panda Express we end up at. Not that I particularly love their food, it’s just because it’s easy sometimes. We live in a town when there’s a lot more fast-food options than your regular sit-down restaurants…and that’s a shame cos they’re really not the healthiest or tastiest for that matter. Simply the easiest. But no more! With this super easy Chow Mein recipe that tastes just like Panda Express’, you won’t be ordering take-out either.
At 20-30 minutes total, this quick and easy homemade copycat version of Panda’s Chow Mein noodles is not only healthier and cheaper, but it’s better tasting in my opinion.It’s fresh, and not so greasy. You can even get some of the smokiness with a wok at home if you stir-fry it on high heat. There’s absolutely no reasons why you shouldn’t be making this recipe instead of take-out…it’s that simple and tasty.
This version of Chow Mein is pretty customizable too. Make it a one pot meal by tossing in extra veggies or cooked chicken. Or team it with some home made Orange Chicken, Honey Sesame Chicken, Lemon Chicken (Chinese Style) or Chili Pork with Peppers for a complete family style Chinese take-out at home for a fraction of the price. Either way you can’t lose with this recipe.
Here’s how you can make this foolproof recipe that tastes just like Panda Express….only better!
- 2 (5-7oz) packets of refrigerated Yokisoba Noodles
- 3-4 cloves of Garlic
- 1 1/2 tsp freshly grated Ginger
- 1/4 cup Soy Sauce
- 1 tbsp Brown Sugar
- 1 tsp White/Black Pepper powder
- 1 tbsp Olive Oil
- 1 tbsp Toasted Seasame Oil
- 1/2 large Onion
- 3 stalks of Celery
- 1 1/2 cups shredded Cabbage
- Salt to taste
- Peel and grate 3-4 cloves of garlic and about 11/2 teaspoons of fresh ginger into a small bowl.
- Add the soy sauce, brown sugar and pepper to the bowl and stir it all together well. Set the sauce mixture aside.
- Slice the onion, celery stalks & set aside. Also shred roughly 1 1/2 cups of cabbage too.
- Discard the seasoning sauce packets from the Yakisoba noodle packs and add the noodles to a pot of boiling water to loosen them. You don't want to cook the noodles (as they are pre-cooked), so just a minute or two, separating the strands with a fork or spaghetti spoon and then drain the noodles well.
- Heat the olive oil and toasted seasame oil together in a large wok or skillet.
- Add the onion and celery and toss or saute them on high heat for about 1-2 mins until slightly tender (you want them still crisp and not soggy)
- Immediately add the yakisoba noodles and sauce mixture, tossing and stirring until everything is well coated in the sauce (2-3 mins).
- Toss in the cabbage and turn the heat off, keeping the cabbage fresh and crispy. Give it a quick taste and add salt if necessary.
- That's it folks! It's as simple as that. Serve hot with your favorite stir-fry or Asian dish like Lemon Chicken or Chili Pork with Peppers. Yummm.....
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Hi!
This recipe looks delicious! Could you link the noodles you have pictured? I’m looking everywhere for them!
Thanks!
Will
http://www.jslfoods.com/consumer.cfm?cid=1653
They are usually in the produce section where you find the premade salads and refrigerated dressings right around where the tofu is.
Delicious, but WAAAY too spicy with that much pepper for the average American. Next time I make it, I’ll hold off and just pepper to taste after.
Hi,
Thank you for the recipe!
can we use dry Chow mein noodles as well? if so, how can we prepare them?
Made this for my family today… it killed along with a Chinese BBQ pork recipe I stumbled upon on FoodWishes.com (not advertising lol) both paired very well!! Thank you for this recipe!
My 11-year old grand daughter loves Panda Express’ Noodle bowl, so I was very excited to find this recipe. I made it for the first time for my husband and I, and he absolutely loved it. My concern is that it is too spicy for my grand daughter. I followed the recipe explicitly and not sure what made it spicy because Panda Express is not spicy. Any suggestions on modifying or what ingredient makes it spicy, is appreciated.
Hi Karen, Glad you liked the recipe. To reduce the spiciness I would reduce the black pepper and maybe even add just half the ginger. Hope this helps.