Lo Mein vs Chow Mein
Chow Mein is a well-known dish from Chinese cuisine that is enjoyed by people around the world. There are many different variations of Chow Mein available in restaurants, which can be confusing for people, though they have come to accept all these noodle varieties as belonging to the same category of Chow Mein. This is why people are often unsure when they find a new name, Lo Mein, on the menu card at Chinese restaurants. Although Lo Mein is also a type of noodles, it is quite different from Chow Mein. This article will explain the differences between Chow Mein and Lo Mein.
Chow Mein
Mein is the word that is used to refer to noodles in Mandarin. Thus, Chow Mein is a dish that is a type of noodles. The noodles are crispy to eat because they are fried in a pan of oil at a high temperature. These noodles are made of wheat flour with egg that is added during preparation. To make Chow Mein, the noodles are softened by keeping them in hot water and then placing them over the other ingredients that are already in a hot pan. You might have seen a street vendor stirring noodles along with other ingredients, such as vegetables like capsicum, onions, and carrots, and spices. There are many different varieties of Chow Mein being served in restaurants, such as egg Chow Mein, cheese Chow Mein, and chicken Chow Mein, among others.
Lo Mein
Lo Mein is also a type of noodles, but they are tossed instead of stir-fried. Egg noodles are first soaked in hot water, and then, when they are cooked, they are tossed onto a heated wok that contains sauces and other ingredients. Thus, the main purpose of throwing boiled egg noodles onto the wok is to allow the noodles to mix with the sauces and get warmed. Noodles do not get cooked twice and are, therefore, softer to eat than is the case with Chow Mein.
Key Takeaways
- Chow Mein is a more popular Chinese dish than Lo Mein around the world.
- Chow Mein is stir-fried, whereas Lo Mein is only tossed and not stirred.
- Chow Mein is cooked twice, making it crispy, whereas Lo Mein has boiled noodles, making the dish soft to eat.
