Chow Mein VS Lo Mein

When you hear about lo mein and chow mein, you think that the noodles you use are the deciding, main factor. However, the main difference between these dishes is the way you prepare noodles, not what noodles you use. 

As a China local foods manufacturer of noodles, JOLION Foods is here to help you understand authoritative details of these two noodles, and expand your Asian cuisine expertise.

Lo mein and cho mein are traditional nodlees in China. Mein or mian is simply the Chinese word for noodles. Both lo mein and chow mein are made with egg noodles—wheat flour noodles with egg added. There are also three types of width: thin (about 1 millimeter) , middle (about 2 millimeter), and broad (about 3 millimeter).

More articles about egg noodles: Best Chinese Noodles.

What are the differences?

Even if they are both noodle based foods, they are quite impressive and the cooking method does make them stand out quite a lot.  

• What is chow mein?

  
  

When we talk about chow mein, we talk about fried noodles. There is a necessary step - fry them with oil for several minutes.

• What is lo mein?

  
  

Lo mein on the other hand focuses on mixed or tossed noodles. Only one step for this lo mein that is boiling them until cooked.

Differences between them

When it comes to the cooking method, chow mein noodles are soaked in some hot water so they can be softened up, and they are stir fried. Lo mein noodles are fully cooked before you mix them in with the meat and sauce as well as veggies. Chow mein doesn't always have a sauce, and if it has, it's delicate and light. Lo mein has a rich sauce and it depends on it to deliver a very good flavor.

Then there's the texture. Lo mein noodles usually have a smooth texture and they are chewy. This comes from the fact that they are cooked and then you add other ingredients to them. Chow mein noodles however are crunchier when compared to lo mein.

How to cook chow mein and lo mein?

There are the crisp chow mein where the noodles are pressed flat when you fry them. Other ingredients are then added as layers on top of it. When it comes to the steamed chow mein, this one requires noodles to be flash and then stir fried. After that you just toss in the ingredients and even include a sauce coating.

Generally, a lo mein dish will have veggies and also protein sources like pork, tofu, maybe seafood, chicken or beef. The lo mein noodles are not greasy, and the dish has a ton of protein and veggies. There's also plenty of sauce added to it as well.

More articles about egg noodles: An Easy Recipe of Egg Noodles.

Conclusion

If you want to have access to some of the best lo mein or chow mein foods, give Jolion Foods a try today. We are here to offer our clients direct access to the best wholesale and oem services for these amazing foods. Our company has been offering Asian and traditional Chinese noodles since the 1980s, and we are always here to assist with high quality results. Contact us today for more information!