I am not vegetarian. But given a choice of this Vegetarian Chow Mein or a chicken chow mein, I would choose this one any day of the week. Because I am totally in love with the caramelised tofu. I can’t get enough of it. The crazy thing is that it is ridiculously easy to make – I feel like a fraud calling it “caramelised tofu”. It’s simply slices of tofu drizzled with soy sauce and Chinese cooking wine, then stir fried over high heat for 1 minute.
The traditional chow mein sauce contains oyster sauce (as well as meat). This vegetarian/vegan version of chow mein is very close to the traditional version, but I have created a sauce without oyster sauce in it.
I’ve included directions to make the sauce from scratch as well as the directions for making this using my Real Chinese All Purpose Stir Fry Sauce (Vegetarian version) which, if you have a stash of it on hand, makes this super quick to make because you already have the sauce ready made! This recipe is a classic example of why I always have a jar of the All Purpose Stir Fry sauce in the fridge (helps that it lasts months!).
This is a great 15 minute meal!
More Vegetarian versions of popular Asian dishes
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Build your own stir fry using this All Purpose Stir Fry Sauce
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Build your own stir fried Noodles
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Vegetarian Chow Mein
Ingredients
- 6 oz / 180 g fresh chow mein noodles
- 2 tbsp oil
- 2 garlic cloves , minced
- 2 cups shredded Chinese cabbage
- 1/2 cup carrot , julienned
- 2 scallion/shallot stems , cut into 2"/4cm pieces
- 1 cup bean sprouts
Tofu and marinade
- 5 oz / 150 g firm tofu , sliced
- 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tbsp Chinese cooking wine
Sauce
- 1/2 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
- 1/2 tbsp chilli garlic sauce or sriracha (optional)
- 2 tsp sugar
- 1/2 tsp sesame oil
- 1/4 cup water
- White pepper
Instructions
- Prepare noodles according to packet instructions (usually soaking it in boiling water).
- Combine tofu with marinade and set aside for 5 minutes.
- Combine sauce ingredients in a small bowl.
- Heat oil in wok over high heat, add garlic and stir fry for 10 seconds.
- Add tofu and stir fry until starting to caramelise - about 1 minute. Stir fry gently so the tofu doesn't break.
- Add the cabbage and carrot and stir fry until the cabbage starts to wilt.
- Add the noodles, scallions/shallots, bean sprouts and sauce and stir fry until the noodles are warmed through and sauce evenly coats the noodles - about 1 minute. Don't cook it too much - the bean sprouts should still be quite crisp, not wilted.
- Serve immediately.
Directions using homemade Real Chinese All Purpose Stir Fry Sauce
- If you have a jar of homemade Real Chinese All Purpose Stir Fry Sauce, you do not need to make the marinade or sauce for this recipe.
- Substitute the tofu marinade with 1 tbsp Stir Fry Sauce
- Substitute the Sauce ingredients with 1/4 cup Stir Fry Sauce and 1/4 cup water.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Easy to make and tastes delicious. Used red cabbage instead. Fresh and filling. The whole family enjoyed it using sriracha
Delicious and quick! Unable to eat tofu the co-chef marinated a drained tin of jackfruit instead which was then lightly stir fried with finely sliced tips of scallion (spring onion) before adding to the wok.
Nagi this was delicious, my boys asked for seconds and willing ate all the vegetables and the tofu! It took me 5 mins to prep. Thank you, your meals are literally foolproof.
Another fab recipe ,this woman never fails me❤️
Just wondering why there is no corn starch (corn flour) used in this recipe to thicken the sauce. I noticed in your non vegetarian chow mein that it is used.
Looking forward to making this tomorrow. Your recipes are bomb!!
Wow… Incredibly easy but so flavoursome! Your recipes continue to delight! Thank you Nagi 🙂
Can you use dry chow mein noodles in place of fresh ones?
Thanks Nagi another winner! I double the recipe and left out the sriracha because my daughter doesn’t like chilli but my hubby and I added sriracha on top which worked fine! Thanks will make this again!
Another 5 star recipe Nagi! I’ve cooked chow mein for 40 years & this recipe is the best. Easy, & flavorful. My husband & I loved it. Maybe I read it wrong but I found it yielded way more than 2 svgs. More like 6. Anyways, more the better! Love your recipes & the excellent way you detail each step!
Tripled the recipe for visiting vegan members of the family. It was delicious and a resounding success. I was hoping to save some for leftovers but no chance! They kept eating till it was all gone. Their last visit, I cooked your vegetarian lentil soup – also a big hit. Thank you Nagi, you’re a star. ⭐️
This is so delicious 🤤 and easy to make. Thank you for this fantastic recipe. You’re awesome, Nagi! 😊
It was definitely firm tofu – in a packet from the supermarket. Next time I’ll do the chinese flavoured one, they seem more compressed and should be a lot firmer…
I used hard tofu and worked brilliantly!
This didn’t really work for me. Are we meant to drain tofu from the marinade and stir fry? I tipped mine in all together, ended up with way too much sauce and the tofu crumbled apart. Thinking if I do it again I’ll use the store bought block of Chinese flavored tofu as it seems much firmer than what I ended up with 😦
Hi Jane, sorry you had issues here! Can I ask what kind of tofu you are using?
Tomorrow I make this recipe for the first time for company. Wish me luck! Is bought sauce workable?
Love to know what you think!
I accidentally left my review for this recipe on the chicken chow mein recipe. Oops. This vegetarian version last night and it was truly spectacular. I really can’t believe something this delicious and authentic tasting came from my kitchen. Everybody loved it.
This recipe is amazing! So delicious! I have made chow mein numerous times but I never followed a recipe. And my chow mein always sucked! Finally success!!! Thank you for sharing!!!
Wonderful! So glad you enjoyed this Ashley, thanks for letting me know! N x
really great, thanks a lot!
This was so good.. I was able to get fresh thick chow mein noodles from our Chinatown store. I also put some bok choy in it. The sauce was great. Thanks! Will make again.
That’s so great to hear Amy! Thank you for taking the time to let me know! N x
Another amazing recipe! I halved the recipe and made it with Ramen noodles because it was all I had on hand. The sauce is so good!!
That’s great to hear Sonali, thanks for sharing your feedback! N x ❤️
it was super tasty!!
I’m so pleased to hear that Soph! Thanks for sharing your feedback! N xx
I made this yesterday and boy was it good! I don’t think I had the right noodles (I am still learning about the various types of noodles and what works for what kind of dish) but that did not matter when it came to taste. I will definitely make it again- hopefully this time with the right kind of noodles!
I’m so pleased that you enjoyed this Prakriti! Thank you for taking the time to come back and let me know – N x