Lo Mein Vs Chow Mein: What’s the Difference & How to Make Them?

Lo mein and chow mein are among the most recognisable Chinese noodle dishes. While the ingredients used are quite similar, there are some key differences in how they’re prepared. Find out what sets these iconic dishes apart.

What is Lo Mein?

Mein is the word for noodles in Chinese, so lo mein means ‘tossed noodles’. This refers to the fact that noodles are cooked separately before being tossed together with the other ingredients as they finish cooking.

The dish comprises Chinese egg noodles, which are boiled for several minutes, then added to a wok of stir-fried vegetables and protein (chicken, beef or seafood), with a savoury soy-based sauce.

The resulting dish offers soft and succulent noodles doused in lots of moreish sauce, giving the perfect balance of flavours and textures.

What is Chow Mein?

Chow mein means ‘fried noodles’, unsurprisingly referring to the fact that the noodles are fried. This can be in a number of ways, including being flash-fried and then stir-fried with the other ingredients (steamed chow mein) or pressed flat while fried to create a sort of noodle pancake before adding the other ingredients on top (crispy chow mein).

Like in lo mein, ingredients such as different veggies and proteins, along with a soy-based sauce, are added to the noodles. However, here, they are kept relatively minimal, letting the fried noodles shine. The sauce is also lighter than in lo mein, so the crispiness of the noodles is retained.

What’s the Difference Between Chow Mein & Lo Mein?

• Noodle Preparation: Lo mein noodles are boiled, while chow mein noodles are usually parboiled then fried.
• Noodle Texture: Lo mein has soft, chewy noodles, while chow mein has crispy or oily noodles (depending on frying method).
• Ingredients: While veggies like carrots, broccoli, pak choi, pepper, cabbage, bean sprouts, onions and mushrooms and protein like chicken, beef or prawns can be included in either dish, chow mein typically keeps the additions fairly minimal, with lo mein being more generous with extra ingredients.
• Sauce: Lo mein uses more sauce, while chow mein sauce is quite light, making it more of a dry noodle dish.

What Noodles are Used in Lo Mein & Chow Mein?

Despite these differences, both dishes use the same kind of noodles – Chinese egg noodles. Lo mein usually works best with fresh egg noodles, and chow mein is suited to either fresh or dried egg noodles. In each case, the noodles will need to be softened or partially cooked in boiling water before being either tossed with the other ingredients (lo mein) or fried (chow mein).

How to Make Lo Mein

Here’s a quick and simple recipe for lo mein.