Beef chow mein recipe

As seen on Rick Stein’s Food Stories on BBC Two, this is Rick’s beef chow mein recipe. From his visit to China Town in central London, he makes one of the nations most-loved Cantonese dishes. It makes for a quick and easy supper that your friends and family will love.


Ingredients for Rick’s beef chow mein recipe

SERVES 3-4

  • 400g sirloin steak, fat removed
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 1 tbsp cornflour
  • 1 tbsp oyster sauce
  • Generous pinch ground white pepper
  • 1 tbsp sunflower oil
  • 250g dried egg noodles (4 nests) cooked as per instructions and well drained
  • 125ml sunflower or vegetable oil for frying
  • 1 spring onion finely sliced on the bias to serve.

For the sauce

  • 100ml water
  • ½ tsp sugar
  • 1 tbsp oyster sauce
  • 3 tbsp soy sauce
  • 1/8th tsp ground white pepper
  • 150g beansprouts
  • 3 spring onions trimmed and shredded lengthways
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 3cm piece of ginger, peeled grated or finely chopped
  • 100g shitake mushrooms, sliced
  • 100g mangetout

How to make Rick’s beef chow mein recipe

  1. Slice the sirloin steak across into thin slices. Add to a bowl and sprinkle over the cornflour and white pepper and mix well. Then add the water, oyster sauce and sunflower oil.
  2. In a separate bowl mix the sauce ingredients together and set aside. 
  3. Heat about 100ml of the oil in a pan and when hot, add the drained noodles and fry them until crispy, then remove and keep warm.
  4. Add the remaining oil to the pan and stir fry the beef over a high heat and fry until cooked through. Then dd the vegetables and continue to stir fry for a couple of minutes, add the sauce and allow it to bubble and thicken. 
  5. Divide the noodles between 4 bowls and pour the steak mixture over them. Serve topped with a few more spring onions.

Happy cooking

Charlie-Stein-Wine

Charlie Stein’s drink pairing

For something like a beef chow mein with its savoury and umami of the beef and sauce, I’d go for a red but one that is very easy drinking without any tannin. The perfect one is a silky little number from Northern Italy called Bella Fiore.

Rick Stein’s Food Stories

Rick’s new book, Rick Stein’s Food Stories, accompanies the BBC Two TV series of the same name which celebrates his favourite recipes from recent travels around the UK – including Cumbria, Belfast, Bristol and Birmingham. Pre-order a signed copy from our online shop.