A dish that travelled the world

Chow mein was a popular light meal in Chinese restaurants during the nineteen seventies and eighties, but its history stretches back much further. Variations exist in many countries across every continent.

Chinese migrants spread their food

When Chinese people left home for gold rushes in California and Melbourne in the latter half of the nineteenth century, they took their cuisine with them.

The scale of the diaspora

The UN records more than ten million Chinese-born people in the diaspora, not counting those born abroad. Thailand has the world's largest diaspora community with more than nine million Chinese.

Chinese communities worldwide

Singapore is the only country where Chinese are the majority at seventy six percent. New York's metropolitan area has the largest Chinese community outside Asia. Europe's largest Chinatown is in Paris.

Chinatowns across the globe

Binondo in Manila, Philippines, is the oldest Chinatown, established in fifteen ninety four.San Francisco's and Melbourne's are among the oldest on the planet, both results of gold rushes.

Chow mein adapted everywhere

Chow mein became a staple of Chinese restaurant menus worldwide, often adapted to local tastes and ingredients.American style includes carrot and celery with chicken, beef, pork or shrimps.

Regional variations of chow mein

In Mauritius chow mein became incorporated into national cuisine as mine frire.In Peru it is part of mainstream cuisine as tallarin saltado, containing chicken and red peppers, often tomato.

What chow mein really means

Chow refers to stir frying, while mein refers to noodles.So chow mein at its simplest is a noodle stir fry.

The essential sauce

A chow mein sauce consists of soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, a little brown sugar and cornflour.Cornflour is the key ingredient that gives the silky finish typical of the dish.

Making chow mein your own

You can chop and change ingredients as you like, as long as you retain the noodles, the sauce with cornflour, cabbage, spring onions, garlic and ginger.

“You can chop and change as you like, as long as you retain the noodles, the sauce (with its cornflour), the cabbage, spring onions, garlic and ginger.”