Favorite Food Presentation: Chow Mein

1. Favorite Food Presentation: Chow Mein By Maximilian Murphy 9/9/12

2. What is it? Chow Mein directly translates to ‘Fried Noodles’ and it comes in two different forms; Steamed, and crispy. Steamed chow mein has a lighter softer texture and flavor (depending on how you season the dish) and round noodles are used for steamed. Crispy (also known as Hong Kong style) are fried and have a more mild flavor, they require flat noodles. Steamed chow mein can have any kind of vegetable you want, but it it usually garnished with either onions or celery, sometimes with cabbage, carrots, and mung bean sprouts as well. Chrispy just has onions and celery. When served, the crispy style noodles are coated with a thick sweet brown sauce, while the steamed noodles are drizzled with some soy sauce. In the US there are two different terms for Chow Mein. On the West coast, it is usually termed lo mein, and on the east coast it is traditionally chow mein.

3. Different kinds Chow mein is the American version of yakisoba (which is a Chinese noodle dish). Yakisoba is traditionally made with buckwheat noodles and fried with a number of different sauces. But chow mein derivatives are literally all across the globe. Some of which are: • Mie Goreng; which is a common dish in Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore. It is widely sold by street venders, and can even be found in high-end dining. Ingredients can include anything from sliced bakso (meatballs) and eggs, to frogs legs and chili. • Pancit or Pansit; The term ‘Pansit’ is derived from the Chinese word ‘Hokkien’ which means “something conveniently cooked fast”. Pansit has found itself a sturdy home in the Philippines, and is a standard in local restaurants. According to food lore, pancit noodles should be eaten on ones birthday, so they are commonly served at birthday celebrations. Some menus even have ‘Birthday Noodles’, but since noodles represent long life and good health in their culture, they should not be cut short so you do not disrupt the symbolism. • Laska; Laska is a form of Yakisoba but is made into a very spicy soup and is occasionally served with prawn or vegetable dumplings inside with the noodles. AsamLaska, which is a sour version of Laska but shredded fish is usualy used. The Malay word for tamarind (dried slices of sour mangostem) is what gives the soup its sour flavor. AsamLaska ranked number 7 on World’s50 most delicious foods by CNNGo in 2011.

4. Why Its my favorite I’ve always liked noodles, and the more flavorful the noodle dish the better. I love Asian style seasonings and sauces because they always add a lot of emphasis to the power of the dish. Whether its chow mein, lo mein, yakisoba, or any of the others I’ve mentioned, they all have a rich heritage and a full palate taste that nothing can beat. It fills you up and is good for you as well! (As long as you don’t add too much salt and such). Even if this Chinese dish is completely American now, you can still feel the soul of the food, which is always something that I look for in good tasting food. So that is why Chow mein is my personal favorite food.

6. Works Sited • Lumen, Nancy Reyes. (2005). Republic of Pancit. Philippine Center for Investigative Journalism iReport, (1). Retrieved 2009-10-27 • http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/Dictionary/C/Chow-mein-noodles-fried-5043.aspx • PepyNasution (7 March 2012). "Friend’s Post – Mie Goreng by Indonesia Eats". Wok With Ray. http://wokwithray.net/wwr/2012/03/mie-goreng-by-indonesia-eats/. Retrieved 3 June 2012 • CNN Go World's 50 most delicious foods 21 July 2011. Retrieved 2011-10-11 • Hutton, Wendy, Singapore Food (Marshall Cavendish, 2007) [Wendy-Hutton]