This flavorful Vegan Chow Mein is extremely simple to make. It will take only 30 minutes. It’s packed with fresh veggies, marinated tofu, gluten-free rice noodles, and vegan oyster sauce. This recipe will be better than any take-out that you can find, and also, it’s vegan and gluten-free.
The classic recipe for Chow Mein is made with oyster sauce which is not vegan. Here we will use vegan oyster sauce as a substitute. You can also use teriyaki or hoisin sauce if the vegan oyster sauce is not available.
For the veggies, we will use pepper, broccoli, carrot, cherry tomato, and onion. Feel free to add any other veggies that you have at home. Some of the more traditional veggies that you can use for Vegan Chow Main are:
- cabbage
- bean sprouts
- spring onion
- mushrooms
How to Make a Delicious Vegan Chow Mein?
It’s very easy to make this Vegan Chow Mein. If you are a beginner in vegan cooking, this is a great recipe to start with.
- Chop the veggies. Prep the veggies by slicing them into long thin pieces, as shown in the picture below. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half.
- Prep the sauce. Mix the vegan oyster sauce with soy sauce and spices.
- Prep the tofu. Cut the tofu into squares and add 2-3 spoons of the sauce to it. Stir it and set it aside while you cook the veggies.
- Stir-fry the veggies and tofu. First, cook the veggies. Once they are half done, add the tofu.
- Soak the noodles. In a large bowl, pour hot water and soak the noodles for 5 minutes.
- Combine the veggies with the noodles. Combine everything in the pan and add the remaining sauce.
Tips for a Successful Chow Mein
- Use firm tofu to make Vegan Chow Mein. Once you open the tofu strain the water and use paper towels to remove the moisture. If you have extra time on your hands press the tofu to remove the extra water from it by placing a wooden cutting board or something heavy. If you have a tofu press use it to remove the water.
- You can always replace the rice noodles with regular chow mein noodles if you are going not going for a gluten-free option.
- Use frozen veggies if you are rushing.
- Replace Vegan Oyster sauce with teriyaki sauce for a similar result.
Vegan Chow Mein
Equipment
- Stove
Ingredients
Stir Fry
- 1 carrot
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes
- 1 piece broccoli small piece
- 1 green or red pepper
- 1/2 onion white and purple onion are both good
- 200 gr tofu
- 1 package rice noodles
- 2 spring onions * optional
- 1 tbsp olive oil * optional (use a non stick pan if you are not using oil)
- salt and pepper by taste use a litle bit because the sauce will be salty.
Chow Mein Sauce
- 3-4 tbsp soy sauce
- 2 tbsp vegan oyster sauce use
- 1/3 cup vegetable stock
- 1/2 tbsp coconut sugar or brown sugar
- 1 tbsp olive oil use sesame oil as a replacement
Instructions
Stir Fry
- Prepare the tofu by removing the water from it. Use a tofu press if you have one to remove the remaining moisture or wrap it with peper towel and press it with a cutting board (or something heavy) for 10 min.
- Chop veggies into long strips (carrot, pepper and onion), cut the broccoli into small pieces. Slice the cherry tomatoes into halfs.
- Combine together all the sauce ingredients and stir it with a spoon or a a small wisk.
- Stir Fry the veggies for 8 min. Add olive oil, salt and pepper.
- After the water of the tofu is removed cut it into small sqares and add 2 spoons of the sauce into it. This way the tofu will absorb the sauce and have much more flavour. Add it to the Stir Fry after it absorbs the sauce and cook for 5 min.
- Soak the noodles in hot water for 5 min.
- Add the noodles to the Stir Fry, add the sauce and let it cook together for 3-5 minutes. Once cooked serve it in a bowl or a plate and garnish it with some dill or sesame seeds. Enjoy!
Notes
- Suppose you want to make this Vegan Chow Mein oil-free jus don't use any of the oil in the recipe. Instead, use a non-stick pan for cooking the stir fry. For the sauce, replace the oil with extra veggie stock.
- If you prefer noodles that are not gluten-free, use the classic chow mein noodles. Check the ingredients if they are vegan (some brands might contain eggs).
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