Chicken Mei Fun: Chinese Home-Style Recipe - The Woks of Life (2024)

FAQs

What is the difference between mei fun and ho fun chicken? ›

Chow fun and mei fun are both Chinese noodles but the key difference is the thickness of the noodle. Chow fun is wide and thick while mei fun is thin, similar to a vermicelli. Chow fun's hearty texture is better for stir-fries while mei fun is more delicate and best in soups and salads.

A tangle of vermicelli noodles tossed with chicken (or other protein) and a hodgepodge of veggies in a savory sauce are the essential components of mei fun, the versatile Chinese stir-fry whose name means “rice noodles” in Cantonese.

However, Mei Fun is tends to have a more delicate and subtle taste, allowing the natural flavors of the ingredients to shine through. Lo Mein generally has a richer and bolder flavor profile due to the use of soy sauce and other savory seasonings.

It all depends on preparation. The noodles alone have little nutritional value, but also have almost no fat or sodium1. Stir frying with sauces or other flavorings adds sodium. Adding vegetables to chow mei fun will make your dish more nutritious.

Secondarily, lo mein is usually saucier than mei fun, which is more of a dry noodle stir fry.

These Singapore chow mei fun noodles are savory, smoky, earthy, and nutty. The curry powder adds a unique boost of flavor that no other stir fried noodles possess.

Mei Fun which is translated to rice noodles or rice vermicelli are thin noodles made from grounded rice and water.

Noun. mei fun (uncountable) (cooking) Rice vermicelli, rice noodles, as used in East Asian (especially Cantonese) cooking.

Mei fun noodles are thin rice noodles. This recipe uses dried rice noodles that are pre-cooked and then dried in the manufacturing process. All they need is a quick pre-soaking before adding them to soups or stir fries.

When it comes to choosing the better Chinese noodle dish, the ultimate factor is personal taste. While some noodle lovers enjoy the crunch of dried egg noodles expertly stir-fried into a delicious chow mein dish, others prefer a heaping bowl of steaming, sauce-soaked lo mein.

Which is healthier chow or lo mein? ›

From a nutritional standpoint, lo mein is better than chow mein, hands down. "Lo mein would be considered more nutritious because the noodles are not fried and there is less oil used in the cooking," Jaelin says. "Lo mein has less than half the calories and fat found in chow mein.

Pho is a nutritionally rich dish with bean sprouts and fresh herbs, as well as beef bone broth which are all good for the gut, immunity and joints. There are also brown rice noodle options available to make Pho, which would increase the fiber intake and make it even healthier.

Rice noodles are often considered one of the healthiest options available. They are naturally gluten-free, low in fat, and easy to digest. P'Nut Asian Kitchen incorporates rice noodles into many of their dishes, including the popular Pad Thai and Wonton Noodle Soup.

Steamed or boiled rice is healthier for many reasons, not least because noodles tend to be cooked in sauce. Fried rice will also often contain soy sauce or other flavour enhancers, so treat with caution.

With chow mein, you cook noodles and add them to your wok of other ingredients, cooking everything together in one pan. However, with a chop suey recipe, you will cook the noodles or rice and other ingredients separately before combining them in a bowl, serving up the noodles or rice with the sauce served over the top.

Sweet and sour chicken, one of the most popular Chinese takeout dishes, is made of puffy, golden brown pieces of fried chicken nuggets with pineapple chunks, onion, bell pepper, carrot, and a side of iconic red, sweet and sour sauce. Serve it with egg rolls or some egg drop soup and egg fried rice to complete the meal!