I love Chinese food, which is seriously difficult to find on the Central Coast of California. Or at least it is in Paso Robles. Yes, we have a few options, but none of them compare to what I grew up with in the Midwest. I think of Chinese food as comfort food. It is generally light fare and super nourishing.
Spaghetti Squash is one of the CSA items I get in my Talley Farms Fresh Harvest box. I find that it is a bit bland of a vegetable and does quite well when paired with other more flavorful partners. Using it as the noodles in this Spaghetti Squash Chow Mein was a genius idea that my son suggested, so I decided to give it a try!
OMG, it turned out fantastic. Honestly, if I hadn’t made it myself, I would have thought it was real Chinese take out! The dish is packed with vegetables and the sauce that accompanies it is perfectly authentic. The only cheat I did was to sprinkle a few crispy store-bought chow mein noodles on the plate to add a crunchy element to the dish. To me, it’s a perfect item to offset the soft noodle entree.
The only thing you have to be careful of, is that you may find yourself going back for another serving a while after you have finished. I guess that old adage is really true about Chinese food or maybe it’s just that it tastes so good, you can’t help but want more!
Spaghetti Squash Chow Mein
Serves 6
- 1/2 large roasted spaghetti squash (or whole medium), shredded into noodles
- 12 oz. boneless skinless chicken thighs, cut into bite sized pieces
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda (optional)
- 1 1/2 tablespoons peanut oil
- 2 garlic cloves, smashed whole
- 1/2 napa cabbage, shredded
- 2 carrots, julienned
- 3 green onions, white & light green parts cut into 1 1/2″ pieces, separated & dark green parts thinly sliced for garnish
- 2 oz. shitake mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced
- 3 oz. snap peas cut in half on the diagonal
- 1 cup bean sprouts
- toasted sesame seeds for garnish
- packaged crispy chow mein noodles, for serving
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 3 tablespoons mirin (rice wine)
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- dash of white pepper
- Velvet the chicken (optional): Combine the chicken pieces and baking soda in a small bowl and toss to combine. Let sit for 10 minutes and then rinse thoroughly and pat dry.
- Make the sauce: Mix the soy sauce and cornstarch together in a small bowl. Add the oyster sauce, mirin, sugar, sesame oil and white pepper. Whisk together until smooth.
- Pour 2 tablespoons of the sauce over the chicken in a bowl and toss to coat. Let sit for 15 minutes.
- Heat the peanut oil in a wok or large frying pan over high heat. Add the garlic cloves and cook for 30 seconds until fragrant. Remove the garlic with a slotted spoon and discard.
- Add the chicken and stir fry for 1 minute or until still slightly rare on the inside. Add the carrots, white green onion pieces, mushrooms and snap peas. Stir fry for 1-2 minutes. Add the cabbage 1/2 at a time stirring to mix. Stir fry for 1 minute. Add the spaghetti squash noodles and the remaining sauce (or as much as needed). Stir fry for 1 minute. Add the larger light green parts of the green onions and the bean sprouts. Stir fry for 30 seconds.
- Serve immediately over crispy chow mien noodles. Top with toasted sesame seeds and green onion garnish.
- Velveting the chicken helps to lock in the juices, used especially if cooking with chicken breast. I use chicken thighs so it is less necessary but certainly only optional either way.
(click here) for printable recipe