Chow Mein vs. Lo Mein

[Disneyland1084]

What's the difference? I've read that some Chinese restaurants use soft noodles for lo mein and crunchy noodles for chow mein. Every Chinese restaurant I've eaten at, the chow mein has always been soft noodles. I've noticed some restaurants advertise soft noodles for lo mein, and crunchy for chow mein. I'm confused.

 

[sam_gordon]

What's the difference? I've read that some Chinese restaurants use soft noodles for lo mein and crunchy noodles for chow mein. Every Chinese restaurant I've eaten at, the chow mein has always been soft noodles. I've noticed some restaurants advertise soft noodles for lo mein, and crunchy for chow mein. I'm confused.

https://www.hellofresh.com/eat/ingredient-info/chow-mein-vs-lo-mein-noodles

Before looking at the differences between chow mein and lo mein, it’s worth looking at their similarities. Both start off with the same type of egg noodle. Chow mein can be made with fresh or dried noodles, with dried noodles providing the crunch that American-style chow mein is known for. Lo mein is usually made with fresh noodles, though dried versions exist.

The biggest difference between chow mein and lo mein lies in the translations of their names: chow mein is fried, and lo mein is tossed.

The experience is somewhat different between the two. Lo mein tends to be saucier and more toothsome, with a texture some describe as “slippery” because of the noodles’ softness. Chow mein tends to have a greater variety of textures within the dish, thanks to the added texture that comes from frying the noodles.

 

[DodgerGirl]

Lo Mein is traditionally made with spaghetti noodles and vegetables and you add sauce to the Lo Mein to give it flavor while Chow Mein uses soft noodles and pork or beef or chicken and also vegetables. I know this because I have a Lo Mein recipe in my copy of The Disney Princess Cookbook where it's known as Fa Family Lo Mein because in the book it's one of Mulan's recipes. My grandfather loved Chinese food but disliked soft noodles and always wanted crunchy noodles with his Chinese food

 

[mjkacmom]

Lo Mein is traditionally made with spaghetti noodles and vegetables and you add sauce to the Lo Mein to give it flavor while Chow Mein uses soft noodles and pork or beef or chicken and also vegetables. I know this because I have a Lo Mein recipe in my copy of The Disney Princess Cookbook where it's known as Fa Family Lo Mein because in the book it's one of Mulan's recipes. My grandfather loved Chinese food but disliked soft noodles and always wanted crunchy noodles with his Chinese food

We use lo mein noodles which are a little different than spaghetti. Lo mein can be plain (used to order plain when the kids were little) vegetable, pork, beef, chicken, shrimp, special….

 

[Kathryn Merteuil]

I never really knew, but I l like both of them!

 

[cabanafrau]

Mmm, Szechuan Lo Mein. Now I'm hungry. Even if I try to satisfy myself with a bowl of ramen for lunch I'm still going to be sulky now.

 

[disykat]

I have never had Lo Mein in a restaurant and have absolutely no real idea of the difference, but for some reason I consider myself to have made Chow Mein if I make it pretty much like fried rice with mostly soy sauce and broth for flavoring and Lo Mein if I use more fish sauce, Hoisin, chili oil, etc.

 

[MillauFr]

I haven't seen chow or lo mein noodles in the Chinese places by our house. We go to a place called Dough Zone which is like Din Tai Fung. They have Dan Dan Noodles. Although the best thing on the menu is the XLB dumplings.

 

[Micca]

I haven't had chow mein since I was a kid, but it seemed entirely different from lo mein. The chow mein I ate was a mixture of meat and vegetables, the rice may have also been mixed-in rather than on the side. They sprinkled the dish with crispy noodles like you might put croutons on a salad. The lo mein I've had is essentially an Asian take on pasta. It can be a side (like rice) or you can have it with chicken/pork/beef/etc.