House Special Chow Mein

This is a great recipe to make for a potluck or large gathering. It has a little bit of everything, hence the House Special name. Use the recipe as a guide but get creative and use other vegetables like celery, carrots, broccoli, cabbage, bean sprouts, etc. and/or chicken if you prefer. I also like the Canton noodles which is a thick, wheat/egg noodle but you can use other types instead. Also, I like to pre-cook the meats separately, so I can drain excess oil and to control the cooking of the various ingredients.

(shown in this photo is baby bok choy, shitake mushrooms, green onion, sliced and fried lup cheong, and pork strips already fried)

Here is my ingredients list:
Large package (16 oz) Canton noodles
1.5 lbs shrimp, shelled, deveined (butterflied from back)
1 lb. pork strips
4-5 links lup cheong (Chinese-style sausage)
1 medium onion
1 bunch green onions
3-4 shitake mushrooms
2-3 bunches baby bok choy
1 can baby corn
1 can sliced water chestnuts
1 can sliced bamboo shoots
4 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
salt and pepper

First thing I do is pre-cook the meats. I shell and butterfly cut the shrimp from the back and devein. Then saute quickly for a few minutes until shrimp turn opaque then remove from wok. At this time, also take a large pot of water and heat to a boil to cook the noodles later.


Then I slice the lup cheong at a slight diagonal and fry. Lup cheong is a dense, pork sausage that has a slightly sweet flavor. The sausage can be quite oily so I like to fry, remove from wok and drain the oil out. Then fry the pork strips and remove from the wok. Luckily at the Asian market I shop at, I can find the pork already sliced in thin strips (in the freezer section).
With a clean wok, I add vegetable oil and saute the round onion. Then add the sliced mushrooms and saute. Add salt, pepper and garlic powder. While cooking, I take the canned ingredients (baby corn, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots) and wash well, draining the water a few times to get rid of the canned taste.
I then add these to the wok and saute. Add soy sauce and fish sauce.

While this is cooking, take the noodles and cook in the pot of water. The noodles only take a couple of minutes to soften so check often and don’t overcook or the noodles will get soggy. When done, drain in a colander and add to the wok. Add the meats, shrimp and sliced green onions and mix. Cook just for a couple more minutes while tossing the ingredients together to mix well. Add more salt and pepper to taste if you like.
Transfer to a large platter or pan for your table and enjoy!