CHOW MEIN ON A SHEET PAN?

This adaptable recipe hits all the right notes for cooks without a wok

Have you ever seen a recipe title and thought: Say, what? Then, considered the source and immediately wanted to try it?

That's how I felt when I came across Sheet Pan Chow Mein in Hetty Mckinnon's book, To Asia, With Love, which made our list of favourite cookbooks of 2021.

Mckinnon, who also wrote Neighborhood and Family, was born to Chinese-immigrant parents in Australia, so in her cookbook, she describes her recipes as “Asian in origin, but modern in spirit” and the flavours as “Asianish.”

Would I consider making chow mein this way without her guidance? Unlikely. Under Mckinnon's tutelage, however, I could see how it would come together. She writes: “Cantonese chow mein is well known for its contrasting textures — crispy fried strands tangled with soft noodles, tender-crisp veggies, all smothered in an umami-rich sauce. While the wok is still the traditional (and arguably the best) cooking vessel for chow mein, a humble sheet pan is also a handy way to rustle it up with minimal effort.”

I was delightfully surprised by how well this reinterpretation delivered the expected flavours and textures of chow mein. It's a great solution for folks who don't have a wok.

Mckinnon starts by sheet-pan roasting bell pepper, broccoli and carrots drizzled with sesame and olive oils until they soften. While they cook, you boil your noodles until al dente, drain and pat them dry, so they'll crisp. Then push the softened vegetables to one side of the pan and add the noodles, corn and asparagus to other side and return the pan to the oven until the noodles are crispy.

Quickly whip up a sauce of toasted sesame oil, soy sauce, vegetarian stir-fry sauce, white pepper and garlic, and when the vegetables and noodles are where you want them, remove the pan from the oven, pour the sauce over it all and toss it together.

You can then sprinkle scallions, cilantro leaves and sesame seeds over, if you like.

It tastes best fresh from the oven, when the noodles and vegetables retain their wonderful textures, but it was delicious cold from the refrigerator the next day, too.

This recipe is an excellent way to use up bits and pieces of produce. Mckinnon also suggests Asian greens as a substitute for the broccoli and sugar snap peas in place of asparagus. Dried or fresh thin egg noodles are best because they crisp so well, she said, but if crispness isn't essential to your enjoyment, any noodles will do. She recommends ramen noodles, adding that you can make the dish vegan by using wheat noodles, too.

Mckinnon made a promise in her cookbook, noting “The recipes in this book are accessible, familiar and comforting, but will also challenge you to think differently about the possibilities of cooking modern Asian flavours at home.”

This one made me do just that.