chow mein

American  

[chou meyn] / ˌtʃaʊ ˈmeɪn /

noun

1. a Chinese-style dish of steamed or stir-fried vegetables, topped with shredded chicken, shrimp, etc., and served with fried noodles.

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chow mein British  

/ meɪn /

noun

1. a Chinese-American dish, consisting of mushrooms, meat, shrimps, etc, served with fried noodles

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Etymology

Origin of chow mein

1900–05, < Chinese chǎo fry + miàn noodles, or < cognate dial. forms

Example Sentences

To tell that complicated story, Hethington depends on dishes like Guyanese chow mein and Trini-Chinese chicken.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026

Will jollof or efo riro follow in the footsteps of tikka masala or chow mein to become UK favourites?

From BBC • Oct. 1, 2024

In The Chinese Way, there is a sausage and cauliflower chow mein that is a winning combination and easy to put together – just as an example of a “nontraditional” chow mein dish.

From Salon • Sep. 25, 2024

His “CID salad” roams adjacent blocks with a sweet-side miso-sesame vinaigrette embracing bitter chicories and mandarin orange, with tangles of very thin, very crunchy fried chow mein joining in.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 2, 2023

My father is digging into the chow mein, which still sits in an oversize aluminum pan surrounded by little plastic packets of soy sauce.

From "The Joy Luck Club" by Amy Tan