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Beef Chow Mein

WRITER BYCassie
POSTEDJune 12, 2019
JUMP TO RECIPE

This easy and hearty Beef Chow Mein is great for weeknight dinners.  A complete meal cooked in just one pot with beef mince, rice and vegetables.  The whole family will love this delicious Beef Chow Mein recipe.

beef chow mein on a white plate.

If you grew up in Australia in the 70's or 80's, chances are your parents made something similar to this Beef Chow Mein.  It's hard to source it's exact origins, but the original recipe featured in many popular cookbooks and on the back of a chicken noodle soup packet!

It's a spin off of the classic Chinese Chow Mein, and is absolutely delicious.  My version features curried mince and is loaded to the brim with veggies.  I've also taken the liberties of using rice instead of noodles to make it a complete meal in just one pot.  Anything for less washing up!

Why you'll love this recipe...

  • Quick and easy to prep. 
  • Bursting with flavour. 
  • One pot - easy clean up.  
  • Has a bunch of added veggies! 

Looking for more Aussie food nostalgia?  Try these Easy Curried Sausages.

beef chow mein on a white plate.

What is Chow Mein? Chow Mein is a stir-fried dish featuring noodles or rice, meat and vegetables with a sauce.

BEEF CHOW MEIN INGREDIENTS LIST

To make this Beef Chow Mein you'll need the following (full measurements listed below)...

  • Olive Oil
  • Brown / Yellow Onion
  • Celery
  • Beef Mince / Ground Beef
  • Curry Powder - use mild yellow curry powder (e.g. keen's).
  • Carrot
  • Powdered Chicken Stock
  • Basmati Rice
  • Soy Sauce
  • Green Beans
  • Green Cabbage

HOW TO MAKE BEEF CHOW MEIN - STEP BY STEP

step by step photo instructions on how to make beef chow mein.

Heat oil in a large wok or frying pan on medium heat.  Add onion and celery and cook until onion softened, approx. 1-2 minutes (photo 1).

Add mince / ground beef, and cook, stirring to break it up, until browned - approx. 5-8 minutes (photo 2).

Add curry powder and stir through for 30 seconds or until fragrant (photo 3).

Add 2 cups of water, carrot, powdered chicken stock, rice and soy sauce and stir to combine. The water should cover the mince completely, so if it hasn't, add a touch more (photo 4).

Bring to the boil, then place the lid on and reduce to a simmer.  Stir occasionally for 10 minutes, or until water absorbs and rice is cooked.

Add ½ a cup water to the wok, then pour in the green beans and cabbage and stir through.  Place the lid on and cook for a few minutes, allowing the cabbage to steam (photos 5 & 6).

Serve with extra soy sauce and sesame seeds, if desired.

STORING BEEF CHOW MEIN

Once cooled, store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to a month.

beef chow mein on a white plate.

MORE DELICIOUS DINNER IDEAS

    • Grilled Chicken Burger
    • Creamy Carbonara (No Egg)
    • Beef Pasties
    • Savoury Mince
    • Sheet Pan Crispy Baked Chicken Thighs and Vegetables
    • Air Fryer Ground Beef

If you’ve tried this Beef Chow Mein I’d love to hear how you enjoyed it! Pop a comment and a star rating below!

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RECIPE

Beef Chow Mein

Beef Chow Mein

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

20 minutes

Total Time

30 minutes

This easy and hearty Beef Chow Mein is great for weeknight dinners.  A complete meal cooked in just one pot with beef mince, rice and veggies.  The whole family will love this delicious Beef Chow Mein recipe. 

4.34 Stars (78 Reviews)

servings

4

Scale

Ingredients

Instructions

1

Heat oil in a large wok or frying pan on medium heat.  Add onion and celery and cook until onion softened, approx. 1-2 minutes.

2

Add mince / ground beef, and cook, stirring to break it up, until browned - approx. 5-8 minutes.

3

Add curry powder and stir through for 30 seconds or until fragrant.

4

Add 2 cups of water, carrot, powdered chicken stock, rice and soy sauce and stir to combine. The water should cover the mince completely, so if it hasn't, add a touch more.

5

Bring to the boil, then place the lid on and reduce to a simmer.  Stir occasionally for 10 minutes, or until water absorbs and rice is cooked.  

6

Add ½ a cup water to the wok, then pour in the green beans and cabbage and stir through.  Place the lid on and cook for a few minutes, allowing the cabbage to steam.  

7

Serve with extra soy sauce and sesame seeds, if desired.  

Notes

SERVING:

Serves 4 large serves, could stretch to 5-6 smaller serves - so easy to feed a family with small children.

STORING:

Once cooled, store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or in the freezer for up to a month.

NUTRITION:

Nutrition information is from a nutrition calculator and is based on one of four serves.

Did you make this? Tell us about it!

Nutrition Facts

Servings:4
Serving Size:1

Amount Per Serving:

calories

560kcal

carbohydrates

50g

protein

28g

saturated fat

10g

cholesterol

89mg

sodium

1242mg

fiber

5g

sugar

7g

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Cook It Real Good focuses on making the most of simple ingredients. Learn to cook fast, easy meals that don't sacrifice taste. Oh and the less washing up, the better!

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4.34

9 comments & reviews

Rebekah

Rebekah

April 6, 2020

Made this for dinner on Friday night and could not wait for the leftovers for lunch the next day. The only substitution I made was to use frozen peas instead of beans. This was so easy being one pot and a perfect recreation of a childhood favourite minus the questionable ingredients found in those meal sachets! Adding it to my regular rotation. Thank you!

Elaine Nelson

Elaine Nelson

May 6, 2020

Tried quite alot of your recipes an loved them all 🤗

Cassie

Cassie

May 6, 2020

Thanks Elaine 🙂 made my day to hear that!

Paul

Paul

July 29, 2020

Have tried a similar recipw to this with less rice and chicken noodle soup sachet instead of stock. That recipe was great but i like this one much better!! A great comfort food. Love this recipe!!

Cassie

Cassie

July 29, 2020

I'm so glad you enjoyed this one Paul! We've been making it quite a bit now that the weather is cold again.

Rebekah

Rebekah

April 11, 2021

This has become a firm favourite in our house (and it's on the menu for tonight!). It tastes exactly like the Continental packet mix your mum used to make but without any of the weird ingredients or preservatives. I sub peas for beans as we are a bean hating family. I have plans to try edamame in lieu of beans also. Either way, this recipe is fantastic and you must try it!.

Royce chard

Royce chard

June 3, 2021

I added pineapple which is yummy

Cassie

Cassie

June 4, 2021

That sounds like an interesting addition Royce - I'll have to give it a try!

Tulia

Tulia

December 29, 2021

The idea of a 1pot chow mein is awesome. However the recipe doesn't execute the brilliance of the idea. I found that the rice was undercooked in parts, stuck to the bottom of the pan and so needed to be stirred lots. All the stirring made the rice gluggy and the whole meal gluggy. It's a lot of curry powder (keens) and was too hot for my family. Just leaving an honest review for other mums who don't really have the money to spend on meals that you could probably find a better recipe for. Thank you for all your hard work, you may just want to troubleshoot this one a bit

Shane

Shane

March 29, 2022

Made your recipe tonight. Unfortunately, didn't have any peas or beans on hand so proceeded without. Taste great and takes me back to when mum made this when I was younger. Was pretty easy to make. I added a few extras (garlic, ginger and Worcestershire sauce) to taste. Whilst I followed the recipe, I did free flow as it cooked away to get the desired taste. Definitely a good family dish. Will cook again.

Adam

Adam

October 7, 2022

Hi, I am planning to make this for dinner tonight. Was wondering if someone could tell me is it really two tablespoons of chicken stock? Or is that meant to say two teaspoons? Seems like a lot of chicken stock.

Lyn J

Lyn J

February 15, 2024

I work on a remote Cattle Station in Australia as the station cook, and I made this for our crew of 20! (So multiplied the recipe x 5) and it was a hit!!

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