Mei Fun Vs Chow Fun – What’s The Difference?

Mei Fun is made of fine rice noodles, which can be simmered or stir-fried in broth, whereas Chow Fun can be made from large, flat noodles that are stir-fried, served with plenty of vegetables and different kinds of meat proteins.

Mei Fun Mei Fun and Chow Fun are two very popular noodles that are enjoyed across the globe. Although these two dishes appear similar on paper, however, they are totally different in the way they appear and taste.

Most people have heard of the famous noodles recipe Chow Mein, but there are those who may not be aware of Mei Fun and Chow Fun.

The most interesting part is that these dishes all have just one ingredient in common that can alter what is called the whole food: pasta.

Find out more about the similarities and distinctions between Mei Fun and Chow Fun and learn how to cook these delicious recipes at home.

The Difference Between Chow Fun And Mei Fun

The major distinction in Mei Fun Chow Fun and Mei Fun is that the primary difference between them Chow Fun can be seen in the noodles.

It is so easy to find a variety kinds of Chinese noodles that it’s completely normal to be confused.

For instance, noodles such as the Lo Mein noodles, Chow Fun, Mei Fun and many more – and here you thought all the world was centered on Chow Mei-Ming.

In reality, the majority of these meals are made almost the same in the same way.

They are made using the use of a wok, vegetables sauce, meat, and vegetables However, where they begin with the differences is the way they are cooked.

Look, Mei Fun can be made the same way as Chow Mein however since Mei Fun has different types of noodles, they may slight differences in flavor and texture despite the base ingredients of both recipes are identical.

Mei Fun is made of small rice noodles (vermicelli) which can be found in a variety of authentic Chinese eateries. They are also very popular in nations like those of the USA as well as Australia.

These rice noodles that are thin are what make this dish so appealing. There is something satisfying about eating thin, tasty noodles that are laced and lots of vegetables. They’re great to eat with chopsticks as you can eat a whole bowl of them all in one bite.

Chow Fun uses wide smooth noodles that appear more like food. They are soft, but they are wider and flatter compared with other types of noodles.

Chow Fun noodles can be somewhat fragile if they’re not prepared and cooked properly and pair well with a variety of vegetables and meats. They are prepared by stirring fry or boiling in a broth.

Here’s a quick overview on these two noodle dishes:

Feature	Mei Fun	Chow Fun
Noodle Shape	The noodles are thin (vermicelli)	Larger and flatter noodles
Preparation	Stir-frying or rehydrating broth	Rehydrated or stir-fried
Pairings	It is served with meat and vegetables.	Serve with thick slices of meat and vegetables.
Condiments	Made from soy sauce as well as other Asian condiments	Usually, it has a thick sauce and seasonings
Texture	Usually, it is a dry noodles dish	Serve it with some additional sauce

The noodles used in both dishes differ in the way they appear, but are identical in the way they are cooked. For instance, Mei Fun noodles are typically cooked in boiling water for just 3- 4 minutes until soft.

Similar to that, Chow Fun noodles can be rinsed in boiling or warm water for 3-4 minutes or in the recipe.

These noodles stand in stark contrast to traditional wheat-based pastas like spaghetti. They need more cooking and preparation time.

When you cook Chow Fun noodles more than required, they could easily break while they cook.

In the same way, Mei Fun noodles need to be cooked with care as they are very easy to break and shouldn’t be cooked or rehydrated for longer than the time specified.

Chow Fun noodles can also be found in a single folded strip, which you will need to cautiously break off before cooking to create noodles that are proportional in size. Same goes for Mei Fun, which has vermicelli noodles.

Flavors and Nutrition

In terms of nutrition, both of these meals provide more or less the same daily value.

If we’re talking about noodles the Mei Fun can deliver up to 25 grams of carbohydrates in a 100-gram portion, while Chow Fun can provide up to 26 grams of carbs in the same portion size.

These noodles also contain around five to six grams of fiber. They also are virtually free of fat (0.1 grams per serving in 100 grams). But the nutritional value of these two meals as a whole varies greatly.

Based on the ingredients used, and the kind of protein and sauces, both of the noodle dishes could add a lot of calories.

Texture

Another interesting aspect regarding vermicelli noodles is that they have more to do with human brains than nutrition. Vermicelli noodles are much more enjoyable to consume than broad noodles.

They are very easy to hold and you can eat an enormous amount in one bite. They are more dense and digestible regardless of the size of a chunk you consume.

Chow Fun noodles are wide and flat. While they’re more or less similar in terms of flavor however, the majority of people will not experience the same pleasure that vermicelli noodles do.

Protein and Condiments

In the end, both rice noodles are similar in terms of flavor, but the addition of sauces and sauces sets them from each other. The majority of restaurants fill Mei Fun and Chow Fun with tons of soy sauce and vegetables such as cabbage.

Chow Fun and Mei Fun are extremely simple and easy to prepare. If you cook them correctly it is possible to mix and match ingredients to make the dishes your individual.

It is possible to make a traditional Chow Mein recipe and replace the noodles using Vermicelli, or Wide noodles. You can also alter what the food is called.

If you’re planning to cook the noodles yourself, we have some great recipes you can make using household items.

Recipes for Chow Fun And Mei Fun

How to Make Me Fun

Ingredients

• The vegetables you prefer
• Your choice of meat
• Vermicelli noodles
• 2 tbsp Char Sui sauce
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• Cooking oil
• Ginger
• Garlic
• Sugar (optional)
• Curry powder (optional)

Instructions

1. Begin by cutting a lot of the vegetables you like. In addition, when you’re looking for meat, we recommend you experiment with a variety of different protein types. Pork and beef are an excellent addition. You can also add shrimp and chicken to create an interesting mix as well.
2. Marinated meats in this recipe for noodles will make a huge difference. A simple marinade recipe for pork or beef is to add 2 tablespoons of Char Siu sauce which is essentially the name of a Chinese BBQ sauce. Add 1 tbsp of soy sauce, to impart the umami and salty flavor. The meat is cooked separately in hot oil and set in a separate dish.
3. To make the noodles, sprinkle hot water on the vermicelli noodles and allow them to sit for approximately 2 minutes. Give them a gentle stir to loosen them and then drain the water, and put them aside.
4. In the meantime, cook some garlic and ginger in a wok to brown and add the other vegetables and cook for a couple of minutes. After that put the marinated and cooked beef back into the wok to combine everything. Then, add the noodles.
5. If you’d would like, you could season the fish with soy sauce or sugar or curry powder.
6. This dish should be dry, but well coated. Mix everything over high heat for no more than one minute, and then serve them right away.

Mei Fun Recipe

Ingredients

• The vegetables you prefer
• The meat of your choice
• Vermicelli noodles
• 2 tbsp Char Sui sauce
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• Cooking oil
• Ginger
• Garlic
• Sugar (optional)
• Curry powder (optional)

Instructions

1. Begin by cutting off lots of vegetables of your choice. When you’re looking for meat, we suggest that you experiment with a variety of different protein types. Pork and beef make for an excellent addition. It is also possible to mix in shrimp and chicken for an intriguing combination too.
2. Marinated meats in this recipe for noodles can make all the difference. An easy marinade for pork or beef is to add 2 tablespoons of Char Siu sauce which is essentially a Chinese BBQ sauce, and 1 tablespoon of Soy Sauce to impart that umami and salty flavor. The meat is cooked separately in hot oil, and set it in a separate dish.
3. For making noodles, just sprinkle hot water on the vermicelli noodles, and let them sit for approximately 2 minutes. Give them a quick stir to loosen them and then drain the water, and place them aside.
4. In the meantime, cook some garlic and ginger in a wok until they are brown, and then add the vegetables and cook for about 2 minutes. Then put the marinated and cooked food back in the wok to combine everything. Then, add the noodles.
5. If you’d want to, you can spice your chicken with soy sauce or sugar or curry powder.
6. The dish you are serving should be dry, but well-coated. Mix everything over high heat for no more than one minute, and then serve immediately.

How to Make Chow Fun

Ingredients

• Choice of vegetables
• The meat of your choice
• Wide rice noodles
• Ginger
• Garlic
• Salt
• Chili oil, or another cooking oil
• 1/4 cup of water
• 1/2 tbsp potato starch
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
• Noodles

Instructions

1. The first step is to begin cutting off the veggies. You can make any mixture of meat and vegetables, including the ingredients you would typically use to make Chow Mein. Pick a few solid options such as cabbage, onions, capsicum, carrot beef/chicken, and much more.
2. Finely chop ginger and garlic, too.
3. Then, make your sauce, mixing half a teaspoon of potato starch into the water of a quarter cup. Add 1 tablespoon rice vinegar to 2 tablespoons soy sauce and 1/2 teaspoon dark sauce and one tablespoon hoisin sauce. Mix all ingredients until homogenous.
4. Then, you can make your noodles. You can boil a pot with salt. When the water is at the point of rolling boiling (when it begins to bubble up at the surface) then add the noodles. Stir them for three to four minutes, or till soft. Be aware that you don’t want to cook them too long. them. You may also refer to the directions on the back of the package for additional information about the best way to prepare them according to the instructions of the manufacturer.
5. Finally, mix everything. Start by heating the wok. Add one splash of the chili oil you prefer and any other oils you prefer. Then, fry the garlic and ginger until lightly brown. Incorporate the vegetables and stir-cook them until cooked on the outside. It is important to ensure that the vegetables remain crisp, so make sure you don’t overcook them.
6. Add the noodles to the dish and pour the sauce mix over the noodles. The noodles should be completely coated and turn the heat to high. Slowly stir fry all the ingredients together for around a minute or two, and then remove the wok from the heat.

Pour everything on a dish and take a bite!Create Pinterest Pin

Chow Fun Recipe

Ingredients

• Choice of vegetables
• Your choice of meat
• Wide rice noodles
• Ginger
• Garlic
• Salt
• Chili oil, or another cooking oil
• 1/4 cup of water
• 1/2 tbsp potato starch
• 1 tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp hoisin sauce
• Noodles

Instructions

1. We will start by cutting off the veggies. You can make any mixture of meat and vegetables, as well as the ingredients you’d typically use to make Chow Mein. Pick a few solid options such as cabbage, onions, capsicum, carrot beef/chicken, and much more.
2. Finely chop ginger and garlic, too.
3. Prepare your sauce, mixing half a teaspoon of starch from potatoes in a quarter cup of liquid. Mix 1 tbsp rice vinegar, two tablespoons soy sauce 1 1/2 teaspoons dark sauce, and one tablespoon hoisin sauce. Mix everything until it is completely homogeneous.
4. After that, make your noodles. You can boil a pot along with salt. When the water has come to an unending boil (when it begins to bubble up at the top) Dip it into the noodles, and then stir them for around three to four minutes, or till soft. Be aware that you don’t want to cook them too long. them. Also, follow the directions at the back of the package for more details about cooking them according to according to the instructions of the instructions provided by the manufacturer.
5. Then, combine everything. Begin by heating a wok, then add one splash of the chili oil you prefer as well as any oil you like. Then, fry the garlic and ginger until lightly brown. Then add the veggies and stir fry them until cooked on the outside. It is important to ensure that the vegetables remain crunch, so be careful not to overcook them.
6. Incorporate the noodles and drizzle the sauce mix over the noodles. Cover the noodles with the sauce and then turn the heat up to high. Quickly, but carefully stir fry the ingredients for around a minute or two before taking the wok off the flame.

Some Things to Remember

Mei Fun can include a variety of meat. For instance, for the recipe above it is possible to add shrimp by stirring-frying the shrimp after lightly browning the garlic and ginger, and follow the remainder of the recipe in the same way as you would normally.

Be aware that Mei Fun is not all about the sauce as it adds more flavor to the ingredients and various combinations of flavors and meat. Contrary to Chow Fun depends on its rich sauce to provide its delicious taste.

You can also alter Chow Fun however you like by adding more sauce or adding protein. There are many flavors you can make with these tasty noodles, from spicy and sweet to something more savory and smokey.

FAQs

Summary

Both Chow Fun and Mei Fun are popular noodles dishes all over the world. Both have plenty of similarities, however, the main differences lie in the method of preparation as well as the sauces/condiments that are used for the recipe.

Of course, there aren’t any rules for creating noodles from scratch. Sure, you can take the traditional, authentic way however, the thing that is it that makes Chinese noodles so popular is that it is possible to prepare them in any manner you’d like as you use the correct cooking procedure of the noodles.