Crispy Shrimp Chow Mein – Hong Kong Style! (VIDEO)
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Hong Kong Style Shrimp Chow Mein Noodles are a textural delight – crispy, pan fried noodles are soft in the middle from the rich sauce (gravy), topped with perfectly cooked shrimp and vegetables!
Watch the Hong Kong Style Shrimp Chow Mein Recipe Video!
A Note from CJ
Shrimp Chow Mein is a childhood favorite!
Growing up, I have the best memories of eating Shrimp Chow Mein Hong Kong Style with my family! It has the best of all worlds – the noodles are crispy, soft, and saucy, covered with a delicious mixture of chicken and vegetables in a rich, glossy sauce!
You can also make this dish with chicken, like my Crispy Chicken Chow Mein recipe! If you love noodles, make sure to also try Soy Sauce Pan Fried Noodles, Garlic Noodles, Shanghai Fried Noodles, Chicken Lo Mein, Panda Express Chow Mein, or Dan Dan Noodles!
This recipe was so easy to follow and turned out amazing! My daughter loved it as well! This is saved as one of my go to recipes!
Ingredient Tips
Refer to the recipe card for the full list of ingredients and measurements!
- shrimp – I used extra large U12 raw, peeled, and deveined shrimp. You can use any size shrimp, as long as it is raw, peeled, and deveined.
- MSG – I use msg in moderation as an optional flavor enhancer.
- Shaoxing wine – if you don’t have Shaoxing wine, you can substitute with sherry, mirin, or chicken stock.
- chow mein noodles – I recommend the brand Golden World, which I find in the refrigerated section of my local Chinese supermarket. They are sometimes also labeled as “Steam Egg Noodle”.
- mushrooms – You can use any combination of mushrooms you prefer; I used oyster, seafood, and beech mushrooms in the photos/video.
How to Make Shrimp Chow Mein
Marinate Shrimp and Mix Sauce – Place peeled and deveined shrimp in a mixing bowl and marinate with soy sauce, white pepper, salt, and baking soda. Set aside for 15 minutes. Set the prepped bok choy, mushroom, onion, carrot, garlic, ginger, and scallions aside. For the gravy, in a bowl mix together chicken stock, oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper, msg, sugar, and shaoxing wine.
Blanch and Fry Noodles – Bring pot of water to a boil over high heat and blanch fresh chow mein noodles for 30 seconds. Immediately drain and dry on paper towel to remove excess moisture. Take pan and heat 3 tbsp of neutral oil over medium high heat. Pan fry noodles until one side is crispy and takes on slight color (2-3 minutes). Flip and pan fry the other side, adding more oil if necessary and pan fry for another 2 minutes until both sides are crispy and the inside is soft. Remove the noodles to a paper towel lined plate to drain.
Cook Aromatics, Shrimp, and Vegetables – To a hot wok or pan, add 1 tbsp of oil and saute garlic, ginger, and scallion for 30 seconds. Add marinated shrimp and cook over high heat until 75% cooked through and remove (about 2 minutes) Add the onion, carrot, bok choy and mushrooms and stir fry for 2 minutes until the carrot is tender.
Cook Sauce and Plate Noodles – Add the premixed sauce and bring to a simmer over medium high heat, then add back shrimp, garlic and scallions to the pan. Let simmer for 2 minutes to reduce slightly. Mix together 1 tbsp cornstarch + 1/2 cup water to create a cornstarch slurry and add it to the gravy mixture. Turn the heat to high and stir throughout until the gravy has thickened, about 1 minute. Plate the crispy noodles on a large plate. Immediately top the noodles with the vegetables, shrimp, and sauce. Enjoy!
My Pro Tip
CJ’s Recipe & Storage Tips
Noodle Tips:
- Drain and dry the noodles after blanching to remove any excess moisture. Any excess moisture will prevent the noodles from crisping up when fried.
- When frying the noodles, keep a close eye on them to make sure they do not burn! Once blanched, the noodles will fry quickly and can burn if you’re not careful. When flipping, you might need to add more oil in order to crisp up the other side of the noodles.
Storage – Store any leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. The noodles will continue to soak up the sauce and become soggy as they sit – this is normal (and a large reason why I don’t prefer leftovers). Reheat until warmed through in the microwave.
If you tried this Hong Kong Style Shrimp Chow Mein Noodles or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below!
Hong Kong Style Shrimp Chow Mein (VIDEO)
Video
Ingredients
Shrimp Marinade
- 1 lb shrimp, extra large shrimp such as U16 or U12 are best!
- 1 tbsp soy sauce, low sodium
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
Vegetables
Sauce (Gravy)
- 2 cups chicken stock
- 1 tbsp oyster sauce
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 1/2 tsp white pepper
- 1/2 tsp msg, optional
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tbsp shaoxing wine
Noodles & Oil
- 1 lb chow mein noodles, I prefer using fresh noodles; reduce to 12 oz if using dried chow mein noodles
- 4 tbsp neutral oil, divided
Cornstarch Slurry
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tbsp cornstarch
Instructions
- Place peeled and deveined shrimp in a mixing bowl and marinate with soy sauce, white pepper, salt, and baking soda. Set aside for 15 minutes.
- Set the prepped bok choy, mushroom, onion, carrot, garlic, ginger, and scallions aside. For the gravy, in a bowl mix together chicken stock, oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, white pepper, msg, sugar, and shaoxing wine.
- Bring pot of water to a boil over high heat and blanch fresh chow mein noodles for 30 seconds. Immediately drain and dry on paper towel to remove excess moisture.
- Take pan and heat 3 tbsp of neutral oil over medium high heat. Pan fry noodles until one side is crispy and takes on slight color (2-3 minutes). Flip and pan fry the other side, adding more oil if necessary and pan fry for another 2 minutes until both sides are crispy and the inside is soft. Remove the noodles to a paper towel lined plate to drain.
- To a hot wok or pan, add 1 tbsp of oil and saute garlic, ginger, and scallion for 30 seconds. Add marinated shrimp and cook over high heat until 75% cooked through and remove (about 2 minutes)
- Add the onion, carrot, bok choy and mushrooms and stir fry for 2 minutes until the carrot is tender. Add the premixed sauce and bring to a simmer over medium high heat, then add back shrimp, garlic and scallions to the pan. Let simmer for 2 minutes to reduce slightly.
- Mix together 1 tbsp cornstarch + 1/2 cup water to create a cornstarch slurry and add it to the gravy mixture. Turn the heat to high and stir throughout until the gravy has thickened, about 1 minute.
- Plate the crispy noodles on a large plate. Immediately top the noodles with the vegetables, shrimp, and sauce. Enjoy!
Notes
- shrimp – I used extra large U12 raw, peeled, and deveined shrimp. You can use any size shrimp, as long as it is raw, peeled, and deveined. You can also make this dish with chicken, like my Crispy Chicken Chow Mein recipe!
- MSG – I use msg in moderation as an optional flavor enhancer.
- Shaoxing wine – if you don’t have Shaoxing wine, you can substitute with sherry, mirin, or chicken stock.
- chow mein noodles – I recommend the brand Golden World, which I find in the refrigerated section of my local Chinese supermarket. They are sometimes also labeled as “Steam Egg Noodle”.
- mushrooms – You can use any combination of mushrooms you prefer; I used oyster, seafood, and beech mushrooms in the photos/video.
- Drain and dry the noodles after blanching to remove any excess moisture. Any excess moisture will prevent the noodles from crisping up when fried.
- When frying the noodles, keep a close eye on them to make sure they do not burn! Once blanched, the noodles will fry quickly and can burn if you’re not careful. When flipping, you might need to add more oil in order to crisp up the other side of the noodles.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This Hong Kong Shrimp Chow Mein recipe was originally published in November 2023, and updated in April 2026.
Love these crispy noodles!
My favorite style of noodles and I’m so thankful that I get to make it at home whenever I crave it since not all Chinese restaurants have this on their menu.
My favorite style of noodles and I’m so thankful that I get to make it at home whenever I crave it since not all Chinese restaurants have this on their menu.