Vegan Broccoli Beef Chow Mein

The CLASSIC Chinese-American take out, but VEGAN and BETTER! It’s Vegan Broccoli Beef Chow Mein and it’s DELICIOUS.

When I worked at a video game company, we would often work late (or CRUNCH as they called it) and in order to keep us there, they’d buy dinner. A lot of times it was Panda Express. Honestly, I don’t remember liking it very much, it was greasy AND bland, an awful combo. So I’m happy to report that I’ve recreated two of their most popular dishes, but not only VEGAN, but way more flavorful and less greasy too! Let’s make Vegan Broccoli Beef Chow Mein!

For the Broccoli Beef, we’re gonna use Soy Curls! Obviously, use whatever vegan beef you like, but I find that soy curls are the best option for myself. They are super easy to work with and are relatively inexpensive. Here’s a LINK to Butler Foods if you wanna order some! We’re gonna just rehydrate them, make a beefy marinade, then cook and reduce them down in that marinade, and then coat in a delicious soy ginger garlic sauce.

The chow mein is pretty straight forward. We’re gonna make a chow mein sauce, chop up some veggies, prep some noodles and then stir fry it all together! For the noodles, you can either use dry or fresh. Personally I prefer the fresh, but make sure they noodles are vegan! Fresh chow mein noodles often have egg in them, so I went with some Pancit noodles which are vegan.

NOTES

If you’re gonna make both of these dishes at the same time, I recommend you hydrate your soy curls, while that’s happening, put together the marinade and ginger soy sauce. Then while your soy curls are simmering (about 30 minutes), chop your veggies and prep your chow mein sauce. Then make the broccoli beef, keep it warm on low and stir fry the chow mein, which only takes about 5 minutes once you start, if not less!

Most of these ingredients can be found at your local Asian Market or online. I’ve included some affiliate links for some of them in the recipe if you want to buy some yourself!

here’s a handy dandy video!

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This post contains affiliate links, at no additional cost to you! Anything I earn will be put back into making recipes and videos for y’all. Thanks buds!

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Vegan Broccoli Beef Chow Mein

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Ingredients

BROCCOLI BEEF

• 4 oz. dried Soy Curls
• 9 oz. broccoli florets

Marinade

• 2 cups Beefless Broth
• 1 Tbsp mushroom seasoning
• 1 Tbsp blackstrap molasses (reserve for later)

Soy Ginger Sauce

• 3-4 garlic cloves (chopped)
• 1 tsp ginger (chopped)
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 - 2 Tbsp brown sugar (or agave, date syrup etc)
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp black vinegar
• 1 Tbsp Chinese cooking wine
• 1 Tbsp vegan oyster sauce
• 1 tsp sriracha (optional for some heat)

CHOW MEIN

• 8 oz noodles (fresh is best, make sure they are vegan!)
• 2 green onions (sliced with green parts reserved)
• 1/4 head of cabbage (shredded)
• 1-2 carrots (julienned)
• 3-4 cloves of garlic (chopped)
• 1-2 stalks celery (chopped)
• Good handful of bean sprouts

Chow Mein Sauce

• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp black vinegar
• 1 Tbsp Chinese cooking wine
• 1 Tbsp vegan oyster sauce
• 1 Tbsp sweetener (sugar, brown sugar, date syrup, maple syrup etc)
• 1 tsp white pepper
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp cornstarch + 2 Tbsp water (for slurry)

Instructions

Broccoli Beef

1. Rehydrate the soy curls by covering them in some water for about 10 minutes.
2. While soy curls are hydrating, prepare the marinade by combining the beefless broth and mushroom seasoning. Don't add the molasses just yet.
3. Strain your soy curls. Using your bare hands, squeeze out the excess water. You want them to be as dry as possible. I typically do this in a colander that's got another bowl underneath it (or you could do it over the sink too).
4. Get a large skillet heated up over medium heat, add your soy curls and the marinade. Now all we need to do is reduce down, which should take about 30 minutes.
5. While the soy curls are simmering, prepare the soy ginger sauce.
6. Once the simmering marinade has reduced by about half, add in the molasses and stir to combine.
7. Reduce liquid completely, if desired, let the soy curls cook for a bit longer to brown a bit. Now would be a good time to microwave or steam broccoli.
8. Add the soy ginger sauce to the pan, stir to combine. Then add in your broccoli. Stir again, and now you're done!
9. ENJOY!

Chow Mein

1. Cook your noodles according to package instructions, then strain and rinse with cool water to stop the cooking process, set aside.
2. Combine the ingredients for the chow mein sauce, except the cornstarch slurry.
3. Bring a wok or wide skillet up to medium-high heat. Add a couple tablespoons of neutral oil wiht a high smoke point (aka no olive oil), swirl around to coat the pan. Once oil starts to smoke add in the cabbage, carrots, celery, and the white parts of the green onions. Stir fry for 1-2 minutes (depending on how crunchy you prefer your veggies to be).
4. Add in the garlic. Stir fry for 30 seconds, add in the noodles, stir to combine and add in the chow mein sauce followed by the slurry. Stir fry for one more minute making sure to coat everything well.
5. Turn off heat, add in bean sprouts and the green parts of the green onions.
6. ENJOY!