Chinese stir-fried noodles chinese noodles vegetables and sometimes meat or tofu. The steamed chow mein has a softer texture, while the latter is crisper and drier.
Crispy chow mein uses fried, flat noodles, while soft chow mein uses long, rounded noodles. Crispy chow mein either has onions and celery in the finished dish or is served “strained”, without any vegetables. There is a regional difference in the US between the East and West Coast use of the term “chow mein”. On the East Coast, “chow mein” is always the crispy kind. The crispy version of chow mein can also be served in a hamburger-style bun as a chow mein sandwich. There are also variations on how either one of the two main types of chow mein can be prepared as a dish. When ordering “chow mein” in some restaurants in Chicago, a diner might receive “chop suey poured over crunchy fried noodles”.