Guyanese Chowmein
We took their noodles and made them taste like home.
Guyanese Chowmein
Born from the blending of Chinese immigrant traditions and Indigenous flair, Guyanese chow mein is stir-fried comfort. It’s lo mein reimagined—bright with local herbs, rich with savory notes, and alive with that unmistakable island rhythm. A dish of adaptation, joy, and bold, no-apology flavor.
Ingredients
Noodles
1 pack linguine or other noodles
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken thighs cut into bite size pieces
1 tablespoon grated ginger
1 teaspoon brown mustard.
1/4 teaspoon black pepper.
1/2 teaspoon Chinese 5 spice
1/2 tablespoon dried thyme
3 cloves garlic (grated) .
1 teaspoon black-pepper
3 tablespoons high heat oil
1/4 cup coconut aminos or soy sauce or tamari sauce
1 onion (thinly sliced)
1/3 Green Cabbage shredded
1 carrot (julienned)
1 cup green beans cut Into 2 Inch pieces
Finishing
1 teaspoon Chinese 5 spice
4 green onions finely chopped
1/4 cup coconut aminos or soy sauce or tamari sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil
Sprinkle of crushed seaweed flakes
How The Alchemy Happens
1. Cook the noodles. Follow the instructions on the packet to cook the noodles al dente, drain, add 1 tbsp sesame oil, toss well and set aside.
2. Season the chicken with thyme, garlic, ginger, mustard, black pepper and Chinese 5 spice.
3. Set aside and let marinate while you are prepping your vegetables.
4. Cook the Chicken. Add half the oil to a large skillet or wok on high heat.
5. Next, add seasoned chicken and sauté until chicken is fully cooked, about 10 mins. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.
6. Cook vegetables: Add the other half of the oil to the wok or pan. Once oil is hot add onions and cook until translucent and soft. Add green beans, cook 30 seconds, add carrots cook 30 seconds then add cabbage and cook for 30 seconds.
7. Return chicken to the wok/pan, toss quickly stirring as little as possible. Add noodles and toss well, ensuring a good even mixture of noodles and chicken vegetable mixture. Let the noodles cook for about a minute.
8. Add the coconut aminos and toss once, then add the Chinese 5 spice and seaweed flakes. Toss well, mixing everything together. Cook for about a minute. Remove from heat, add green onions and sesame oil. Taste and adjust for seasoning.
9. Serve hot or cold with sliced cucumbers.
Note of interest: if you’d like authentic Guyanese flavor – add a couple of tablespoons Casareep towards the end of cooking.
Casareep is a thick, bittersweet syrup made from cassava, by Indigenous peoples of the Caribbean and South America to preserve, flavor, and carry forward ancestral knowledge through food.
Migration writes recipes the empire never saw coming.