This is the first piece of a new series, Family Meal, which steps into the home kitchens of folks who make their living in the food & beverage industries to share a bite and hear the stories of the food we make for ourselves and our loved ones when we’re off the clock.

In mid-April, I met with chef Agua in their apartment kitchen — a space filled to the brim with dried and fresh ingredients, literature, records, figurines, art, keepsakes and family photos.

Agua (they/them/theirs) is the chef and owner of Amanos.LA, a popup and private catering business based in Los Angeles. They also have experience cooking in restaurant kitchens across LA. As chef Agua prepares a chow mein Salvadoreño for us to share together in the living room, I ask them some questions about their recipe and the memories associated with the dish. Their dog, Lucky, keeps close tabs on us while thinly sliced onions and güisquil sizzle on the stovetop.

This chow mein is a dish that Agua shares with customers at popups, but it’s been a staple in their kitchen long before Amanos.LA was in business. With a wide smile, Agua tells me how when they were a kid, their grandma used to cook a big, heavy pot of chow mein Salvadoreño with shredded chicken to sustain them for two weeks of dinners. “I would just pick out all the chicken … and by the second week there wouldn’t be any chicken left.”

After years of noodles with shredded chicken, they’re sick of it. In making this recipe their own, Agua has introduced different protein choices: “My ideal would be a whole chicken leg, marinated in glaze… or a chicharrón, chopped up … or maybe a shrimp skewer.”

Agua places a generous handful of fresh chow mein noodles into the pan, we both struggle through the pronunciation of Worcestershire Sauce, and I try not-so-covertly to learn new cooking techniques for balancing flavors as they add finishing touches to the dish. A heaping spoonful of homemade chili crisp with garlic confit oil tops off the dish, adding a texture contrast and body to the tender veggie slices and chewy noodles.

When the final adjustments are made, we take our places around the coffee table and talk about everything but cooking. Lucky stares our plates down until the last noodle is gone.

More details and photos below:

Want to be featured in Family Meal? Send me an email or fill out this form