First, make the fried rice using previously cooked rice.

Heat a skillet or wok, add oil, and when hot, add 1 teaspoon of garlic and 1 teaspoon of grated ginger. Crack in the egg and scramble it. Add a little more oil if needed, but just a bit.

Add the ham or chicken and fry. When cooked, add the rice and stir-fry for a couple of minutes. Add soy sauce to taste (start with a little), keep stir-frying, then add 1/2 teaspoon five-spice powder, 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, and mix everything well. Add a pinch of sugar and finish with a few drops of sesame oil. Adjust the flavor with MSG if desired.

The rice is ready. Add the chopped scallions at this point so they stay crisp. Now move on to the chow mein.

For the chow mein, first cook the noodles according to package instructions (about 4 minutes). Once ready, you can stir-fry them in a little oil in the wok to make them crispy.

You can prepare all the noodles at once or serve individual portions of fried noodles on each plate, or serve both types on one plate.