Lo Mein

December 22, 2020

Servings: 6

Prep: 10 min

Cook: 25 min

Total: 35 min

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This lo mein is everything you want from a takeout dinner, but right at your finger tips! Look no further than your own kitchen.

By: A Wholesome New World

Ingredients

• For the sauce:
• 3 TBSP soy sauce
• 2 TBSP oyster sauce
• 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 tsp sugar
• For the pork (optional):
• Pork tenderloin, or other boneless pork, sliced into thin strips (see photo below for reference)
• Marinade:
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon ground pepper (white or black)
• 1/2 tsp rice wine vinegar
• 1/2 tsp soy sauce
• 1 tsp vegetable, peanut, or canola oil
• 1/2 tsp cornstarch
• For the noodles:
• 4–6 ounces uncooked ramen or cellophane noodles
• 1 TBSP sesame oil
• 2 tsp minced garlic
• 1 tsp freshly grated ginger or ginger paste
• 3 green onions, chopped (separating green parts from white parts)
• 2–3 cups julienne cut or chopped vegetables like carrots, cabbage, bok choy, mushrooms, broccoli, bean sprouts, baby corn, water chestnuts, bamboo shoots etc.

Directions

• Step 1 Stir all of the sauce ingredients together and set aside. Slice your pork and prepare the marinade ingredients in a separate bowl. Marinate the pork for about 30 minutes in the refrigerator before cooking.
• Step 2 Cook your noodles, per package directions. Start cooking the pork, if using. Heat sesame oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Spread the pork in an even layer over the bottom of the pan and cook about three quarters done
• Step 3 Heat the sesame oil in a large wok or skillet. Add the green onions (white parts) and vegetables to the hot pan. Stir fry until fork-tender, about 5 minutes.
• Step 4 Add the cooked noodles, pork, and about half of the sauce – toss around in the hot pan to combine. Simmer over low heat to let the flavors meld. Add more sauce if needed so that noodles are a medium brown color, not too light, not too dark.
• Step 5 Season generously with salt and pepper and serve topped with remaining green onions and sesame seeds!

To say it’s been a “weird” year is an understatement. But as 2020 (finally) comes to a close and the holidays arrive, my rollercoaster of emotions is only exacerbated by the holidays, and the absence of traditions – and family – that usually make them so special. I’m starring down the barrel of two impossibly, unnecessarily long vacation weeks from school and normally we would be off to New Hampshire to see my family, but thanks to covid, not this year. (Pretty much the tag line of this year is #notthisyear, am I right?) The thought of not seeing my family for the holidays, for the first time in my 33 years of life, is beyond disappointing – but then I take a step back and remember we still have so much to be grateful for this year and, god willing, this is just one year.

So now that we’re hunkering down at home and making the best of everything, I’m focusing on what I do best to distract myself… cook, OBVI! This weekend we had a fondue marathon (one of our most popular blog posts, so definitely check it out) and we’ve been experimenting with lots of other fun recipes, including this lo mein recipe. I almost never crave Chinese – if I want Asian food 9 times out of 10 it’s sushi – but of the blue I was craving it. And since I’m all about being kind to myself right now, what I crave usually goes. Plus, I can offset any overindulging with the peloton right now anyways. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, it has been a life changer this year.

With nearly everything we want to eat (sushi probably being the main exception), I always have to ask myself – wouldn’t it be better if we just made it ourselves vs. doing takeout? You guessed it – I was right! This recipe is healthier and, in my opinion, way more delicious than takeout. Not to mention, easier than you’d ever expect too. And like most of our recipes, I am giving you lots of options to make this your own. Don’t feel like you’re married to making this with pork (its optional) and all the vegetables I include are just suggestions – get creative with what you want or what you have.

Even the noodles are up to you too – you’ll noticed in the pictures that I actually used what are typically pad thai noodles, not traditional lo mein style noodles. There are no rules in my kitchen, especially during a pandemic. The only “rule” is to have fun!