Vegetable Lo Mein in a Flash

Homemade vegetable lo mein, a Chinese takeout favorite, ticks all the boxes for a go-to weeknight dinner. It’s simple, versatile, flavorful, and fast, coming together in all of 20 minutes on the stovetop. 

First, prep your vegetables. This recipe uses a crisp, colorful medley of onion, carrot, cabbage, and shiitake mushrooms (remember to soak dried ones in advance), but feel free to use any vegetables you like.

Then, boil your noodles. Lo mein, meaning “stirred noodles” or “tossed noodles” in Cantonese, is made with a thick, dense, soft, and slightly chewy variety of Chinese egg noodles. Since they’re heftier than other noodles, they stand up well to heavier sauces. You’ll fully cook them before adding them to the pan—remember that you’re simply “stirring” or “tossing” them into the dish. 

Finally, stir together a simple sauce, a savory mix of soy sauce, oyster sauce, and sesame oil, with a bit of cornstarch for thickening.

The rest happens quickly: stir-fry your vegetables, add the cooked noodles and sauce, and toss it all together until everything is combined and coated with a glossy slick of sauce. Stir in some chopped cilantro stems and scallions, and dinner is served!

Vegetable Lo Mein 

Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 10 minutes

Serves 4

• 4 fresh or dried shiitake mushrooms
• 1/2 medium sweet onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 medium carrot, peeled and julienned
• 1 1/2 cup thinly sliced cabbage
• Stems from 1 small bunch cilantro, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 scallions, green part only, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 (16-ounce) package Chinese lo mein egg noodles
• Pinch of sea salt
• 2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon vegetable oil

For the Sauce 

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• Pinch of sea salt
• Pinch of white pepper
• Pinch of sugar
• 1 teaspoon cornstarch

Prepare the vegetables: If using dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrate them in at least 1/4 cup water for 2 hours. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the soaking water to use in the sauce, rinse, and thinly slice. 

Thinly slice the onion, peel and julienne the carrot, and thinly slice the cabbage. Cut the cilantro stems and scallions into 1-inch pieces.

Cook the noodles: Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add a pinch of salt and 1 teaspoon vegetable oil, to prevent the noodles from sticking together. Add the lo mein and use chopsticks to separate the noodles. Cook over high heat, stirring occasionally to keep the noodles from sticking together, until al dente, about 3 minutes (or according to package directions). Drain and rinse with cold running water. Set aside.

Cook the noodles. (CiCi Li)

Make the sauce: In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, dark soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, salt, white pepper, sugar, reserved 1/4 cup shiitake mushroom water (or 1/4 cup plain water), and cornstarch. Mix well and set aside.

Heat 2 tablespoons vegetable oil in a large pan over high heat. Add the sliced onion and carrots and stir fry over high heat for 30 seconds. Then add the sliced shiitake mushrooms and cabbage and stir fry until softened, another 30 seconds. Add the lo mein and the sauce and cook, tossing well, until everything is combined, about 2 minutes. Stir in the cilantro stems and scallions and cook for another 20 seconds. Serve.

Stir fry the vegetables. (CiCi Li)

Toss together the vegetables, noodles, and sauce. (CiCi Li)

Recipe by CiCi Li, the producer and presenter of “CiCi’s Food Paradise” on NTD. Join her in discovering the world of Asian home cooking at CiCiLi.tv