30 minute “Faux” Mein Recipe

When a friend need an extra pair of arms to get a new couch into her place on what might very well be the hottest, most disgusting day of the year so far, and your husband says “yes” to this extreme duty, asking only that you make him lo mein for dinner for afterward? Well, then, I guess you make that man some lo mein. I have limited experience with cooking Chinese dishes, and had never tried lo mein before. I looked up a few recipes, did some time calculations, and threw together this version that is probably not at all authentic but which was easy to prepare and made my husband happy. (He actually said it was better than the takeout version. That is probably no more a compliment to the restaurant chef than comparing my cooking to McDonald’s would be to me, so I won’t tell them, if you don’t.)

I made the lo mein itself vegetarian, and added cooked meat on the side. This is almost CERTAINLY not authentic, but it got two thumbs up and allowed me to do the beef the way we like it- which is medium rare. I made a second batch with chicken and just stir fried the chicken with a little oil and garlic. It was great on the side as well. When I did my tofu version, though, I added the stir fried tofu back to the pan when I added the sauce. I’d like to say that this is because I’m nothing if not inconsistent, but, truthfully, it’s just because tofu is always better when it’s had a chance to soak up sauce like a sponge- because that’s basically what it is.

My neighborhood grocery store had lo mein noodles in the ethnic food aisle, but I have definitely lived places where I could not get them. Feel free to substitute thin spaghetti. It won’t be quite the same, but it’ll be close enough. (After you add the sauce, you really won’t be tasting the noodle much.) I got my shredded carrots, my sliced mushrooms, and shredded cabbage pre-cut from the salad section of the produce area. So here, if you please, is my tasty “Faux” Mein that you can toss together quickly and with ingredients you don’t have to travel across continents to find. If you need a shortcut, cook the noodles and do all the prep work ahead of time, and just throw everything together at the stove. We also enjoyed this cold, as leftovers- so it will make a good day-after lunch option.

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"Faux" Mein

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 30 minutes

Servings 6

Author Meghan Gray

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup soy sauce
• 1/4 cup teriyaki sauce
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch
• 2 Tbsp water
• 3 Tablespoons sesame oil
• 10 oz package lo mein noodles
• 1 cup matchstick carrots
• 1 cup shredded red cabbage
• 1 1/4 cup sliced mushrooms
• 6 oz package fresh snow peas sliced diagonally
• 4 scallions sliced
• 4 cloves garlic pressed
• 2 " piece of ginger grated

Instructions

1. Boil water and cook lo mein noodles according to package directions.
2. Combine the teriyaki sauce, soy sauce, and white wine and set aside. Measure out the cornstarch, but don't add it to the sauce yet.
3. Heat the oil over medium high heat in the bottom of a large skillet or wok.
4. When the oil has begun to shimmer, add the scallions, mushrooms, carrots, cabbage, garlic, and ginger. Stir fry 3 minutes.
5. Add the snow peas and stir fry 3 more minutes. Push the vegetables to the sides of the pan.
6. Stir the cornstarch into the 2 Tablespoons water, and add to the sauce.
7. Add the sauce to the pan and bring to a simmer, then stir in the vegetables.
8. Add the lo mein noodles and stir to combine.
9. Serve hot or cold.

Recipe Notes

If you're using stir fried tofu, add it to the pan right after you add the sauce.

The reason you're adding the cornstarch to the sauce right before you add it to the pan is so that it won't thicken too much, or have "lumps."

If you are serving this with meat, about one pound uncooked weight will do you.