I can’t talk enough about having a local Vietnamese market in Oklahoma city to shop for all my Asian needs. Every time I visit the store, I come back very happy after discovering one or two interesting items. In this week’s trip to the market, I was able to get fresh Lo Mein noodles. The noodles were really delicious and just took a couple of minutes to cook. Once I got the noodles, I decided to make my ever-favorite Chinese take-out food, the Vegetable Lo Mein. I was very happy with the recipe as it closely resembled the takeout flavors. One of the other products that I really bought from the store is this Vegetarian Oyster sauce with mushroom flavor. I added this sauce along with soy sauce in the Lo Mein and also in the Hot and Sour Soup. The flavors were really kicked up a notch and a little goes a long way.
Why this recipe works?
Vegetable Lo mein is a very simple recipe that can be altered based on our personal preferences. It can have any vegetable of our choice. I used carrots, broccoli, snow peas, bok choy, baby corn, and tofu. I made a large batch of vegetables, then used another pan to make an individual serving of noodles. Me and my husband I like the lo mein a little spicier than the kids and this way I was able to control the amount of sauce. Once all the ingredients are chopped and prepped, it takes only a few minutes to put the dish together. Also using fresh noodles saves cooking time. If you didn’t find fresh noodles, feel free to use dried ones. Soba noodles would work great for this recipe.
Ingredients to make Vegetable Lo Mein
Fresh or Dried Lo Mein Noodles - 14 oz Firm Tofu - 1 package Assorted vegetables - about 3 cups (I used Broccoli, Bok choy, carrot, baby corn, and snow peas) Spring onion - 4 (thinly sliced) Garlic - 4 cloves (finely minced) Ginger - 2 teaspoon (finely grated) Corn starch - 2 tbsp Soy sauce - 4 tbsp Vegetarian Oyster sauce - 2 tbsp Red chili sauce - 2 tablespoon (use based on your spice level) Sugar - 1 tbsp Salt - to taste Olive oil or any cooking oil - 2 tablespoon + 2 tbsp
Step-by-step process
Cook the noodles based on the package directions. I used fresh noodles and hence it took me only a couple of minutes to cook the noodles. Drain the cooked noodles and keep them aside.
In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, vegetarian oyster sauce, sugar, and hot sauce and mix well.
Drain the tofu and pat it dry. Cube the tofu and place it in a bowl. Sprinkle cornstarch over the tofu and toss it.
In a wok or a large pan, heat 2 tablespoon of oil. Once the oil heats up, add the tofu pieces and fry them until golden brown on all sides. Remove it in a paper towel-lined bowl.
You could also Air fry the tofu. Preheat the air fryer for a couple of minutes at 390 F and then add the prepared tofu pieces. Spray a thin layer of oil and air fry them for 10 to 12 minutes or until golden brown and crispy.
In the same pan, heat the remaining oil. Add the spring onion, ginger, and garlic and fry it on high heat for about 30 seconds.
Next, add the vegetables and fry them on high heat for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the leafy vegetable at the end and saute for a minute. I added my bok choy at the end.
Add the cooked noodles to the pan and then pour the sauce over it. Toss everything together and check for more sauce or spice.
More Chinese Recipes
If you made this recipe and liked it, give a star rating on the recipe card or let me know in the comments below. You could also share it with me on Instagram using #MyCookingJourney and tagging me @sandhya.ramakrishnan. You could follow me and my recipes on Facebook |Instagram | Pinterest | Twitter/X
Recipe
