I will just say it right now: I am not Chinese.
Making real Vegetable Lo Mein isn’t something a member of my Chinese family is training me in secret.
Even though I have no expertise in Chinese cuisine, I am aware of how tasty it is.
Although while this Vegetable Lo Mein dish may not be fully genuine, it is nonetheless tasty and just requires six basic ingredients. And you should give it a try!
It doesn’t get any better than this for fast and delectable weekday dinners.
We don’t get takeaway since we practically live in the middle of nowhere. I mean always.
We’re not tempted to eat out because it would require a lot of driving.
I love that we cook and dine at home, and it has given me the idea to make some of our favorite restaurant meals at home!
The newest dish in the 6 Ingredient Suppers family, this Lo Mein with ramen noodles is just one of several.
There are many ways to customize a dish by adding more ingredients, increasing the amount of spice, or both, but the focus of 6 Ingredient Suppers is on discovering quick and easy methods to prepare delicious family meals.
Because of this, I’ve simplified Lo Mein to its most basic form (and Canadianized it in the process, if you will).
In this essay, I will show you How to make Lo Mein with ramen noodles?
You Can Make Homemade Lo Mein!
In addition, did you know that you can get a platter of lo mein big enough to feed the neighborhood for just $6.50 at the Panda Buffet? Up until two weeks ago, I always just assumed that this was some kind of laborious process involving mysteriously delicious ingredients that I wouldn’t have in my typical Midwestern kitchen. Why would we do this at home then? I’m not kidding; let’s go.
So, simply pause before you hold the phone.
Making lo mein is a quick process that takes around 15 minutes from start to finish to complete in ONE PAN. A joyous joy. As I set out to study everything there was to know about lo mein, I honestly had no clue that the recipe would turn out to be such a gem of a quick + simple one, and not in the sense where you’re skimping on anything. It is that easy just by nature.
Lo Mein doesn’t call for exotic or pricey ingredients. any, really. It ultimately comes down to a good soy sauce and sesame oil combination. Your Lo Mein magic is right there, folks. In actuality, all you need is one nice bottle of soy sauce to start serving lo mein.
Last but not least, lo mein is fantastic as takeaway, but it’s even better as a largely healthy takeout food that can simultaneously empty the fridge by including all the vegetables and proteins that one could possibly desire into their silky stir-fried noodles. The joy I have in relation to this idea… wows. You have no idea. Recipe frugality satisfies a void in my psyche.
What Goes In This Easy Lo Mein Sauce
The sauce.
You need a decent soy sauce, and I HIGHLY advise using two different kinds. It’s not so much a trick as it is a seemingly insignificant detail that has a significant impact. It’s more probable that you have light or low sodium soy sauce in your refrigerator, but insider tip: dark soy sauce is so rich in umami taste that it elevates the scenario with the Lo Mein “sauce” to an entirely new level.
I didn’t use soy sauce packets from left-over takeout since the quality of soy sauce is crucial in this recipe (it’s one of literally THREE elements that will form the sauce for your stir-fried noodles).
Let’s Talk About Lo Mein Noodles
The noodles come next.
If you can locate fresh or frozen Lo Mein noodles at your grocery store, you may use those instead. I used either dry ramen if you can get it (while you’re on Amazon for the soy sauce, pick up a box of this ramen*, too) or ordinary spaghetti in its place because I was unable to locate it at any of my usual sites.
…
Does that offend Lo Mein? a spaghetti sauce?
I dunno, I suppose we both value pragmatism more than utter and absolute authenticity.
Do what has to be done now.
Use rice noodles or your preferred gluten-free spaghetti noodle if you’re gluten-free.
We’ve achieved the pinnacle of the Lo Mein trip in a split second, with the sauce, noodles, and vegetables all dancing it up in there. Here is the stage where you treat yourself well by winding those silky noodles up on a fork with a couple bits of caramelized pan-fried vegetables.
Simple Homemade Lo Mein is about to arrive!
How to make Lo Mein with ramen noodles?
Ingredients
Sauce:
- 2/fourths cup dark soy sauce (sub regular soy sauce if needed)
- 1/fourth cup light soy sauce (sub regular soy sauce if needed)
- Oyster sauce, 3 tablespoons
- Sesame oil, 1 teaspoon
- 1/8 cup sugar
- 1 grated garlic clove (optional)
Lo Mein:
- 4 to 6 ounces of raw ramen noodles (Affiliate link)
- one teaspoon of sesame oil
- 3 green onions, chopped (discard the white bits; you’ll use the green sections separately).
- 2-3 cups of vegetables such as carrots, red peppers, cabbage, bok choy, mushrooms, or broccoli that have been chopped or julienned
- Mirin, 1 to 2 teaspoons
Instructions
Sauce: Shake all the sauce components in a jar thoroughly.
Noodles: Prepare the noodles according the instructions on the box. Drain, then set apart.
Lo mein: Sesame oil should be heated in a large wok or pan for lo mein. Vegetables and green onions (white sections) should be added to the heated pan. Fork-tender stir-fry takes around 5 minutes. To remove the browned parts from the pan’s bottom, add the mirin. Add the cooked noodles and roughly half the sauce, and stir everything together in the heated pan. Boost the sauce if necessary (I usually gauge the amount of sauce I want by the color of the noodles – you want a medium brown color, not too light, not too dark). Serve garnished with any leftover green onions!
Variations on this Lo Mein recipe:
This recipe is simple to add a protein to; frequent additions include chicken, thinly sliced beef, or shrimp. Toss precooked meat into the sauce at the end if you have any on hand. Before adding your veggies, start cooking your meat if it has to be done so. After that, add the veggies and boil them through before incorporating your noodles and sauce.
By using gluten-free noodles and carefully reading the labels on all of your ingredients, you can make this lo mein gluten-free.
Add a few red pepper flakes to this vegetable lo mein to make it spicier. With your veggies, include it.
For an extra taste boost, add chopped ginger!
Related questions
Q: How long do I need to cook the ramen noodles?
A: The cooking time will depend on how soft you like your noodles – generally 3 minutes is enough for al dente noodles, but if you want them softer then you can cook for an additional minute or two.
Q: How much sauce do I need?
A: This will depend on preference, but generally a 1/4 cup of soy sauce with the other ingredients should be enough to cover the amount of noodles used. Feel free to adjust the amounts according to your taste.
Q: Can I use other vegetables in my lo mein?
A: Of course! You can use any vegetables you prefer – just make sure they’re cut into small pieces so that they cook faster and evenly. Enjoy your homemade ramen noodle lo mein!
Conclusion
With Ramen Lo Mein, you can have the best of both worlds – a delicious and healthy meal that is also relatively cheap and easy to make. Give it a try next time you are looking for a new way to enjoy your ramen noodles!
Now that you know how to make lo mein with ramen noodles, it’s time to get cooking! If you need help with the recipe or have any questions, feel free to contact us at Angelo’s Burgers. We can’t wait to see what you come up with!