Shrimp Lo Mein

Honestly, it’s sort of amazing that I haven’t posted about lo mein on the blog yet. We eat some version of this almost every week. A fast/easy pasta dish with Asian flavors is totally our jam.

And since we eat a version of this almost every week we have about one million different ways of preparing it. Sometimes we leave out the shrimp and add more veggies like a thinly sliced bell pepper, shredded brussels sprouts or snow peas.

You could add baked tofu, or cooked chicken or beef if that’s your thing. Don’t be afraid to customize this however you like or with whatever is left over in your refrigerator. 

Shrimp Lo Mein, serves 2-3

10 oz lo mein noodles (spaghetti is ok too if you can’t find lo mein noodles)
1 cup vegetable broth
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
2 teaspoons soy sauce 
2 teaspoons hoisin sauce
1/4 teaspoon chili garlic sauce (or more if you like it hot)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tablespoons minced ginger
2 carrots (or 8-10 baby carrots)
1 cup bean sprouts
3 green onions, finely sliced
8 oz. cooked shrimp

Begin by prepping the vegetables and defrosting the shrimp. I like to remove the tails before cooking, as I hate taking them off while I eat. Most people leave them on when cooking.

In a cup or small bowl combine the vegetable broth and corn starch. Whisk to combine well. Then stir in the sesame oil, brown sugar, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, hoisin sauce and chili garlic sauce. In a wok or large cast iron skillet heat the olive oil over medium/high heat.

Toss in the garlic and ginger, cook for about one minute. Now toss in the shrimp, carrots and any other veggies you’re using except the bean sprouts. I like a little crunch in my bean sprouts so I hold off on adding those until later. Pour in the vegetable broth sauce. Cook for 3-4 minutes, the sauce will begin to thicken.

While that cooks, bring a small pot of water to a boil. Add a pinch of salt then cook the lo mein noodles just until almost cooked through (this took mine about 4-5 minutes). They will absorb some of the sauce so they don’t need to be completely cooked through, just really close.

Drain the noodles and toss into the pan along with the bean sprouts. Toss so everything gets coated in the sauce. Taste and add a little more soy sauce or chili garlic sauce if you like. Toss in the green onions just before serving.

Happy pasta days! xo. Emma