Fast and Easy Lo Mein

It’s no secret that I adore Asian food, and I’ve really loved learning to cook new favorites. It’s 100% fair to say that most all of the “Asian” recipes I make are really Asian-inspired or Americanized dishes rather than traditional ones, but they’re still better tasting (and much less expensive) than takeout. And I confess: I don’t even own a wok.

One of the nicest things about Fast and Easy Lo Mein is that it can be made mostly with pantry ingredients and leftovers. Making something with a red bell pepper early in the week? Save a couple of spoonfuls or a few strips–you won’t miss them, especially if you picked the biggest bell pepper at the grocery store. Did you buy a bunch of scallions and only needed 3 of them? Stick the rest in a jar of water in the window sill or in the fridge to use later. That whole pack of chicken breasts is a little more than you need for dinner? Go ahead and cook it all and save some aside for another meal. Fast and Easy Lo Mein is just one among many excellent dishes that use odds and ends in your refrigerator beautifully.

(The meat above is actually uncooked sirloin strips that have been in soy marinade in my freezer for weeks. That’s why it’s so dark.)

One quick word about Asian ingredients. While most of us likely have soy sauce and powdered ginger in the pantry already, what about things like oyster sauce and toasted sesame oil my Asian-inspired recipes often call for? One of the nice things about Asian recipes is that you see the same sauce ingredients used over and over again. These ingredients are inexpensive, and I stick to the ones readily available in regular grocery stores. If you’re lucky enough to have an ethnic Asian grocery nearby, they’re less expensive, still. Further, they all seem to last almost forever. Once you have four or five Asian-particular ingredients, you’ll find you can make a wide variety of dishes, nearly all of which call for small amounts at a time.

Finally, this Fast and Easy Lo Mein calls for regular-in-America ramen noodles. (Yes, I’m referring to those packets that college students try to live on.) If you don’t have ramen noodles, feel free to use a half a pound of cooked linguine, fettuccini, or even spaghetti instead. It’s just that ramen noodles are so delightfully curly and springy, and you don’t even need a pot to cook them. Just put the noodles in a bowl of water and stick them in the microwave for a couple of minutes. And they’re still so inexpensive it’s a running joke. By the way, that seasoning packet isn’t the very devil, especially if you get the MSG-free kind. All it is is a powdered version of a basic bouillon cube. We’re not using it here anyway. Save it in the pantry and toss it in soup next week, or five years from now. I don’t think it matters.

Fast and Easy Lo Mein itself makes excellent leftovers, and they’re good hot or cold. It travels well and makes an excellent packed lunch. Princess Persnickety says that if you heat it up in the microwave at work, it smells so good the entire department will come to see what you brought.

Fast and Easy Lo Mein

3 T. soy sauce
3 T. oyster sauce
1 t. toasted sesame oil
1 t. honey
1 clove garlic, smashed and minced
1 t. grated ginger or ½ t. powdered ginger
2 T. olive oil
1 cup vegetables of your choice (red pepper strips, scallions, broccoli, green beans, shredded carrots, mushrooms, water chestnuts, bean sprouts, etc.–a combo is ideal)
1 1/2 cups cooked protein (leftover shrimp, chicken, pork, beef, tofu, etc. chopped or sliced if needed)
2 pkgs. ramen noodles, microwaved in water to cover for 2 or 3 minutes, and drained (no seasoning packets), or 8 oz. of spaghetti or linguine, cooked according to package directions and drained

Put soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, honey, garlic, and ginger in a small jar with a lid. Shake really well and set aside.

If needed, cut vegetables into bite-size pieces, or strips–whatever makes sense to you. Quickly sauté vegetables in olive oil over medium heat just until wilted. Add whatever protein you’re using and cook just to heat through. Pour the sauce into the pan. Add the softened or cooked noodles to the pan. Toss well and serve.