Vegetable Lo Mein with Cabbage and Mushrooms. Veggie Lo Mein is one of our favorite things to make. This version calls for some specific ingredients and a visit to the Asian market. If you’ve made my Beef with Broccoli, you probably have everything you need at home. I hope you try this recipe.
Whenever we order Chinese food, Lo Mein is always something I order. I have versions here (on my website) that are more bare bones, quick and easy; not requiring some foundational ingredients. If you’ve made this dish as much as I have, you figure out how to make a variation of this for the average home cook, looking to feed their family on a weeknight. My variations are not authentic but this one is close.
Vegetable Lo Mein with Cabbage and Mushrooms
Most “authentic” Chinese Lo Mein recipes I’ve seen online do not use hoisin or oyster sauce. I have seen a couple that do but most of them do not. I believe the most authentic way to make Lo Mein is mainly by using dark and light soy sauce, sugar and salt and sometimes, sesame oil. I personally think it tastes better with the hoisin or oyster sauce, so that’s why I add it but if you’re interested in trying the recipe without these ingredients, I would recommend trying this one from Maggie from Omnivores Cookbook or this one from The Woks of Life.
They also do a much better job at explaining what types of noodles you should purchase for authentic Lo Mein.
Vegetable Lo Mein with Cabbage and Mushrooms
Equipment
- Wok
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons vegetable oil split
- 1 small onion sliced thin
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 cup carrots sliced thin or julienned
- 2 to 3 cups Chinese cabbage sliced into thin strips or shredded
- 1 (8 oz.) package mushrooms shiitake or cremini, sliced
- 1 teaspoon shaoxing wine
- 1/2 lb. lo mein noodles cooked al dente, reserve 1/2 cup pasta water*
- 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce, or regular soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- scallions sliced into long strips
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in your wok, or large non-stick skillet, over medium high heat. After a minute or two, add the onions and sauté for a few minutes. Add the garlic and continue to sauté for another minute. Add the carrots and the cabbage and add in the remaining tablespoon of vegetable oil. Mix, toss and let cook for a few minutes. Add in the mushrooms and continue cooking for about 2 to 3 minutes.
- Pour in the shaoxing wine and toss again. Add in the cooked noodles and pour in 2 tablespoons of the pasta water; you can use more later if needed but start with just a little. Toss and add in the dark soy sauce, light soy sauce, hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, sugar and salt. Mix together, taste and adjust anything as needed. Add the scallions and toss together one last time. Serve and enjoy while hot.
