There’s no need to order out when you can make a delicious meal like Shrimp Lo Mein at home. All the ingredients can be ready in advance, making this a quick and simple weeknight meal. Cooking has always been one of my favorite ways to relax after a long day, enjoy a home-cooked meal, save money on takeout the next day, and stock up on lunch supplies for the next day.
Investing 30 minutes the night before to prepare ingredients is a great idea. When you get home the next day, you can change out of your wok and into your t-shirt and sweatpants. In just 15 minutes, dinner will be ready.
This Shrimp Lo Mein recipe is very similar to what you would get in a restaurant, but you can customize it however you like! You can use up that last bit of celery or half an onion by throwing them in.
Veggie lo mein or veggie ramen made with ramen noodles are great alternatives if you don’t have shrimp.
Ready for some shrimp lo mein?
Ingredients:
- 12 oz. of shrimp (peeled and deveined)
- 1 lb. of fresh pre-cooked lo mein noodles (450g)
- ½ tsp. of sugar
- 1 1/2 tbsp. of regular or light soy sauce
- 2 tsp. of dark soy sauce
- 1 tbsp. of oyster sauce
- ½ tsp. of sesame oil
- 1/8 tsp. of ground white pepper
- 3 tbsp. of neutral oil (divided)
- 2 cloves of garlic (minced)
- 6 pcs. of fresh button or cremini mushrooms (sliced)
- 1 pc. of medium carrot (julienned)
- 1/2 cup of bamboo shoots (sliced)
- 1/2 cup of water chestnuts (sliced)
- 1 tbsp. of Shaoxing wine
- 3 cups of napa cabbage (shredded)
- 1 cup of snow peas (trimmed)
- 1 cup of fresh mung bean sprouts
- 2 pcs. of scallions (split and cut into 2-inch long pieces)
Instructions:
- It’s time to bring the shrimp and noodles out of the fridge and to room temperature. One tip to speed up the warming process without making the noodles soggy is to soak the entire bag (unopened) in hot water.
- Dry linguini can be used in place of lo mein noodles if you can’t find the former. To prevent the noodles from sticking together after cooking, add 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil and toss the pasta immediately after draining. Never make noodles ahead of time and leave them out at room temperature or warmer; this will cause them to dry out. As a result, stir-frying is a breeze.
- Mix the soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, and white pepper together, and then add the sugar and set it aside to dissolve. Start by heating 1 tablespoon of oil in the outer rim of a large wok over high heat until it just begins to smoke.
- Spread the shrimp out quickly in the wok and sear for about 10 to 15 seconds per side. Put the shrimp on a plate right away and put them aside.
- Return the wok to high heat and add the remaining oil along with the garlic. After that, add the vegetables (mushrooms, carrots, bamboo shoots, and water chestnuts) and stir-fry for another 30 seconds.
- Then, add the napa cabbage and spread the Shaoxing wine around the edge of the wok. Continue to stir-fry for another 30 seconds. Evenly distribute the noodles among the vegetables and stir the mixture for a full minute. You can see why it’s important to have all ingredients at room temperature before starting to heat the dish.
- When the noodles have softened, pour in the sauce mixture you reserved earlier and toss to combine. Stir-fry for 30 seconds using a scooping motion to ensure the sauce is evenly distributed. Shrimp, snow peas, bean sprouts, and scallions should be added now. Two more minutes of stirring are required before serving.