so, the other day my friend Lindsay and i were at the gym getting our sweat on, and i started to crave chinese hardcore. we both decided that it was kind of counterintuitive to work out and then blow all the work by eating chinese right afterwards, so we waited. but i continued to crave it. two nights later, i finally broke down and HAD to have it. but, instead of calling up my trusty friends at Yuan Ho ("by da dumpstah! two minnes!"), i decided to make it myself. Lindsay and i hit up Teeter, stocked up on veg and lo mein noodles, and i went home to cook.
here's what you'll need:
the veg: the other:
-one small eggplant -one package of wide lo mein noodles
-one bundle of baby bok choy -1 1/2 cups of cooked peeled shrimp (or chicken or beef)
-one large carrot -teriyaki sauce
-half a pint of sliced button mushrooms -soy sauce
-a handful of snow peas -sesame oil
-half of a medium vidallia onion -minced garlic
-one small can of bamboo shoots
-a handful of bean sprouts
here's what you do:
i started by prepping all the veg and piling them together on a plate for later. cut the carrot in half and half again, and then slice into small matchstick pieces. clean the bok choy in the sink to remove the grit or dirt that gets trapped between the layers, and chop the pieces into bite size chunks. wash and dice the eggplant into sugar cube-sized squares. i left the skin on because it gets tender when stir-fried, but you can peel it if you'd like! peel and slice the onion in half-moons and separate the layers. drain the bamboo shoots, and leave the snow peas and mushrooms as is.
in the mean time, i had a pot of water on to boil for my lo mein noodles. i used a wide noodle that i found on the asian aisle of my grocery. if you can't find that kind of noodle, any other thick one will do. or--just use spaghetti! make sure to toss the noodles with a little but of oil when they come out of the water or they will be impossible to separate later on when you get ready to stir-fry them.next, get a wok or a large non-stick skillet on the stove, heated up to high with a few tablespoons of oil. once you see the oil begin to ripple (that tells you its really hot!), add the onions, carrots, and eggplant into the pan. stir-fry them for just about a minute and then add the rest of the vegetables (except for the bamboo shoots and bean sprouts). stir-fry the whole mixture for a good five minutes, adding a clove or two of minced garlic towards the end (make sure it doesnt burn!). add some sesame oil for flavor, along with some soy sauce and teriyaki sauce to taste. add the bamboo shoots and continue to fry.
**note: i forgot to get ginger when i was at the grocery! ginger will kick up the spice and flavor of this lo mein, so make sure to grab some when you go. a knob of ginger is cheap and will last for a few months in the freezer!
at the last minute, add the cooked shrimp and stir-fry until it warms through and picks up the flavors of the sauces. at this point, take the cooked noodles and add them to the pan with the rest of the veg and shrimp. add more sesame oil and soy/teriyaki to taste (which might be more than you think-- remember the noodles need to be flavored and they soak up the flavor!) and stir-fry everything together until the flavors combine.
take the whole dish off the heat, add bean sprouts right on the top for a cool crunch, and voila! or should i say, 瞧! here is the finished dish (sans sprouts, oops!). enjoy!
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| Kara's Shrimp and Vegetable Lo Mein |
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