saucy beef lo mein

This saucy beef lo mein is easily customizable with whatever protein and veggies you have sitting in your fridge! Perfect for a weeknight lunch or dinner!

A few tips for the tastiest beef lo mein

• Use fresh noodles (found in the refrigerated section of the grocery store)
• Undercook them by 1 min according to their package (they will finish cooking in the pan with the sauce). This will prevent noodles that are too soft
• After boiling the noodles, run them under cold water to prevent them from overcooking and getting too soft
• Slice all your veggies thinly into long strips! This will help them cook quickly and evenly, and the shape makes them easy to incorporate with the noodles 
• To make this lo mein extra saucy, turn off the heat soon after you add the sauce

Check out my other restaurant favorite recipes:

• Chinese Beef & Broccoli
• Chinese Eggplant & Minced Pork with Garlic Sauce
• Cantonese Beef Chow Fun

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Saucy Beef Lo Mein

This saucy and delicious Chinese takeout classic is easy to make at home and customize with what you have in the fridge — and it's all done in under 45 minutes!

5 from 1 vote

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutesmins

Cook Time 20 minutesmins

Total Time 40 minutesmins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Chinese

Servings 4people

Ingredients

1x2x3x

• 1lbthick egg or wheat noodles (ideally fresh lo mein noodles) 
• neutral oil for cooking

beef marinade

• 5ozflank steak
• 1tsplight soy sauce
• 1tspShaoxing wine
• 1/8tspsalt
• 1/16tspwhite pepper
• 1/16tspbaking soda
• 1/2tspcornstarch
• 2tspwater
• 1/2tspneutral oil

veggies and aromatics

• 3-4clovesgarlicchopped
• 2stalksscallionsthinly sliced, whites and greens separated
• 2ozcarrotsthinly sliced
• 2ozbell pepperthinly sliced
• 1/4onionthinly sliced
• 3oznapa or green cabbagethinly sliced

sauce for noodles

• 2tbspoyster sauce
• 1tbsplight soy sauce
• 1tspdark soy sauce
• 1tbspShaoxing wine
• 1tspsugar
• 1/2tspsalt
• 1/8tspwhite pepper
• 1/2cuplow sodium chicken broth or 1/2 cup water + 1/2 tsp chicken bouillon
• 2tspcornstarch

garnish

• 1tspsesame oil
• 1cupmung bean sprouts

Instructions

prepare the ingredients

• Slice the flank steak against the grain and at a slight bias to yield pieces with large surface area. Mix all the beef marinade ingredients together, leaving the oil for last to seal in the flavor. Set aside and let marinade while you prepare the other ingredients. 
  5 oz flank steak, 1 tsp light soy sauce, 1 tsp Shaoxing wine, 1/8 tsp salt, 1/16 tsp white pepper, 1/16 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp cornstarch, 2 tsp water, 1/2 tsp neutral oil
• Prepare the aromatics and veggies. Chop the garlic, then thinly slice the rest of the aromatics and veggies so they’re all around the same size. 
  3-4 cloves garlic, 2 stalks scallions, 2 oz carrots, 2 oz bell pepper, 1/4 onion, 3 oz napa or green cabbage
• In a bowl, mix all the sauce ingredients for the noodles together well. Set aside.
  2 tbsp oyster sauce, 1 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tsp dark soy sauce, 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine, 1 tsp sugar, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/8 tsp white pepper, 1/2 cup low sodium chicken broth, 2 tsp cornstarch

cook the noodles

• Cook the noodles a minute less than the package directions. For the brand I show, I only needed to cook for ~2 mins in boiling water. Remove, rinse in cold water to stop cooking, then drain. Drizzle with neutral oil to prevent sticking. 
  1 lb thick egg or wheat noodles, neutral oil for cooking

cook the beef and veggies

• In a hot pan, add neutral oil and the marinated meat. Cook on both sides until there is no more pink left, and there’s slight char on the steak. Remove and set aside. 
  neutral oil for cooking
• Add more oil to the pan if necessary. Add the aromatics: garlic, onions, and whites of the scallions. Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant, and then add the rest of the veggies. 
  3-4 cloves garlic, 2 stalks scallions, 2 oz carrots, 2 oz bell pepper, 1/4 onion, 3 oz napa or green cabbage
• Once the veggies have wilted a bit, add a light sprinkle of salt, and cook until they’ve softened but maintain a slight crunch. 

combine with noodles

• Add the drained noodles and mix with the veggies. 
• Give the sauce for the noodles a mix to remove any settled cornstarch, then add it around the perimeter of the pan. The pan should be hot enough so that the sauce sizzles. Mix thoroughly with the noodles to incorporate. 
• For saucier noodles, turn off the heat at this point. Add the meat, bean sprouts, scallion greens, and a drizzle of sesame oil. Mix and enjoy! 
  1 tsp sesame oil, 1 cup mung bean sprouts

Video

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Keyword beef lo mein, lo mein

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