15 Minute Lo Mein

Hel-lo-lo-mein! This 15-minute wonder is absolutely my new go-to for a quick summer Asian noodle stir fry. Lo Mein FTW!

This recipe is sponsored by Pearl River Bridge.

Maybe you are a Panda Buffet regular and you not only know Lo Mein, but the people at Panda know YOU when you walk in the door and they waste no time piling high your little plastic tray with scoop after scoop of those stir fried noodles while you watch a little protectively from the other side of the glass, because couldn’t they have given you a bigger scoop like they did last time? come on puhleeeease.

or maybe you mostly know Lo Mein from your growing up days because good news, kids! mom and dad are ordering Chinese takeout tonight (yasssss) and little pre-teen you is most definitely going to eat your weight in salty Asian noodles and then revisit it in the fridge, cold, right before bed, amiright?

Or maybe you’ve never had Lo Mein and you’re giving the rest of us all the look right now. I hear you, sitting high up there, saying that you would never eat cold takeout noodles right before bed. There is judgement in your heart. You think you’re not into this whole stir fried noodles and vegetables thing. In which case:

It’s time for you to get Lo Mein in your life, friends. This is your big day. We’ve all been waiting for you. Welcome to your Lo Mein intervention!

Honestly, WHO EVEN KNEW how easy it could be to make Lo Mein at home? And as a follow up to those of you who did already know, WHY DIDN’T YOU EVEN TELL ME?

Until two weeks ago, I always just assumed that this was some kind of lengthy process involving mysteriously delicious ingredients that I wouldn’t have in my standard Midwestern kitchen, and plus, did you know that you can get a platter of Lo Mein large enough to feed the neighborhood for just $6.50 at the Panda Buffet? So why would we even do this at home? I’m serious – let’s go.

Except hold the phone for just a sec.

1. Making Lo Mein is not a lengthy process – it’s going to come together in ONE PAN in something like 15 minutes, start to finish. JOY of JOYS. I seriously had no idea when I set out to learn about all things Lo Mein that it would be such a gem of a quick easy recipe, and not in the way where you’re skimping on anything. Just by nature, it is that simple.
2. Lo Mein doesn’t require fancy or unusual ingredients. Like, at all. A quality soy sauce and sesame oil combo is basically it. That’s your Lo Mein magic right there. For real – just one bottle of good soy sauce and you’re in Lo Mein business. I mean, almost everyone, no matter what their cooking level is, has a bottle of soy sauce in their fridge, right? or at the very least, a few PACKETS of soy sauce from leftover takeout? You know I see you out there.
3. And finally, Lo Mein is awesome as takeout, but it’s more awesome as a mostly-healthy takeout at home dish that can simultaneously clean out the fridge by using up any and all veggies and proteins that a person could ever want in their silky stir-fried noodles. The happiness I feel for this concept… like wows. You do not even know. Recipe scrappiness fulfills a piece of my soul.

Things to Know About Lo Mein

You can use almost any vegetables and/or protein.

Ideas: Red pepper, carrots, spinach, bok choy, mushrooms, snap peas, onions, cabbage, broccoli. // Chicken, shrimp, eggs, beef, pork, tofu.

Game on.

Also.

You need a good soy sauce, and I HIGHLY recommend the 2-types-of-soy-sauce trick. It’s not really a trick as much as it is a tiny thing that makes a big difference. It’s probably more likely that you have light or low sodium soy sauce in your fridge, but tip alert: dark soy sauce is so rich in umami flavor and it takes this Lo Mein “sauce” situation to a whole new level.

Because the quality of soy sauce is important here (I mean, it’s one of literally THREE ingredients that will make the sauce for your stir fried noodles), I did not use soy sauce packets from leftover takeout.

I used this