Rev. Joel’s Lo Mein

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The only Chinese restaurants in my town offer typical fare with few vegan options. I've been growing my repertoire of recipes to satisfy my cravings for Chinese dishes. Lo mein is a tasty dish I wanted to make at home. There is no shortage of recipes. I landed on this one with Nora Cooks because it is simple to make, has easy to find ingredients, and makes multiple servings. I modified the original by cooking the vegetables in an air fryer rather than a skillet. I found the char the air fryer added to be tastier and more authentic. 

Plant-based lo mein is a quick, easy, and flexible 20-minute meal. Slippery noodles and vegetables are tossed with a homemade plant-based lo mein sauce. 10 minutes to prep and 10 minutes to cook. Makes 4 servings.

Ingredients

Lo Mein Sauce

• 1/4 cup low sodium soy sauce (tamari for gluten free)

• 1 tablespoon granulated sugar

• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil

• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

• 1/2 teaspoon Sriracha hot sauce (more to taste)

The Rest

• 8 ounces whole wheat spaghetti noodles (whole wheat adds nuttiness, but other options are udon noodles or rice noodles for gluten free)

• 2 tablespoons sesame oil (sesame would be my recommendation because of its consistent flavor profile but other oils would also be fine)

• 2 cups sliced cremini mushrooms

• 1 small white onion thinly sliced

• 1 red bell pepper seeded and thinly sliced

• 1 medium carrot (shredded or julienne)

• 1 small-medium head of cabbage chopped 

• chopped peanuts to taste (optional)

• chopped green onions (optional)

Instructions

1. In a small bowl, whisk together all sauce ingredients. Set aside.

2. In a large pot of boiling water, cook the noodles according to package instructions. Drain well and set aside.

3. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the mushrooms, onion, red pepper, carrot, and cabbage and cook, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes until tender. (An alternative that I prefer is using an air fryer. The char added by convection nicely mimics the charring effects of a wok. I tossed the veggies in oil and roasted all the veggies in the air fryer instead of a skillet.)

4. Add cooked veggies to the drained noodles and sauce. Toss gently to combine. Add some chopped green onions or chopped peanuts, if desired.

5. Serve immediately. Reheat leftovers in the microwave or stovetop until warm and add a splash of soy sauce/tamari if desired.