How to Make Shrimp Lo Mein
- Prepare the sauce and cook the noodles first. After the noodles are cooked, set them aside and make the basic stir-fry sauce.
- Sauté the shrimp: Sauté the shrimp until they start to turn pink and become slightly firm, but not completely cooked. Set them aside.
- Cook the vegetables: Add the red bell pepper, broccoli, and carrots and sauté.
- Add the shrimp: Return the shrimp to the pan.
- Combine everything: Add the sauce and stir to mix. Then add the cooked noodles and toss to combine everything. Continue tossing until everything is hot.
- Serve: Add sliced scallions on top for a lovely, light garnish.
Long-cooked noodles are combined with vegetables and sauce (and, frequently, shrimp, chicken, or pork) to make lo mein dishes. Fried noodles are used to make chow mein, which is typically crunchy. It typically doesn’t have as much sauce as lo mein.
You can buy lo mein noodles in the Asian section of many supermarkets or in Asian specialty stores. You might find them fresh as well. And you can order lo mein noodles online. Feel free to use spaghetti instead of the lo mein noodles.
What Is Shrimp Lo Mein?
The difference Lo Mein vs. Chow Mein is the noodles. While the dishes are fairly similar, there are some difference. Lo mein noodles are usually steamed, but chow mein noodles are usually fried.
We use shrimp because it’s delicious and very simple to prepare, but you could also make this with chicken lo mein or even just vegetables!
This recipe takes about 30 minutes, so it’s ideal for busy evenings!
Egg noodles are used in this recipe; they can be purchased dried or fresh at the grocery store, usually next to the tofu. In the event that you are without any, spaghetti will suffice.
SHRIMP: Use medium-sized, raw, peeled, deveined shrimp without tails. Before adding frozen shrimp to the saucepan, let them thaw under cold water.
VEGGIES To add some color to this dish, try adding chopped spinach, baby corn, chopped zucchini, or mushrooms along with some fresh coleslaw mix and red and yellow peppers.
SAUCE This sweet sauce is made simply by combining water with soy sauce, hoisin, brown sugar, and sesame oil.
Add some chopped peanuts, chopped cilantro or basil, chopped peanuts, and red pepper flakes as optional toppings! For an extra spicy kick, add some sambal or sriracha!
Shrimp Lo Mein Cooking Tips
- Allowing children to choose the vegetables they want to use in this recipe is a great opportunity. They can also measure and combine the ingredients for the sauce, peel the carrots, and peel the shrimp (making sure to wash their hands well before and after).
- You have two options: either use spaghetti or long, thick Chinese noodles (sometimes called lo mein noodles). Simply follow the cooking instructions on the package, being careful not to cook them past just tender.
- Additionally, you can increase the proportion of veggies and shrimp to noodles to create a dish that not only looks and tastes amazing but also meets your family’s nutritional needs. In a stir-fry, my kids never recoil when they encounter a vegetable.
