When we talk about Lo Mein, we’re not actually describing a recipe, but rather a method of preparation that has evolved differently around the world.
Under the tag ‘China’, we have already introduced a range of dishes from this vast country with its many, very diverse cuisines – including Beijing Beef, a classic of Chinese-American cuisine which, although it takes its name from Beijing, is unknown there.
Lo Mein is a similar case, only even more interesting, because the word itself means something completely different in China than it does in the diaspora. In the original Cantonese, 捞面 (lāo miàn) refers to something quite simple: freshly cooked noodles served with a separately prepared topping – for example, braised beef brisket with its broth. The noodle dish you order under this name in New York or Los Angeles has nothing to do with that, apart from the use of noodles.
Chinese immigration to the United States began in the 19th century, initially to provide labour for the transcontinental railway, and later in the emerging Chinatowns of the coastal cities. There, a distinct cuisine developed, combining Chinese techniques with American ingredients and taste preferences. Lo Mein, in its present form, is therefore, above all, an American dish.
Here’s an example. As is so often the case when cooking with a wok, everything needs to be prepared in advance, as the actual cooking time is perhaps five minutes.
Broccoli works perfectly for us, but it’s also a question of what’s in season – otherwise, just leave it out. Carrots and peppers are usually included. Spring onions are just as essential as ginger and garlic. We divide the broccoli into florets (and do so properly), cut the carrots into thin strips and the peppers into slightly thicker ones. Slice the spring onions thinly at a 45-degree angle – it simply looks nicer that way. We just chop the ginger and garlic roughly.
You’ll need Chinese-style noodles, typically made with egg, though ones without are fine too. Cook them according to the instructions on the packet and be sure to rinse them under cold water straight away so they retain their bite. Then toss them with a little sesame oil to prevent them from sticking together.
Beef for stir-frying is cut across the grain into thin strips no more than 3 mm wide. This is followed by the process known as ‘velveting’: the strips are thoroughly mixed with cornflour, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, a dash of Shaoxing cooking wine and neutral oil until the meat is evenly coated. This technique – standard practice in Chinese restaurant kitchens – ensures that the meat retains its tenderness in the hot wok rather than drying out.
To do this, mix together a sauce made from (light and dark) soy sauce, oyster sauce, sesame oil, sugar, cornflour and a little water or stock whilst the mixture is still cold (for chow mein, the noodles are stir-fried dry until crispy; for lo mein, they are tossed in the sauce).
As usual, heat the wok to a very high temperature. Fry the marinated beef in a tiny amount of neutral oil for no more than 30 seconds on one side, then stir it and cook for no more than the same amount of time on the other side. The aim is simply to brown the surface, nothing more. Then remove it from the wok and set it aside.
Broccoli is the first vegetable added to the sizzling-hot wok – dry, with no water or extra oil. It should be cooked over the highest heat until it develops a slightly toasted flavour in places. So leave it for perhaps 10 seconds, give it a quick toss, then leave it again. Next, pour in a splash of Chinese Shaoxing cooking wine and immediately put a lid on so that the broccoli can steam. This takes no more than a minute. You’ll then have crisp, smoky-seared, highly aromatic broccoli, which you also set aside.
Add a little more neutral oil and stir-fry the garlic, ginger and strips of carrot and pepper for about a minute…
…before adding the spring onions for just 30 seconds. Always bear in mind: we’re talking about an extremely hot wok here.
Now add the meat and broccoli back in, stir them through and fry for another 30 seconds, just to bring them back up to temperature.
Add the noodles, mix everything together thoroughly, and pour the prepared sauce round the edge of the hot wok.
Now give everything a good toss so that it’s coated in the sauce. The starch you’ve added thickens it in seconds, so that it clings to all the ingredients. When cooking noodles in a wok, we use very long cooking chopsticks, as these are particularly good for mixing dishes like this. Alternatively, you can hold a kitchen utensil in each hand and mix everything as you would a salad with dressing – grasp the noodles from both sides, lift them up, let them fall back into the wok, and so on.
Enjoy.
And may the taste be with you.
Ingredients (for 2 people):
Marinade:
220 g beef for quick frying, cut into thin strips
1 tsp cornflour
1 tsp light soy sauce
2 tsp oyster sauce
1 tsp Shaoxing cooking wine
1 tsp neutral oil
Noodles:
160 g thin egg noodles (dry weight; 320 g if using fresh noodles)
½ tsp sesame oil (for tossing after blanching)
Vegetables:
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 cm ginger, finely chopped
1 medium carrot, cut into fine julienne strips
1 red pepper, cut into strips
1 handful of broccoli florets (equivalent to about ½ a head of broccoli)
3 – 4 spring onions
Sauce:
2 tbsp light soy sauce
1 tbsp dark soya sauce
1 tbsp oyster sauce
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp sugar
1 tsp cornflour
3 tbsp water
For frying:
Neutral oil with a high smoke point
1 splash of Shaoxing cooking wine (added to the hot wok with the broccoli)
