After eating it my whole life, Chow mein is not what I thought it was. Okay! time for a little info session. In Chinese, mein means ‘noodles’ and chow means ‘fried’ so chow mein translates to ‘fried noodles’. What we eat here in India especially is not actually chow mein but lo mein. Lo means ‘tossed’ in Chinese, so lo mein translates to ‘tossed noodles’. I know!

Veg lo mein is delicious when we eat or order it from outside but is mostly loaded with loads of oil, salt and often low-quality noodles. A lot of people assume that making lo mein or tossed veg noodles at home is an extensive process, demands a lot of time, fancy ingredients and utensils. I am here to debunk all those assumptions . The whole Veg Lo Mein recipe is made in just 15-20 minutes, needs just one pan or wok and requires ingredients like fresh veggies, noodles, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, all of which are easily available.

Serves 2 people

Cooking time 20 minutes

Veg Lo Mein Recipe

INGREDIENTS

For the noodles and vegetables

• 150 gm pack of veg hakka noodles
• 2 cups of water
• 3 tbsp sesame oil *
• 1-inch ginger, grated finely
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1½ cup mixed vegetables, cut in long thin strips or in julienne cut (capsicum, carrot, mushroom, cabbage, broccoli, baby corn, fresh beans, spring onion)
• Salt to taste
• ¼ tsp black pepper powder
• ½ tsp red chilli powder (optional)

For the sauce

• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp sugar

How to make Veg Lo Mein

For boiling noodles

1. Add 2-3 cups of water in a pan and boil it. Add the noodles and let them cook for 5-10 minutes until they are soft.
2. Drain the water out and wash the noodles under cold water. Doing this will help them not coook further.
3. Add 1 tbsp of sesame oil the cooked noodles and coat it all over the noodles so that they don’t stick to each other.

For making the sauce

1. In a bowl, add soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and sesame oil.
2. Mix all ingredients well to make the lo mein sauce.

For making Veg Lo Mein

1. In a pan, heat 2 tbsp of sesame oil on low flame. Add grated ginger and sliced onions and saute for a minute. Add rest of the sliced vegetables and cook for 8-10 minutes stirring after every 2-3 minutes.
2. Add the cooked or boiled noodles to the pan and mix well.
3. Add the previously prepared lo mein sauce and mix well.
4. Add salt, black pepper and red chilli powder. Mix and toss well so that the sauce and salt, pepper mixed well with the noodles and veggies.
5. Garnish with spring onion and serve hot.

RECIPE NOTES

*If sesame oil is not available, use any other light oil instead such as sunflower, canola, peanut or olive oil.

Vegetable Lo Mein| Veg Chinese Noodles Recipe| How to make Veg Lo Mein

Ingredients

• 150 gm pack of veg hakka noodles
• 2 cups of water
• 3 tbsp sesame oil *
• 1-inch ginger, grated finely
• 1 onion, sliced
• 1½ cup mixed vegetables, cut in long thin strips or in julienne cut (capsicum, carrot, mushroom, cabbage, broccoli, baby corn, fresh beans, spring onion)
• Salt to taste
• ¼ tsp black pepper powder
• ½ tsp red chilli powder (optional)
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 tbsp vinegar
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1 tsp sugar