Stir-Fried Lo Mein With Beef and Broccoli Recipe (2024)

Why It Works

  • A balanced marinade helps to tenderize meat as well as provide superior browning characteristics and better flavor.
  • Par-cooking the noodles gives them optimal texture when they're fried.
  • The ingredients are cooked in batches so as to maximize wok hei, the smoky effect of a hot wok.

From crispy pan-fried noodles to a bowl of wonton noodle soup, fresh Chinese egg noodles are a staple of Chinese restaurants. Just like Italian pasta or ramen, when cooked properly, they should have a firm bite and springy texture, and the wide variation in thickness and springiness makes Chinese egg noodles some of the most versatile to cook with.

Beef and broccoli might only be a classic combination in the American Chinese repertoire, but that doesn't make it any less delicious. In most restaurants, you'll find it served with rice, but I like to stir-fry it with hearty lo mein noodles.

Stir-Fried Lo Mein With Beef and Broccoli Recipe (1)

The thickest variety of egg noodles, lo mein is great for stir-fried dishes with hearty flavors and rich sauces. Because the noodles are thick and dense, they're never as springy or bouncy as thinner noodles, which can be a good thing if you plan on making this dish ahead: lo mein's biggest advantage is that it holds up well to time, making it the perfect option for a buffet, a potluck, or when traveling.

The recipe starts with marinating beef in my basic meat marinade, which includes soy sauce, corn starch, Shaoxing wine, sugar, salt, and sesame oil. It's designed to help improve browning and bring out the meaty flavors of the beef.

While the beef marinates in the fridge, I par-cook my noodles. All egg noodles should be par-boiled in water before stir-frying (though be careful, some brands sell their noodles pre-boiled and ready-to-fry). Lo mein noodles take about three minutes. After they're cooked, I briefly run them under cold water to chill them rapidly.

When they're ready to cook, I start with the beef, stir-frying it in a couple tablespoons of smoking hot vegetable oil just until it's browned all over and mostly cooked. Then I remove it to a separate bowl to let my wok re-heat for the broccoli.

You can stir-fry the broccoli in just oil, but I like to add a little bit of water so that the broccoli steams and turns bright green. A couple minutes and it can join the beef in the bowl.

Finally, I stir-fry the noodles, making sure to get the wok hot again. You can use a spatula to stir-fry, but chopsticks will work better, allowing you to separate any clumps of noodles that stick together without breaking them. Once the noodles are hot, I add a simple sauce made of sesame oil, soy sauce, oyster sauce, salt, sugar, and wine, before tossing all the ingredients back in together.

Give it a few more tosses, and it's ready to serve. Chewy, al dente noodles in a rich sweet-and-savory sauce, along with tender marinated slices of beef and bright green broccoli florets. So much better than take out!

April 2014

Recipe Details

Stir-Fried Lo Mein With Beef and Broccoli Recipe

Ingredients

For the Beef:

  • 1/2 pound flank or skirt steak,sliced thin for stir-frying

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 1/4 teaspoon sugar

  • 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper

  • 1/2 teaspoon Shaoxingwine

  • 1/2 teaspoon light soy sauce

  • 1 teaspoon oil

  • 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch

For the Sauce:

  • 1 tablespoon sesame oil

  • 2 teaspoons light soy sauce

  • 2 teaspoons dark soy sauce

  • 1 tablespoon oyster sauce

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 1/4 teaspoon sugar

  • 1 teaspoon Shaoxingwine

  • 1 tablespoon water

For the Noodles:

  • Kosher salt

  • 1 pound freshlo mein noodles

  • 4 tablespoons vegetable oil

  • 1/2 pound broccoli, cut into bite-sized florets

  • 3 medium cloves garlic, finely minced (about 1 tablespoon)

Directions

  1. For the Beef: Combine beef, salt, sugar, pepper, wine, soy sauce, oil, and cornstarch in a small bowl and toss with fingers to coat. Set in refrigerator to marinate.

    Stir-Fried Lo Mein With Beef and Broccoli Recipe (2)

  2. For the Sauce: While the beef marinates, combine sesame oil, light and dark soy sauces, oyster sauce, salt, sugar, wine, and water in a small bowl. Stir with a fork and set aside.

    Stir-Fried Lo Mein With Beef and Broccoli Recipe (3)

  3. For the Noodles: Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add noodles and cook, stirring with chopsticks, until al dente, about 3 minutes. Drain in a colander and run under cold water until chilled. Drain well and set aside.

    Stir-Fried Lo Mein With Beef and Broccoli Recipe (4)

  4. When ready to cook, heat 2 tablespoons oil in a wok over high heat until smoking. Add beef, spread it out with a spatula, and cook without moving until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Toss and cook, stirring frequently, until almost cooked through, about 2 minutes total. Transfer to a large bowl and set aside.

    Stir-Fried Lo Mein With Beef and Broccoli Recipe (5)

  5. Add another tablespoon oil to the wok and heat over high heat until smoking. Add the broccoli and season with a couple pinches of salt. Cook, stirring, until very lightly browned, about 30 seconds, then add 1/4 cup water. Cook, stirring, until broccoli is steamed and water has evaporated, about 2 minutes. Transfer to bowl with beef.

    Stir-Fried Lo Mein With Beef and Broccoli Recipe (6)

  6. Heat remaining tablespoon oil over high heat until smoking. Add the noodles. Using tongs or chopsticks, cook the noodles, stirring and mixing constantly until the noodles are coated in oil, about 1 minute. Add the sauce and continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the sauce coats the noodles, about 1 minute longer. Add the garlic, broccoli, and beef and continue cooking until combined and fragrant, about 1 minute longer. Serve immediately.

    Stir-Fried Lo Mein With Beef and Broccoli Recipe (7)

Special Equipment

Wok

Read More

  • Chinese Noodles 101: The Chinese Egg Noodle Style Guide
Stir-Fried Lo Mein With Beef and Broccoli Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is lo mein sauce made of? ›

Most commonly, lo mein involves chicken, beef, pork, turkey, shrimp or tofu. Sauce components: Lo mein sauce is mainly composed of sesame oil, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, garlic, ginger, oyster sauce and a dash of sugar. If you like your noodles to have a little heat, you can sprinkle in some red pepper flakes.

How to make bland lo mein taste better? ›

If you find your lo mein noodles to be bland and want to add more flavor, here are some ways to spice them up: I bring a quart of unsalted chicken stock to a boil, I add soy sauce , a dash of fish sauce and just a bit of sambal bajec.

What is the difference between lo mein and chow mein stir-fry? ›

Chow mein: thin, dried noodles that are parboiled for 5-6 minutes, and fried alongside veggies and meat. Lo mein: fat, chewy noodles that are boiled for a few minutes, then added to stir-fry after veggies and meat is cooked.

How do you thicken beef and broccoli? ›

It's also nice and thick, so you don't have to add a ton of cornstarch to thicken your sauce in the pan. Add a little sherry, soy sauce, sesame oil, beef broth, sugar, cornstarch, and ground black pepper & you've got a lip-smackingly perfect stir fry sauce.

What noodles can you use for lo mein? ›

Some common names will be lo mein, chow mein, egg noodles or pancit noodles. Most markets have Japanese yaki soba noodles in the cold case, and those would work perfectly. Spaghetti or fettuccini cooked al dente and rinsed in cold water and drained in a colander will also make a great lo mein.

What sauce do Chinese restaurants use? ›

Soy sauce (jiàng yóu, 酱油), the most common of Chinese sauces, sounds simple, and for the most part, it is.

What do they put in Chinese food to make it taste better? ›

Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) is a flavor enhancer that has been widely used for roughly 100 years ( 1 ). In addition to being naturally present in certain foods, it's a common food additive in Chinese recipes, canned vegetables and soups, and other processed goods.

What makes lo mein taste so good? ›

The sauce is what makes this dish so addictive. It's a simple umami filled mix of light and dark soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, sugar, and a hint of ginger. It's super easy to make a batch of lo mein sauce and keep it in the fridge so you can easily make lo mein whenever the craving hits.

How do you thicken lo mein sauce? ›

Cornstarch! In his book How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, Mark Bittman recommends mixing 1-2 tablespoons of cornstarch with the same amount of water, and tossing this into the stir fry just when it's almost done. It thickens in seconds, picking up the flavors of everything already in the dish and coating evenly.

What tastes better lo mein or chow mein? ›

Largely this is a matter of personal taste since both dishes can be made to your preference. If you prefer lightly sauced noodles with some crunch and vegetables with some snap, chow mein might be the way to go. If you like a more comforting noodle with richly flavored sauce, lo mein may be the better option.

Which is better fried rice or lo mein? ›

So what's the healthier order, fried rice or lo mein? Short answer: lo mein. Yes, both dishes usually come slathered in sauce, but the rice offers the unfortunate double-whammy of being fried in oil first.

What does mein mean in lo mein? ›

Etymology. The term lo mein comes from the Cantonese lou1 min6 (撈麵), meaning "stirred noodles".

What is Chinese beef and broccoli sauce made of? ›

Each restaurant has its secrets but I make a fair amount of Chinese food and recipes for broccoli beef sauce are basically oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar and perhaps a splash of rice wine. Since this is a deep flavored savory dish I think perhaps a bit of mushroom soy sauce is used.

What is beef and broccoli sauce made of? ›

Beef and Broccoli Ingredients

Sauces and oils: This beef and broccoli recipe calls for oyster sauce, sesame oil, and soy sauce. Sherry: Cooking sherry adds a sweet, nutty flavor to the beef and broccoli. Sugar: White sugar lends a hint of sweetness. Cornstarch: A teaspoon of cornstarch thickens the sauce.

What can I use instead of beef broth in beef and broccoli? ›

Depending on what you are using the beef broth for you can substitute a well made vegetable broth or chicken broth. Of course, it will change the flavor profile a bit but it is a much better solution to using cubes or powders which are sodium bombs.

How does lo mein get its flavor? ›

Lo mein sauce

The sauce is what makes this dish so addictive. It's a simple umami filled mix of light and dark soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, sugar, and a hint of ginger. It's super easy to make a batch of lo mein sauce and keep it in the fridge so you can easily make lo mein whenever the craving hits.

What is the brown sauce in Chinese food called? ›

There are many Chinese sauces that are brown just a few most common, soy sause, oyster sauce, sweet bean, Hoisin

What is the Chinese brown sauce made of? ›

Chicken Broth Version: Combine 1 cup chicken broth (or chicken stock), 1 1/2 tablespoons oyster sauce, 2 teaspoons dark soy sauce, 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar, and 1 tablespoon cornstarch (or potato starch) in a saucepan. Mix evenly and make sure there are no lumps. Bring to a boil and keep stirring during cooking.

What is Chinese chow mein sauce made of? ›

Combine soy sauce, light sesame oil, oyster sauce, granulated sugar, cornstarch, and chicken broth to make the signature sweet and savory sauce that makes chow mein taste authentic.

References

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