We all like eating takeout on the weekend, but sometimes you have to cook either way, and this easy shiitake lo-mein is so low-key, it will save you time and money.
You’ll Never Think Twice About Making This Easy Shiitake Lo-Mein Again
What’s so special about this lo-mein?
It’s all about the various ingredients this dish has. For one, shiitake mushrooms are full of health benefits, including high fiber, antioxidant activity, and anti-inflammatory properties.
On the other hand, the onions in this dish are a great prebiotic food that keeps your gut healthy. Eating onions, along with mushrooms, provides your body with extra protection against free radical damage.
You probably already know about ginger, but if you don’t, then you’ll want to include it in everything from now on. Ginger is often considered a natural digestive medication, which promotes healthy nutrient absorption and combats inflammation.
What if I don’t have these ingredients?
If finding some of these ingredients is hard, that’s not a problem, as there are many options. You can swap the chicken for pork or turkey and get equal amounts of protein.
As for the vegetables, you can change mushrooms for bell peppers, carrots, and water chestnuts. And if you dislike onions, try using scallions. Other good vegetables to include are asparagus, green beans, broccoli, and cauliflower.
Finally, as you can imagine, the noodles are key in this dish. However, these too can be swapped without much difference. Some alternatives are rice noodles, angel hair, quinoa, or white rice.
In terms of seasoning, lo-mein does have a particular taste, so try to include rice wine vinegar, soy sauce, and chicken broth. But some other choices are white vinegar, sesame oil, fish sauce, or tamari sauce. If you want to keep the recipe vegetarian, skip the chicken broth and use mushroom or miso broth instead.
It’s that simple to make this easy shiitake lo-mein! Remember to adjust the cooking time if you change the noodles or protein. Enjoy this as a dinner, or as a side dish for when you have guests over
Discover another delicious mushroom recipe here: Creamy Beef Egg Noodles with Mushrooms [Recipe]
Easy Shiitake Lo-mein
Ingredients
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves-cut into thin strips
5 tsp white sugar, divided
3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
1/2 cup ( 120 ml) soy sauce, divided
1 1/4 cup (300 ml) chicken broth
1 cup (240 ml) water
1 tbsp sesame oil
2 tsp ground black pepper
2 tbsp cornstarch
1 package 12 oz (300 g) uncooked linguine pasta
2 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
2 tbsp diced fresh ginger root
1 tbsp diced garlic
1/2 lb (225 g) shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
6 green onions, sliced diagonally into 1/2 in pieces
Directions
- To start, boil your pasta in salty water for 7 to 10 min or until al dente. Drain and set aside.
- Combine 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/2 tsp sugar, and 1/2 tbsp vinegar in a regular bowl.
- Add the chicken, and cover with plastic wrap. Chill for 2 hrs.
- Mix the sesame oil, broth, black pepper, water, and the remaining sugar in a bowl.
- In a separate bowl, mix the cornstarch and some of the sesame oil. Then combine both mixtures.
- Heat in vegetable oil in a wok and stir fry your chicken for 6 min.
- Add more veggie oil and stir in the onions, ginger, mushrooms, and garlic for 1 min.
- Stir in the prepared cornstarch mixture and cook for 3 to 5 min or until the sauce thickens.
- Add the pasta, mix well. Make sure all pasta is coated evenly with the sauce.
- Enjoy!
