Shrimp Lo Mein

Posted byNoriePosted inLegumes, Pancits, Pastas and Rice, Recipe, SeafoodTags:, ,
Using Linguine Instead of Fresh Chinese Noodles

The recipe for this Shrimp lo mein is about the same as the Chicken lo mein I wrote a while back.  But when I cooked it with shrimp instead of chicken, I decided to write it separately from the chicken because it may be confusing to those not used to cooking. Some of the procedures are not quite the same but most of the ingredients are the same.

This dish is very good in fact, and I would recommend it to any lo mein lovers.  I can’t always go to an Asian store to buy special ingredients to cook with what I want to make and I wanted to make lo mein. So, I used linguine noodles instead of the fresh Chinese egg noodles. It turned out as good, if not better than some restaurant-made lo mein.

When I made this, I added a hot pepper from my garden called Fresno Chili.  It was red and ripe.  I removed the seeds and cut it in small pieces. 

I had used this pepper in the dip that I had with my dinner before and it wasn’t very hot so I thought it would give this lo mein a little zing.  However, instead of just one, I used two peppers. 

When we took the first bite of this shrimp lo mein at dinner, my husband jumped and said the lo mein is very good but it is very spicy.  He tried another bite and finally gave up.  It was truly very spicy and even I felt my mouth was on fire but I kept eating it and I almost finished the platter for two by myself.  The more I ate the hotter it got but the hotter it got the better it got. I was sweating and my nose was running but I was fully enjoying the dish.

My husband then wanted to try it again because he said it tasted very good and better than the lo mein at our favorite Chinese restaurant.  He asked me to make another batch for supper the next day but without the heat.  And so I did. 

INGREDIENTS:

  • 8 oz. Linguine or egg noodles
  • About ½ pound shelled and deveined shrimp (medium size is good)

Mix in a small bowl and set aside:

  • 2 TBS soy sauce
  • 2 TBS dry sherry or Xiaoshing wine
  • 1 tsp. Aji mirin or ½ tsp. sugar
  • 2 tsp. cornstarch
  • 1 tsp. Sesame oil
  • 1 TBS Oyster sauce

Ingredients for cooking:

  • 2 Scallion (green onions) cut 2 inches long
  • Half of a red or green bell pepper cut in strips
  • ¼ of onion, sliced (yellow or purple)
  • 1 large clove garlic minced or julliened
  • ¼ of a shrimp bouillion cube or chicken bouillion in a pinch
  • ¼ cup water
  • 1 TBS. cooking oi

The vegetables you can add are:

  •  Sliced mushrooms (canned mushrooms will work)
  • A handful of snowpeas with strings removed (very good in it)
  • A handful of sliced carrots
  • A few sliced water chestnuts
  • A few baby corn
  • And/or anything you have like bok choy
  • A few dried Chinese peppers

You can add all of the above vegetables or only a few.  It’s your choice.

Procedure:

Boil the linguine in water according to package direction with 1 TBS salt.  Boil hard for 15 minutes to be softer than “al dente”.  Drain the noodles well and set aside.   

Add the 1 TBS cooking oil in a wok or a wide pot and pre-heat over medium-high heat.  Drop in the onions and garlic and saute or stir quickly for a few seconds until the onions are limp. 

Add the shrimp and cook, stirring until curled and pink.  Add the ¼ cup water and the shrimp bouillion.  Cook until the shrimp bouillion is dissoved the add all the vegetables. Let it cook while stirring until the vegetables are crisp tender.  Don’t overcook the snowpeas. 

Stir the soy sauce mixture in the bowl then pour over the vegetables.  Cook until thickened.

Turn down the heat, and stir the noodles in until well coated with the sauce.

Transfer to a serving platter and enjoy. 

Note:

If using canned mushrooms, drain and add the mushrooms with the vegetables.  If using fresh mushrooms, cook them first and set aside. Then proceed with the procedure.