The primary difference between chow mein and lo mein is the preparation of the noodles and the amount of sauce: Chow Mein (“fried noodles”) features crispy, stir-fried noodles with minimal sauce, while Lo Mein (“tossed noodles”) uses soft, boiled noodles tossed in a generous, savory sauce. Both dishes utilize wheat flour egg noodles, veggies, and protein. If served over rice instead of noodles, it becomes chop suey (usually with meat, chopped celery, bean sprouts etc. instead of the veggies below.)
INGREDIENTS
Sauce:
3 tablespoons soy sauce
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 clove of garlic, grated (optional)
Lo Mein:
4–6 ounces uncooked ramen noodles
1 tablespoon sesame oil
3 green onions, chopped (separate green parts from white parts – you’ll use both separately)
2–3 cups julienne cut or chopped vegetables like carrots, red peppers, cabbage, bok choy, mushrooms, or broccoli (can also add julienned meat, shrimp or chicken)
1–2 tablespoons mirin
whatever veg or protein you like, add cooked to the dish
INSTRUCTIONS
Sauce: Shake all the sauce ingredients together in a jar.
Noodles: Cook the noodles according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
Lo Mein: Heat the sesame oil in a large wok or skillet. Add the green onions (white parts) and vegetables to the hot pan. Stir fry until fork-tender, about 5 minutes. Add the mirin to loosen the browned bits up off the bottom of the pan. Add the cooked noodles and about half of the sauce – toss around in the hot pan to combine. Add more sauce if needed (I usually gauge the amount of sauce I want by the color of the noodles – you want a medium brown color, not too light, not too dark). Serve topped with remaining green onions!