I’ve been on a bit of an Asian kick lately, and the hubs and I have been enjoying it immensely! The Chinese restaurants around here are ….. shall we say – – “questionable” — and it amazes me every time how simple it truly is to make good, authentic (as best as possible), take-out dishes that they charge an arm and a leg for.

There really aren’t any “secrets” or “tricks” to them, as most are their own country’s “comfort foods”. Every country has family-style dishes that are made in rotation just as we do. And that’s simply what the popular dishes on Chinese menus really are. Comfort food!

And believe me, the dishes that I have made so far, have truly been just that, very comforting!

So on to the latest one that I just figured out! “Beef Lo Mein”. One of our favorites that we used to enjoy ordering!

Not all of these ingredients will make the cut, but this is how I like to figure out recipes! I drag out every possible thing that I think I might want in there, then I just start adding and building flavor! 😀

The key to making Asian-style food, to me anyways, is to fresh whenever possible, and get your ducks all lined up beforehand! Chop and prep everything before you start cooking, as it does really go quite fast from there on!

Was I standing on my head when I took this photo??

The onions, steak and mushrooms are cooked, and the sauce and the bean sprouts are patiently waiting their turn!

I decided to take the meat mixture out and drain everything before adding the sauce. So glad that I did!

Here’s the sauce all cooked and thickened.

Then I added the meat mixture back into the pan along with the bean sprouts.

I just set it aside with a lid while I cooked the noodles since they only take 4 minutes. Like most chefs will always tell you, “the sauce can wait for the pasta, but the pasta should never wait for the sauce”! So true!!

I also decided to just add a few snipped green onions for garnish, rather than add them to the mixture itself so that we could have fresh with each leftover, reheated serving! 😉

I could’ve sworn that I had a small stash of pea pods in the freezer, but they obviously got used for something else long ago. Not a single broccoli floret was to be found, either. So we just had a very meaty supper and there were no complaints to be heard. 😉 Everything was delicious!!!! I served the Beef Lo Mein with homemade pork egg rolls that I’ll be sharing the recipe for tomorrow! So stay tuned, as they rocked, too! 😀

So if you don’t have a decent Asian restaurant nearby, or just would like to learn how to make a few dishes homemade, be sure to save this one along with other Chinese take out-style dishes that I’ve made! I think you’ll not only really enjoy them, but you’ll be quite surprised at how easy they really are to make!

Take care all!! Spring is almost here! 😀 Until next time, ~Kelly

My Pork Egg Roll recipe here!

Yield: 4-6 servings

Beef Lo Mein with Mushrooms & Bean Sprouts

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Ingredients

• 1 lb. flank, sirloin or beef tenderloin steak (thinly sliced into strips against the grain)
• 1 Tbl. canola oil
• 1 Tbl. soy sauce
• 2 tsp. regular sesame oil

Pan Ingredients:

• 2 tsp. sesame oil
• 2 Tbl. canola oil
• 1 large onion, halved and sliced into 1/2" wedges, (separate)
• (marinated steak)
• 1/2 tsp. coarse ground black pepper
• 8 oz. fresh sliced mushrooms

For Sauce Ingredients:

• 1 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
• 1 Tbl. grated or finely minced garlic
• 1/2 cup soy sauce
• 2 Tbl. dark brown sugar
• 2 tsp. hoisin sauce
• 1 tsp. sriracha hot sauce, (more if you prefer it a little hot and spicy)
• 1 tsp. Better Than Bouillon Beef Base, for extra flavor and saltiness
• 1/4 tsp. dried red pepper flakes
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 Tbl. cornstarch

Add Last:

• half of a 14 oz. can bean sprouts, drained (*save other half for homemade egg rolls)
• 2 - 4 green onions, green part sliced into 1/2 - 1" pieces (*or can snip thinly and as add as a garnish)
• 1 (8 oz.) bag lo mein noodles, cooked and drained
• (2 tsp. kosher salt to salt the water)
• 1 tsp. sesame oil

Optional Add-Ins:

• pea pods
• sautéed, steamed or oven-roasted broccoli
• sliced water chestnuts
• sautéed julienned carrots
• baby ears of corn, drained and rinsed
• dried red chili peppers if you peter it hot! (cook with sauce)
• [i]*Serve with more soy sauce at the table[/i]

Instructions

Place thinly sliced beef into a small ziploc baggie. Add canola oil, soy sauce and sesame oil. Close baggie well, squish to coat meat and marinate at least 1 hour. (While meat is marinating, chop and prep rest of ingredients).

In medium-small bowl, mix together sauce ingredients well. Set by stove until needed.

In large frying pan or wok, add Pan Ingredients starting with oils and heat over medium-high heat.

Add onions and sauté 2-3 minutes. Add steak, separating pieces with a spoon and tongs, add pepper. Toss and stir and cook until meat is no longer pink on the outside. About 3-4 minutes.

Add mushrooms and cook 2-3 minutes longer. Remove meat mixture with a slotted spoon to a bowl draining the liquid. Pour out liquid from frying pan and wipe out with a paper towel.

Stir sauce ingredients in bowl, then add to frying pan. Heat over medium heat until simmering, thickened and clearish. (Cook at least 3 - 4 minutes to cook ginger and garlic, stirring constantly.)

Add meat mixture back into sauce in frying pan. Add bean sprouts and toss well to coat and mix. Cover and set aside.

Bring a pan of water with salt to a boil and boil noodles according to package. (My lo mein noodles take 4 minutes.) Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain well. Toss with 1 tsp. sesame oil.

Add to frying pan with beef mixture and heat to medium-high. Toss and cook for one more minute once sizzling.

Pour into a serving bowl and top with snipped green onions.

*Serve with additional soy sauce at the table.

Notes

I used regular soy sauce for this, not low sodium. If using low sodium, you may have to add more.
Wonderful served with my Pork Egg Rolls!