This saucy beef lo mein is easily customizable with whatever protein and veggies you have sitting in your fridge! Perfect for a weeknight lunch or dinner!
A few tips for the tastiest beef lo mein
- Use fresh noodles (found in the refrigerated section of the grocery store)
- Undercook them by 1 min according to their package (they will finish cooking in the pan with the sauce). This will prevent noodles that are too soft
- After boiling the noodles, run them under cold water to prevent them from overcooking and getting too soft
- Slice all your veggies thinly into long strips! This will help them cook quickly and evenly, and the shape makes them easy to incorporate with the noodles
- To make this lo mein extra saucy, turn off the heat soon after you add the sauce
Check out my other restaurant favorite recipes:
If you enjoyed this Saucy Beef Lo Mein recipe...
I'd be so grateful if you left me a review below!
Be sure to subscribe to the smellylunchbox email list to receive more delicious recipes and cooking tips straight to your inbox. You can also follow me on Instagram, TikTok, and Youtube @smelly.lunchbox to stay up-to-date on my latest posts and recipes. I can't wait to share more with you!
Saucy Beef Lo Mein
This saucy and delicious Chinese takeout classic is easy to make at home and customize with what you have in the fridge -- and it's all done in under 45 minutes!
Ingredients
- 1 lb thick egg or wheat noodles (ideally fresh lo mein noodles)
- neutral oil for cooking
beef marinade
- 5 oz flank steak
- 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1/16 teaspoon white pepper
- 1/16 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon cornstarch
- 2 teaspoon water
- ½ teaspoon neutral oil
veggies and aromatics
- 3-4 cloves garlic chopped
- 2 stalks scallions thinly sliced, whites and greens separated
- 2 oz carrots thinly sliced
- 2 oz bell pepper thinly sliced
- ¼ onion thinly sliced
- 3 oz napa or green cabbage thinly sliced
sauce for noodles
- 2 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon white pepper
- ½ cup low sodium chicken broth or ½ cup water + ½ teaspoon chicken bouillon
- 2 teaspoon cornstarch
garnish
- 1 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 cup mung bean sprouts
Instructions
prepare the ingredients
- Slice the flank steak against the grain and at a slight bias to yield pieces with large surface area. Mix all the beef marinade ingredients together, leaving the oil for last to seal in the flavor. Set aside and let marinade while you prepare the other ingredients.5 oz flank steak, 1 teaspoon light soy sauce, 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine, ⅛ teaspoon salt, 1/16 teaspoon white pepper, 1/16 teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon cornstarch, 2 teaspoon water, ½ teaspoon neutral oil
- Prepare the aromatics and veggies. Chop the garlic, then thinly slice the rest of the aromatics and veggies so they’re all around the same size.3-4 cloves garlic, 2 stalks scallions, 2 oz carrots, 2 oz bell pepper, ¼ onion, 3 oz napa or green cabbage
- In a bowl, mix all the sauce ingredients for the noodles together well. Set aside.2 tablespoon oyster sauce, 1 tablespoon light soy sauce, 1 teaspoon dark soy sauce, 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine, 1 teaspoon sugar, ½ teaspoon salt, ⅛ teaspoon white pepper, ½ cup low sodium chicken broth, 2 teaspoon cornstarch
cook the noodles
- Cook the noodles a minute less than the package directions. For the brand I show, I only needed to cook for ~2 mins in boiling water. Remove, rinse in cold water to stop cooking, then drain. Drizzle with neutral oil to prevent sticking.1 lb thick egg or wheat noodles, neutral oil for cooking
cook the beef and veggies
- In a hot pan, add neutral oil and the marinated meat. Cook on both sides until there is no more pink left, and there’s slight char on the steak. Remove and set aside.neutral oil for cooking
- Add more oil to the pan if necessary. Add the aromatics: garlic, onions, and whites of the scallions. Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes or until fragrant, and then add the rest of the veggies.3-4 cloves garlic, 2 stalks scallions, 2 oz carrots, 2 oz bell pepper, ¼ onion, 3 oz napa or green cabbage
- Once the veggies have wilted a bit, add a light sprinkle of salt, and cook until they’ve softened but maintain a slight crunch.
combine with noodles
- Add the drained noodles and mix with the veggies.
- Give the sauce for the noodles a mix to remove any settled cornstarch, then add it around the perimeter of the pan. The pan should be hot enough so that the sauce sizzles. Mix thoroughly with the noodles to incorporate.
- For saucier noodles, turn off the heat at this point. Add the meat, bean sprouts, scallion greens, and a drizzle of sesame oil. Mix and enjoy!1 teaspoon sesame oil, 1 cup mung bean sprouts
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
