What is Lo Mein?
Lo mein is traditionally a Chinese dish with egg noodles, vegetables, and meat. It’s full of sweet, spicy, and umami flavors. The noodles are cooked and then stir-fried for a soft, flavorful texture. Lo mein means “stirred noodles” in Cantonese. If you’ve ever ordered house special lo mein at a restaurant, you’ve probably enjoyed these flavors firsthand.
What is in House Special Lo Mein?
A house special lo mein is a type of lo mein that varies depending on who is making it and what they have “in-house.” Chicken Lo Mein might only use chopped chicken and vegetables, but a house special Lo Mein at the same restaurant might include chicken, beef, shrimp, and seasonal vegetables. It all depends on what is available and who is cooking it.
I naturally use a lot of fermented vegetables in my house special lo mein. Here are all the fun fermented ingredients I included:
Lo Mein vs. Chow Mein
Some people confuse lo mean and chow mein. These dishes are similar, but the main difference is the cooking method. Egg noodles are the main ingredient in both dishes; however, the cooking method differs. Boiled cooked noodles make lo mein softer in texture, while crispy, stir-fried noodles give chow mein more crunch.
Is House Special Lo Mein Gluten Free?
Lo mein is not usually gluten-free, and the traditional egg noodles used to make lo mein are made with wheat. I used gluten-free brown rice noodles for this house special lo mein recipe. I think you can use whatever noodle suits your dietary needs.
My House Special Lo Mein with Rotisserie Chicken and Kimchi
My house special lo mein with rotisserie chicken is a quick and easy noodle dish, perfect for a weeknight dinner! It comes together in just 30 minutes, and clean-up is simple. This recipe is easily customizable; you can make it with gluten-free noodles or traditional egg noodles.
- Prep: 10 minutes
- Cook: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons avocado oil
- 1 Tablespoon Ginger Root, Grated
- 4 fermented Garlic Cloves, Minced
- 1/2 cup fermented Onion, Chopped
- 1/2 Cup Carrots, Julienned
- 3 fermented peperoncini peppers, Julienned
- 1 Cup Fresh Green Beans
- 2 cups rotisserie chicken, deboned and chopped
- 12 Ounces Brown Rice Spaghetti Noodles, Cooked and Drained
- 4 Tablespoons Tamari
- 2 Teaspoons Toasted Sesame Oil
- 2 Teaspoons Maple Syrup
- 2 tablespoons chicken Stock
- 1/4 Cup Fermented Kimchi, Drained
- 4 Green Onions, Chopped
Instructions
- Boil your noodles until they are cooked. Drain, rinse and set aside.
- In a wok over medium heat, sauté the oil, ginger, onion, and garlic.
- Once the garlic and ginger are dark brown, add in the carrots, peppers, and green beans. Cook for about 2 minutes, or until the carrots soften slightly.
- Add in the tamari, sesame oil, maple syrup, and chicken stock. Mix until evenly combined, and allow to simmer for about 3 minutes.
- Add in the noodles and chicken and toss until evenly combined.
- Remove from heat and add the kimchi.
- Toss to combine, top with green onions and sesame seeds and serve
Stumbled across this recipe and made it for my hungry boys. They gobbled it right up! Made it very close as written, didn’t have vegetable broth so just used water and it was still very flavorful! They especially loved how great my kitchen smelled as I was preparing it. Might add some water chestnuts next time but really this is a perfect one pot meal! Thank you!