Fall is definitely in the air. The temperature is gradually dropping day by day. Just this morning, the temperature dropped to the mid-forties. Immediately when I stepped outside, I could feel the chill seep through my clothing. The leaves on trees are beginning to transition from bright green to shades of red, orange, and yellow. The changing leaves are definitely a sight of its own. I’ve finally started laying out my favorite cold weather sweaters to wear over the next few months. Projects at work have been picking up and in two weeks, I will finally be starting my professional baking class. I’m a bit nervous, but excited at the same time to continue improving upon my baking skills. Fall is my favorite season of the year. As we near the end of October, we are heading towards my favorite time of the year – the holiday stretch months of October through January. Halloween is creeping up in a few weeks. Right after Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas are around the corner. Then, we have New Year and Lunar New Year approaching shortly after. Although Christmas is still months away, I have already started brainstorming ideas for gifts to get my family and close friends. I’m most excited to be able to see my family and friends since I do not get to see them a lot throughout the year. This year though, I will have the opportunity to see most of my family, close friends, and Kevin’s family over the holiday stretch. The chill in the air has made me craving warmer meals. Today, I had intense cravings for lo mein tossed with tons of fresh crunchy vegetables. My vegetable lo mein features a mixture of onion, carrots, bok choy and scallions, a savory mixture of Asian sauces, some aromatics, and precooked lo mein noodles. I grew up eating noodles at least once a week. My family loves to cook noodles whenever we want a tasty, quick meal for lunch or dinner. Sometimes, we even make a version of tossed noodles for breakfast. Whether it’s stir-fried noodles or soup noodles, it is definitely a staple in our household. My version of vegetable lo mein is very easy to pull together for a quick savory Saturday lunch. In less than 30 minutes, the vegetable lo mein is ready for serving. Quick lunches are necessary for saving time while still enjoying a delicious, savory meal right before the college football game day starts at noon.
For the vegetable lo mein:
· 2 tablespoons light soy sauce
· 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
· 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine
· 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
· ½ tablespoon granulated sugar
· ¼ cup water
· 1 tablespoon corn starch
· 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
· 2 cloves of garlic, minced
· 1 inch piece of ginger, minced
· ½ large onion, thinly sliced
· 2 large carrots, cut into thin pieces
· 6-8 baby bok choy, quartered
· 4 stalks scallion, thinly sliced on a diagonal, white and green parts divided
· 1 (16 ounce) package of cooked lo mein noodles
· 3-5 sprigs Thai basil, stems removed
Directions:
1) In a bowl, combine the soy sauces, Shaoxng wine, oyster sauce, and sugar. Set aside. In another bowl, combine the water and corn starch to create a slurry. Set aside.
2) Heat a large skillet on medium heat. Once hot, add the vegetable oil. Add the garlic and ginger. Let cook for 30 seconds until aromatic. Add the sliced onion, carrots, bok choy, and white parts of the scallion to the skillet. Pour in the soy sauce mixture. Cook for 2-3 minutes. Add the package of cooked lo mein noodles. Toss the noodles in the vegetables and sauce. Let cook for another 2-3 minutes.
3) Turn off the heat and toss in the green parts of the scallion and the fresh basil leaves. Serve immediately.
Takeaways: The vegetable lo mein works well with crunchy vegetables. Feel free to add in or substitute sliced celery, snow peas, sugar snap peas, and peppers to increase the vegetable servings in the lo mein. For other spins, check out my chili oil cold noodles and Shanghai noodles.