06.15.12_Veggie Tales' Lo Mein


Lo mein is one of my favorite dishes to order when we get Chinese carryout. Something about the endless takeout box of greasy noodles is just so good. I decided I would try to make my own Lo Mein and did a little Googling to see if I could find a recipe. Each recipe had something I didn't like or wanted to sub out so in the end I just merged several different recipes to create my own. I didn't realize it at the time but that the dish is actually vegan (except for the honey we used was not).

Like spaghetti, the name actually refers to the noodle, not the actual recipe so this dish ended up being less like Chinese restaurant Lo Mein than I had hoped for, but it definitely had good spice and tasted great. The dish was sweet but had a nice kick from the cayenne and an unexpected flavor from the curry. We had our friend McKinsey over for dinner that night and she brought over some vegetarian egg rolls as a side.


Veggie Tales' Lo Mein
Serves 5-6

  • 1 package Lo Mein noodles (can sub spaghetti)
  • 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 cup shredded carrots
  • 1/2 cup sliced red bell peppers
  • 1 onion, sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 cup fresh bean sprouts 
  • 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger 
  • 1 tablespoon cornstarch
  • 1 cup veggie stock
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • 1/2 cup tamari or soy sauce
  • 1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
  • 1/4 teaspoon curry powder


1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook lo mein noodles according to directions on package (approximately 8 to 10 minutes).

2. While noodles are cooking, heat oil in a large wok or saute pan. Stir fry carrots, peppers, onion, ginger and garlic until tender.

3. Mix cornstarch and chicken broth in a large mixing cup or small bowl. After cornstarch has disolved, stir in honey, tamari, cayenne pepper and curry powder.  Add to vegetable mixture and cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. 

4. Remove from heat and stir in bean sprouts and add sesame oil. If you add the beans sprouts too early they will basically dissolve.

5. Finally, toss the cooked noodles with the stir fry and dinner is served!

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