Description
Um hello, you need this Steak Lo Mein recipe in your life, stat! This Chinese-inspired dish is loaded with big-time flavor, incredibly fresh, and insanely delicious. From start to finish, this lo mein noodle recipe comes together so easily. Sautéed vegetables like carrots, onions, mushrooms, and peppers combined with juicy steak and authentic lo mein noodles all enrobed in a flavor-packed umami sauce…whew!
Ingredients
For the sauce:
- 1 tablespoon potato starch (or cornstarch)
- ¼ cup water, plus more as desired
- ¼ cup dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine (or rice vinegar)
- 1 tablespoon packed brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon five spice powder
- ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
For the steak lo mein:
- 1 lb beef sirloin flap steak, sliced into strips/wedges
- 2-3 tablespoons olive oil (or avocado oil), plus more if needed
- 1 large carrot, peeled & then cut into batons
- 5 ounces shiitake mushrooms, sliced
- ½ large yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 lb pre-cooked frozen lo mein noodles (I use Twin Marquis brand)
- 6-8 scallions, thinly sliced- plus more for garnishing
Instructions
- Prep the sauce. In a bowl, combine the potato starch (or cornstarch) and water. Whisk the mixture until combined and fully dissolved. Then add the soy sauce, shaoxing wine (or rice vinegar), brown sugar, five spice powder, white pepper, and sesame oil. Whisk the mixture again until well combined.
- Season & marinate the beef. Add the sliced beef to a large bowl and cover with 2 tablespoons of the sauce. Toss the mixture well until the beef is fully coated. Then set aside to marinate for at least 30 minutes. Set the remaining sauce aside for later.
- Cook beef. In a wok or large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. Once the oil is shimmering, working in batches, add the beef- don’t overcrowd the pan. Cook the beef, searing well until the beef is golden brown and slightly crispy, about 2-3 minutes. Then use a slotted utensil to transfer the cooked beef to a clean plate and set aside. Repeat the process until all the beef is seared, adding more oil in between batches- only if your pan is dry.
- Build the stir fry. With all seared beef set aside, if needed, add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil to the pan. Then add the carrots, mushrooms, onion, and bell pepper and cook until softened and lightly caramelized, about 4-5 minutes. Then add the garlic and continue cooking until the garlic is fragrant, about 2 minutes.
- Boil lo mein. Meanwhile, on a separate burner, cook the lo mein according to your package directions- it should be no more than 3 minutes from frozen. Then drain and set aside.
- Add beef & finish off stir fry. Return the beef to the pan along with any residual juices that have collected, and add the cooked lo mein noodles, remaining sauce, and scallions. Stir-fry and toss the mixture gently until well combined and the noodles are glossy. Continue cooking until the sauce has thickened and creates a glaze over the beef, about 2-3 minutes or so.
- Serve. Remove from heat. If you’d like, add a splash more of hot water or broth to loosen the lo mein sauce, if desired. Serve the steak lo mein immediately with an extra garnish of sliced scallions. Enjoy!
Notes
- Lo mein noodles: These noodles are readily available in Asian grocery markets in either the refrigerated section with the fresh noodles or in the freezer section. I love the Twin Marquis brand!
- Please read blog post in its entirety for more tips + tricks.