Vegetable Lo Mein | Kenji's Cooking Show

This video is based on an article and recipe I wrote for the NYT about wok hei, the smoky flavor common in many stir-fries (especially Cantonese). Read up on the elements that create it and how to replicate them at home with the link above.

[falxie_]

I like that you show the prep, a lot of YouTubers just immediately have the ingredients prepped which makes everything seem much faster than it is

[Azaghal]

I love your way of "recipe says X but i'm going to use Y because that's what i have" it's really home-cook-friendly, and prevents waste of food ;)

[stufffstufffington]

Using a salad spinner to strain and dry noodles is genius, this is the kind of cooking hack I love

[danielnusdeo]

Honestly, you are my favorite contemporary chef. You're so wholesome and down-to-earth about your entire process. "Don't have ____? Use or ____, or It's really useful for all of us aspiring amateur chefs who love to make a great meal but don't necessarily have access to every single ingredient.

The dogs at the end were the icing on the cake.

[CLH]

6:23 a trick among Japanese home cooks is to boil pasta and then add baking soda at last one minute of cooking the noodles. Somehow the noodles turn into ramen noodle like texture and can be used for Asian dishes.

[xavier]

Hey Kenji! my girlfriend is vegetarian and sometimes it can be hard to find foods that we both really like and can both eat. Her and i are getting more into cooking and seeing a veggie dish like this is super helpful so thank you! Hopefully there will be more veggie or modifiable recipes in the future too.

[aaronsmicrobes]

I love that your bigger dog seems to have gotten more interested in food throughout the pandemic. I remember you mentioning early on that he wasn't as food motivated, but now it seems he's there in every video ready to get a treat.

[garneycarnage]

Hey Kenji my daughter absolutely loves Every Night is Pizza Night, as do I! Thanks for all the great content

[keefahh]

Another shoutout to Chinese cooking demystified! really good to see

[pranaydhawan]

"I sprout mung beans on a damp paper towel in my desk drawer. Very nutritious, but they smell like death"

[ktaoable]

Hi Kenji! Love everything...everything that you do. Thank you. Can you show us how you organize your kitchen and supplies someday? maybe what you stock regularly as your kitchen staples and how you like to grocery shop?

[itsthepens]

The torch on the noodles and vegetables is a great idea, and allows you to get some of that burnt oil wok hei flavour and a light Maillard on those items without over-cooking them. To really bump up the wok hei sodium-salty-soy-oil burn, I’ve started slightly burning a little oil in a wok, throwing in the sauces soy and sesame and then immediately pouring it out into a small bowl. I then just throw a teaspoon of my ‘burnt wok mix’ in at the end alongside the non-burnt versions and it’s as though I’ve cooked the dish in a cloud of orange flames over a real wok burner. The burnt wok mix also seems to keep well in the fridge for a couple weeks.

[LukasKlein]

Cooking is just the greatest, it feeds your soul and your body at the same time

[awgrant]

I appreciate your art Kenji. Very accessible and it makes me want to expand my palate and skill set. Thank you

[cod]

Kenji's Lo Mein Recipe:

Kosher salt
8 ounces fresh Chinese egg noodles
Rice bran, peanut, canola or other neutral, high-temperature frying oil
4 ounces fresh shiitake mushroom caps, thinly sliced
4 ounces Napa or green cabbage, thinly sliced
1 small carrot, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
1 small yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
3 scallions, trimmed, cut into 2-inch segments, then thinly sliced lengthwise
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
¼ teaspoon white pepper
2 ounces mung bean sprouts (about 3/4 cup), sprouted end picked off and discarded

YIELDS 2-3 SERVINGS

[jairajmahadev]

Chinese cooking demystified is really underrated imo

[darcyjorgensen]

Kenji is not just an excellent teacher, he helps us to go from fearful to fearless in the kitchen.

[tipsytahls]

Your videos have taught me so many cooking skills I felt were too difficult for an amateur and definitely shown me how easy it is to cook amazing food at home. Thank you!

[jgoree]

The go pro view is so much better. Watching from that angle makes it a lot faster to learn. Thanks Kenji

[partingofways]

Like many others, I just found you and jeeze I love your style. It’s 100% the way I wanna cook myself, knowledgeable about what why and how, but flexible enough to give alternatives for when it isn’t an option for whatever reason. I love knowing how things interact and come together when cooking. Babish always said “creator of all good recipes ever, j kenji Lopez-alt” and I’m so glad I finally listened and looked you up. Not to mention your personality is just icing on the cake.