BETTER THAN TAKEOUT - Lo Mein Noodles Recipe

Today we are going to make 蚝油捞面. Lo means to stir or mix in Cantonese. Mein means noodles. The name of this dish literally means oyster sauce mixed with noodles. It is an HK classic and it is going to be the easiest noodle recipe that you will ever see - only 5 ingredients are included! It might not look as colorful as other lo mein recipes, but it is surprisingly delicious. The oyster sauce really stands out and you can get a slight nuttiness from the peanut oil. You will never believe that a few simple ingredients, put together can be so tasty. I literally can not stop eating it.

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INGREDIENTS (serve 2)
- 2 portions of noodles (I used fresh egg noodles, about 300 g)
- 1.5 tbsp soy sauce
- 3 tbsp of oyster sauce
- 2 to 3 tbsp of peanut oil
- 1.5 tsp of dark soy sauce

INSTRUCTIONS

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Cook 2 portions of egg noodle until done. Fresh noodles only take a couple of minutes. If you used dried noodles, please follow the cooking instructions on the package.

While the noodles are being cooked, heat your wok to smoking hot. Then add 2-3 tbsp of oil. I prefer peanut oil because the nuttiness makes the noodle extra tasty. Once the oil starts smoking, turn off the heat (See tips 3)

By now, the noodles should be ready. Quickly take them out. Shake off the excess water and dump it into the wok along with 3 tbsp of oyster sauce, 1.5 tbsp of soy sauce, 1.5 tsp of dark soy sauce. Stir to mix well.

Give it a try to adjust the flavor because every brand of oyster sauce and soy sauce have a different level of sodium.

TIPS
1. Use a good quality oyster sauce since it is the key flavor. It decides whether this dish gonna come out good or not.
2. You can add some toasted sesame oil at the end if you like. I don’t because I used peanut oil already.
3. The reason I turned off the heat right before I add the noodles is that we are making Lo Mein, all you need to do is to stir and mix. If you keep the heat on, then, you are making Chao Mein, which means stir fry noodles. That will be a different cooking method. I will talk about it another day.

[aideflorian]

Finally noodles without veggies. As much as veggies are fun. I’ve always wanted this dish plain

[ebrakefml]

It's nearly 1am. I'm stuck at work. And now all I desperately want in the world is some lo mein.

I have a sad.

[zonacrs]

Thank you, never really knew the difference between Lo Mein and Chow Mein. I learn something every time I watch one of your videos.

[toninbx]

I would love a video of you taking us into your favorite Asian mart and showing us what you buy, your favorite brands and staples to have in your pantry for cooking. Please and thank you 🙏🏼

[davidfellows]

I am a home cook and I am getting into the Asian foods, Thai, Chinese, Korean. I am so Happy I found you on YouTube!!! I was looking for pasta/noodle recipes I just got the Kitchenaid pasta attachments and I found your noodle recipe. I am now going through all your amazing recipes! Thank you for explaining everything so well. The difference between good and cheaper, and what to use! I am an instant Fan and can't wait to make your recipes! I am making noodles tomorrow and I will make sure I make enough to use in the Lo Mein and the Beef Lo Mein recipes! Ciao!

[joepiano]

For my 1st ever Chinese dish I made your pork with chili peppers and my son and his friend said it was the best meal I've ever made them! Thanx for these videos and keep them coming! I hope you have a moo goo gain pan video...That's gonna be my next adventure

[Passionforfoodrecipes]

This recipe really looks lo mein-tenance!

[MikeCashVT]

I make this regularly, and always use peanut oil (more expensive, but definitely worth it!), however: I never turned off my wok, which, as I find out now, is the correct thing to do! I was making Chow Mein all along and didn’t know it! 🤭... thanks for the explanation! I do not use the sweet (dark) soy sauce, but definitely will! I WANT that color on my noodles and a little seems to go a very long way in achieving that! Just like restaurant quality. I’ve also added green onion to this, as a garnish at the end, and it delicious! A great, quick and easy meal for a family of four after an exhausting day and when you don’t want to cook for an hour. THANKS!

[kerinohwithatwist]

I’m making this recipe for dinner tonight. I’m gonna add green onions, garlic and thai pepper

[Annmus]

I am by no means a pro. I made this, thanks to your comprehensive instructions and it was absolutely delicious! Truly! Thank you so much!

[globalfoodiegal]

Mandy, I’ve searched for a plain lo mein recipe for my son who is sick. He can only eat soft chopped foods and lo mein is one of his favorites. Thank you for letting me give this to him again. Picking veggies out of the dish is frustrating. (P.S. Your beef lo mein is spectacular. I’ve already made it twice and my husband wants it again.)

[katherinepineda]

I'm not very skilled in the kitchen, but I was able to make this recipe and it tasted delicious. I'm really grateful towards you, greetings from the Caribbean ❤

[monobloc]

this woman is so adorable! i love her and her recepies.

[shaybob]

THIS is what I was looking for!!! I love love LOVE plain lo mein without the texture of veggies. Pasta + veggie slivers is just not a texture I can handle but I love the flavor of lo mein.

I have one restaurant near me that serves it plain and I order from them all the time but having a simple recipe I can make myself just makes things 10 times better and cheaper.

Thanks for sharing this. I cant wait to try it myself!

[coldmuntain]

Made this recipe today for the first time and it came out delicious, I followed recipe exactly but adjusted the amount of oyster sauce, soy sauce, and dark soy sauce so it wasn't too salty and topped with a drizzle of sesame oil & sesame seeds. Such an easy to make dish full of flavor, Thank You for teaching us all so many wonderful recipes!

[ljc]

I like you...I don’t know exactly all the reasons...I could watch you cook AND EDUCATE all day! Maybe that’s one of the main reasons I like you...you are calm, your videos don’t have silly distracting music or graphics....you just share generously and educate! Please keep making videos!

[johannepaquette]

I made this and it was AWESOME! I didn’t have dark soy sauce so I used Golden dragon Teriyaki. So good. Thank you for sharing.

[JoshuaArmaketo]

Mandy, you have the best recipes on youtube. Thank you for teaching us.

[sayaka]

I didn’t have dark soy sauce, but even without it the Lo mein tasted sooo good

[CookingWithCrocker]

I tried this recipe with both dried and fresh homemade noodles, and both are absolutely fantastic! So simple yet so delicious! It's a must try!