Whenever I would take-out vegetable lo mein I’d always be disappointed by the limp vegetables and overcooked noodles…so I make it myself of course. I julienned all of my favorite vegetable – lots of them – and did a quick stir fry in sesame oil and then made the sauce my own with soy sauce and a splash of orange juice, and broth, garlic, ginger and a pinch of cayenne. To all this goodness I added slightly undercooked lo mein noodles, reheating them in the sauce and veggies…until all was blended together in perfect al dente doneness!

Ingredients (serves 2)

8 oz of lo mein noodles – cooked, drained and cooled when still firm

1 medium carrot – julienned

1 small red pepper – ribs removed and julienned

1 small zucchini – julienned

1 jalapeno pepper – ribs removed and julienned

4 oz of shiitake mushrooms – sliced thin

4 oz of frozen baby peas

1/4 cup sesame oil – or enough to cover the bottom of the skillet

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup chicken or vegetable broth

Juice from 1/2 orange

1 teaspoon brown sugar

1 teaspoon of grated fresh ginger

1 garlic clove -finely chopped

Pinch of red pepper flakes

Pinch of cayenne pepper – optional

Garnish with chopped parsley or cilantro

Instruction

Place a large skillet over medium/high heat, add oil and heat until hot but not smoking.

Add all of the vegetables except the zucchini and peas. Cook for about 1 minute and follow with the remaining veggies.

Cook for a minute and then add the garlic and ginger and  cook for about 30 seconds just until it begins to color and follow with the soy sauce, the broth, the orange juice, the sugar, the pepper flakes and the cayenne if you want a bit of heat.

Cook for about another minute, move the veggies aside, add the noodles. Check the seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed. Cook for another minute, remove from the heat and serve. Garnish with chopped parsley and/or cilantro if desired.