"My Favorite Things" Lo Mein

I guess it's a recurring theme in this blog, encouraging you to stray from the recipe instructions.

This recipe for lo mein is no different.  I change it up every time!  Depending upon which ingredients I have on hand, it could be a side dish (heavy on the veggies) or a main dish (heavy on the protein).

The following list of ingredients is just a starting point........maybe you don't have to change the seasonings, but you definitely should change the meat and veggie ingredients to reflect your (and your family's) favorite foods.

"My Favorite Things" Lo Mein

• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/4 cup hoisin sauce
• vegetable oil
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 3 garlic cloves, crushed
• fresh ginger, 1 two-inch piece, peeled and grated
• 4 scallions, chopped
• 1 pound of spaghetti
• 1 1/2 lbs of beef/chicken/shrimp/pork (any combo)
• 4 to 6 cups of your favorite veggies: celery, carrots, mushrooms, water chestnuts, bean sprouts, green or red peppers~~whatever you like!

Mix the soy sauce, hoisin sauce and about 1/4 cup of water in a small bowl and set aside for later.

Gather your protein ingredients......



.......and your veggies.

I am using 3/4 pound each of chicken and pork, and celery, a can of sliced water chestnuts, scallions and carrots.

 Prep your meat.  I sliced the chicken into thin strips, and I trimmed all the yucky white stuff from the pork and also sliced it into strips.

Prep the veggies.  I sliced the scallions (4 of them) and celery (2 very large ribs).  I used a vegetable peeler to peel the carrots (3 medium-size) into thin ribbons.  I grated the ginger, chopped the water chestnuts and peeled the garlic.  When it's time to add the garlic, I will crush it directly into the pan.

Boil a large pot of water, cook the spaghetti according to package directions.

While the pasta cooks, heat a large skillet (or electric skillet) over medium heat.  Add just enough vegetable oil (about 1 to 2 teaspoons) to coat the pan. 

When the oil is hot, add the eggs.  Swirl them around to coat the bottom of the pan.  When they're kinda/sorta set.........

.....turn off the heat and flip them/turn them to cook the other side.  It doesn't have to be pretty, notice the big, gaping hole in my eggs.  You're just going to chop them up into little pieces, no one will notice that your egg-flipping skills are lacking.

Using your spatula, roll up the eggs and remove them from the skillet to a cutting board.  Or in this case, a cutting board that is too small.

Slice up the eggs into little ribbons, lengthwise and crosswise.

Turn the heat back up to medium/high in the skillet.  Add two tablespoons of vegetable oil.

When the oil is hot, add the meat.  Season with the coriander.  Stir-fry for 4 or 5 minutes.

Push the meat to the sides of the skillet and add the garlic, ginger, scallions and veggies to the middle of the skillet.  Stir-fry the veggies for 2 or 3 minutes, just until they start to get tender.

Drain the spaghetti and put it back into the pot you boiled it in.

Add the meat and veggies, eggs and the reserved soy/hoisin sauce and toss it together to combine.

Let it sit for a minute or two so the pasta can absorb the sauce.

Season with salt and pepper, to taste.  Serve with duck sauce, if desired.  Enjoy!!