Lo-Mien

This weeks veggies came with baby bok choy, shitake mushrooms, ginger, and green onions which I thought would make a perfect stir fry. Instead of serving it with rice, I opted to turn it into a lo-mien instead.

The most time consuming part is prepping all the vegetables so, I poured myself a cocktail and got started.

Because I was serving the dish with noodles, I wanted the cut on the vegetables to imitate the shape and length of the noodle...so, everything [bok choy, green onions, carrots, mushrooms] got cut into long thin strips and then set aside. I had already purchased top sirloin that was already cut into long thin strips for stir fry.

I also very finely chopped 2 cloves of garlic and set aside separately.

Next, I pulled a small nub off the fresh ginger, peeled it, and finely diced it as well.

Now time for the sauce. The great thing about stir-fry/lo-mien sauces is that you mix them up cold in a separate bowl. This allows you to experiment add add seasoning to your taste. I started with a beef bouillon cube [crumbled] and about a 2 cups of water. Next, I added several dashes of soy sauce, several dashes of balsamic vinegar, a generous splash of sesame oil, and a great Hoisin Garlic [Soy Vay]sauce I found at the grocery. I had looked at recipes on the internet before going to the store and they all seem to variations of similar ingredients: soy sauce, some sort of vinegar, sesame oil, and then something sweet such as plum sauce or hoisin. Some had wine or sherri as well. So, use what you have available...our grocery had no plum sauce or hoisin so I considered myself fortunate when I found the Hoisin Garlic sauce oddly located over the frozen chicken.

Next, I added half my minced garlic and the ginger and gave it a big stir.

Now, you can taste and add whatever you want but remember to keep the sauce LIGHT because it is going to flavor your entire dish. A heavy sauce now may taste good on your finger, but will totally overpower the delicate flavor of the veggies. If you over do it now, just add some water. Once you've achieved the flavor you were looking for, add a generous tablespoon of corn starch and give it a whisk.

***NOTE: In hind sight, I should have mixed the sauce first so that it would have had more time to let the flavors meld and for the ginger to infuse it's flavor.

The last thing that needs to be prepared is the noodles, so go ahead and get them ready according to package directions erring on the side of under cooked in order to keep them al dente.

Now, you are ready to put everything together. First heat up a heavy skillet or a wok on medium high heat. Once hot, add a small amount of sesame oil and give that just a second to heat. Now add the beef and the remaining minced garlic. After a few seconds, give everything a stir. Cook for just a minute longer, and then remove meat from skillet and return skillet to the flame to re-heat. Add a touch of oil. Give it a second. Now add the veggies. Give them a minute and then a stir. Vegetables should remain some-what crisp. Now, add your sauce and bring to a quick bubble...it's that bubbling that thickens the sauce. Reduce heat & add the noodles. Give it a good stir and you're ready to serve.

Ingredients: Various veggies, soy sauce, vinegar, hoisin, garlic, sesame oil, corn starch, meat of choice, noodles [lo-mien noodles, linguine, or spaghetti] - I used Tinkyada white rice spaghetti - see Boat Noodles.