Easy Beef Lo Mein

My son woke up one day last week with the flu.  Ughh!  Y'all have all been there, I'm sure.  You instantly have to switch modes, change the game plan, call the doc, get them on meds, the whole deal. Towards the end of the day, I asked him what he would like for dinner.  I thought the answer may be something like "soup."  Much to my surprise, the answer was "something Asian."  Okayyyyy...  "Surprise me," he said.  I sat there with a blank face for a good five minutes, I'm sure.  HaHa!!

This beef lo mein was very simple to make.  Basically, I marinated the beef for a while, cut up all my veggies, then stir fried everything in the wok before adding my noodles.  Okay - so this is quite an Americanized version.  I didn't run by the Asian market for fresh lo mein egg noodles, I'll admit.  But I figure you guys will probably have more access to linguine, too, right?  Remember... this is the fast and easy version.  I'm sure if you use the real noodles, they would be phenomenal.  :) 

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Ingredients:  (serves about 6-8)

• 1 3/4 pound top sirloin steak, cut into thin strips
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 3 Tbsp cornstarch
• 3 Tbsp soy sauce + 2 Tbsp (divided)
• 3 Tbsp canola oil, plus more for cooking
• 16 oz linguine noodles (or fresh lo mein egg noodles)
• 3 - 4 cups shredded Napa cabbage
• 4 oz bean sprouts
• 2 medium carrots thinly julienned 
• 1 red pepper, julienned
• 8 oz sugar snap peas
• 4 green onions/scallions, cut into 2 - 3" pieces
• 2 large cloves garlic, minced
• 3 Tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 3 Tbsp + 2 tsp toasted sesame oil
• kosher salt to taste
• 1 tsp chili garlic sauce
• 1 Tbsp light brown sugar

Step-by-Step:

The first thing I did was to get my meat "marinating."  I got the butcher to cut the steak for me into thin 2-3 inch strips.  *Just ask them!  It's a big time saver for you.  I added 3 Tbsp soy sauce, 3 Tbsp cornstarch, 3 Tbsp canola oil, and 1/4 tsp baking soda.

*I read that adding a little baking soda to the beef helps to tenderize it, so I decided to give this method a try.  For my 1 3/4 pounds of beef, I went with 1/4 tsp baking soda.  I was pleased with the outcome and texture of the beef.

Now we can just sit this aside for a while while we get all the other stuff cut up, etc.

I will have my linguini noodles cooked, thoroughly rinsed, drained, and ready to add later.

 

Before you begin cooking, have ALL of your vegetables cut up and ready to go!  From here, everything goes really quickly. 

The first thing we are going to get cooking is the beef, then we will set it aside.  Get your wok or skillet really hot (like almost smoking).  Add a couple tablespoons of oil and quickly sear the strips of beef.  It shouldn't take long at all.  Just a few minutes.  Then take the beef out and set it aside.  

canola oil

marinated beef strips

Except for my green onions, I added all of the veggies to the wok.  It will look like an enormous amount at first... but something weird happens, and it just wilts down to hardly anything.  Stir fry on medium-high'ish for a minute or so. 

2 med carrots. 1 red bell pepper. 4 cups Napa cabbage.

2 cloves garlic. 8 oz sugar snap peas.

stir fry a couple of minutes

Then start adding in the seasonings....  the rice vinegar....

3 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

the chili garlic sauce... *Control your heat here!

1 tsp chili garlic sauce

toasted sesame oil...

3 Tbsp + 2 tsp toasted sesame oil

 Do you wonder, at this point.... What happened to all of my wonderful Napa cabbage?

brown sugar...

1 Tbsp brown sugar

bean sprouts...

4 oz bean sprouts

Now just let all that cook for a few minutes until the firmer vegetables (like the carrots) begin to get tender.

Now add in the drained linguine (or lo mein noodles if you are using them), as well as the beef.

16 oz cooked, rinsed, drained linguine noodles

Stir fry another few minutes and adjust seasonings with additional soy sauce, salt, etc.  Mine tasted a bit "flat" without the addition of a bit more salt.  Hard to believe, right?  But we just added a lot of pasta to this.  

seared beef

Give everything a good stir.  Add in the green onion tops.  

4 green onions/scallions cut into 2-3 inch pieces

2 Tbsp soy sauce

Plate and serve.

Are you are still wondering about the patient?  Turns out, this was just what the doctor ordered!  Well, not really.  The doctor prescribed some pretty expensive medicine.  But the patient really enjoyed his dinner.  So that made for one happy mama... and one satisfied patient!  :)  This dinner had a little something for everyone.  Those of us who loved veggies had plenty.  The pickier ones had enough noodles and beef to definitely have their fill.  All-in-all, definitely a winner.  And for me - a great lunch for the office the next day!  WooHoo!!

I hope you enjoyed this simple and delicious recipe!

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Written Method:   

Note:  You could go with regular chicken breasts here if you need to, but I am going to save quite a bit of time by using the thin cut ones.  If you are using a regular breast, you will need to either slice them thin by butterflying them (like a book) and pounding them out to a uniform thickness, OR... cooking them quite a bit longer so that they will be completely cooked through.  If you would prefer chicken thighs or similar dark meat pieces, go for it, but please cook them longer than I am cooking these thin-cut breast pieces.

Season your chicken simply with kosher salt and black pepper.  Add a couple of tablespoons of olive oil to a heavy pan and let it get really hot.  Add the chicken to the pan.  The chicken should start to sizzle immediately.  If it doesn't, that means your oil is not hot enough.  You may need to add the chicken in batches depending on how much you are cooking.  Don't overcrowd the pan, as it will drop the oil temperature too much.  After a few minutes, flip the chicken over.  The chicken should release easily if it's ready.  If it sticks, it's not ready.  Remove the chicken to a plate and cover lightly if you wish to keep warm.

To that same pan, without cleaning it out, add your shallots.  I have my fire on about medium heat.  You can add an extra tablespoon of oil if you feel like you need.  If you do, add it along one wall of the pan, so that by the time it gets to the bottom, it's hot.  Sauté them around for a minute or so to allow them to wilt. Add in the garlic cloves.  I am not cutting them small.  They will really mellow out and get sort of roasted and sweet when they are like this in the sauce.  You can always pick out the large cloves later, but I betcha you will love them!  Go ahead and add in the crimini mushrooms now.  We will welcome the liquid that they are going to give off.  Let's get this all sautéed together.  

Add in the butter next for some silkiness.... Followed by that dry white wine (Sauvignon blanc in this case) to deglaze the pan. 

Note - Always use a wine that you are actually going to drink if you are a wine drinker.  If you are not a wine drinker, I recommend that you purchase the small little individual wines that are available in a 4 pack.  They are usually just the right amount for a recipe without having to purchase and open a whole bottle.

I am now bringing this all up to a boil, and adding in the fresh chopped tarragon.  Mmmm.  After it reduces a bit, I added the heavy cream.  We are in business now! When I get the sauce pretty much the consistency that I'd like it (which didn't take long at ALL), I added back the cooked chicken. I'm added the juice of half a lemon, just to add some brightness to the sauce.  Before serving, I added just a smidge more fresh tarragon.  Fresh herbs have a way of losing some of their pungency during the cooking process, so I wanted to make it just a little more assertive.

I served this gorgeous, silky sauce over some garlic mashed potatoes, with a side of roasted asparagus.  

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