Better Than Takeout Shrimp Lo Mein Recipe
Tender shrimp, crisp-tender veggies, and glossy noodles tossed in a deeply savory sauce. This shrimp lo mein is quick, family-friendly, and better than takeout. Whenever one of my kids falls in love with a restaurant dish, I figure out how to make it at home. My son is obsessed with shrimp lo mein, and it turns out it’s surprisingly easy to recreate from scratch.
Servings: 4
Ingredients
Shrimp
- 1 Tablespoon shoyu tamari, or coconut aminos
- 1 ½ teaspoons avocado oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons arrowroot powder or cornstarch
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 pound medium shrimp preferably wild, peeled and deveined
Vegetables
- 5 cloves garlic minced
- 1 Tablespoon fresh minced peeled ginger
- 1 medium carrot cut to julienne strips (watch the video to see how I do this)
- 3 cups sliced cabbage
- 1/2 onion sliced
- 5 scallions chopped white and green parts separated
- 6 shiitake or your favorite mushrooms caps wiped clean with a damp paper towel, sliced
- 2 cups bean sprouts these go bad fast, so buy them and use them or just swap in another crunchy quick-cooking vegetable
Noodles (you can probably make this with other noodles, including shirataki or kelp noodles)
- ¾ pound lo mein noodles fresh or dried, or spaghetti (you can use fewer noodles and more veg)
- 1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
Sauce
- 3 Tablespoons shoyu tamari, or coconut aminos
- 1 Tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 Tablespoon shaoxing wine or dry sherry I always swap dry sherry for Chinese rice wine
- 1 Tablespoon water
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 ½ teaspoons sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons arrowroot powder or cornstarch
Instructions
- In a large bowl, whisk together shoyu, oil, arrowroot, baking soda, white pepper, and salt. Add the shrimp and toss to coat. Marinate for 15-20 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
- Prepare your vegetables and set aside.
- Whisk together all sauce ingredients in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- Cook noodles until al dente (check the package directions), drain in a colander, rinse with cold water and shake as much moisture off as possible. Coat with sesame oil to prevent sticking.
- Heat a wok or large pan (12 inches or larger) over medium-high heat. Sear the shrimp in 3 tbsp of oil for 2-3 minutes or until barely cooked through. Transfer to a clean plate and set aside.
- Add more oil to the wok if needed, sauté the garlic and ginger until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add all of the vegetables, except for the scallion greens and bean sprouts. Sauté for a few minutes until vegetables have softened, but are still tender. Add the noodles, shrimp, and sauce and mix until everything is evenly coated and the sauce has thickened. Add scallion greens and bean sprouts and toss to combine. Taste for seasoning and serve.
Notes
- Have everything prepped before you start cooking. Stir-fries move fast.
- Don’t overcook the shrimp. They go from juicy to rubbery quickly. Look for just-opaque centers and a C-shape curl.
- Use high heat to sear without steaming the vegetables.
- Drain noodles well and toss with sesame oil to avoid clumping and sogginess.
- Double the sauce if you love your lo mein on the saucier side.
- Shrimp lo mein is best fresh, but leftovers reheat beautifully in a hot skillet or microwave. For meal prep, store noodles, shrimp, and sauce separately and combine just before reheating.