I love noodles Be it chow mein or Maggi. My weekend special is a big bowl of noodles with some Manchurian. However, the only issue was they were plain flour based. Hence, I load them with veggies so that it becomes a healthier meal. Most people know about Hakka noodle, chopsuey, chowmein and spring roll. Another great variety is Lo mein. Mein, meaning noodles.
Asian food is easy to cook. You can add loads of veggies and some basic sauce. You may also make a stir fry along with it. Have it along with veg fried rice if people are coming over. Good food tastes great when you gulp it down with a huge glass of lemon soda. Also, add some sriracha on the top if you like it hot and spicy.
Sometimes having veg hakka noodles or just basic noodle is a blissful bowl of comfort. Best part is I can feed loads of veggies to my toddler. Minimize the chilli and sauces for kids. I am sure all kids will enjoy this veg noodles recipe.
Tip: Invest in a good chopper/ mandolin slicer/ food processor to get things done fast.
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How many different types of Asian noodles are there?
I recently discovered there are many other types of noodles too. There are 3 main categories - Rice, wheat and glass or cellophane. Some important ones are udon, soba and ramen. I love using soba which has buckwheat or kuttu along with plain flour. Whole wheat noodles are also great.In most Asian restaurants egg noodles are used. I do not use eggs in my cooking. Hence, I try to get the remaining ones.
One big difference is whether the noodle cake is fried or not. You will get the information if it is fried or not on the packet. Just like pasta, noodles can be thin or thick too. Veg lo mein (mein meaning noodles) is an easy noodle recipe where the noodles are thicker and are tossed. They are usually fresh or packet ones which are not fried. Some people use egg noodles for this recipe. Hence, always check the packet and choose a vegan variety as per your taste.
Ingredients
- Oil
- Plain noodle packet ( I prefer Ramen/Soba/Udon)
- Salt and pepper
Mixed veggies (cabbage, peppers/ capsicum, onion), ginger,garlic
Sauces
- Soy sauce
- Sweet and hot chilli sauce
- Rice wine vinegar
- Maple syrup or Honey (optional)
Mix all these sauces,to be added to noodles later.
How to make wok tossed noodles ? Step by step:
- Heat water in a pan, add noodles and cook as per the instructions on the noodles packet. Do not overcook.
- Remove the hot water and pass the noodles through cold water for a couple of times. Remove the excess water and toss 1 tbsp. oil ,keep the noodles aside. Sieve and transfer them to a plate.
- Heat oil in a wok. Add ginger and garlic ,followed by onions. Fry the onions on a medium high heat for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the cabbage and cook for a 1-2 minutes on high flame/heat.
- Add the peppers to the mix and cook it for few minutes.
Now, add the noodles to the cooked vegetables.
Add the sauce mix to the noodles.
Cook for 2-3 minutes and toss them well , use a kitchen tong to mix the noodles if required.
- Serve vegetable lo mein noodles hot or warm. You may adjust the sauce as per your liking.
Substitutions
You can also use egg noodles or soba noodles(buckwheat) to make this recipe.
Variations
- Serve it with or without Manchurian.
- Sometimes I love adding left over rice to the mix too, like my dad. It might sound strange, but it is a great way to reduce waste.
- Like him, you can also add a fried egg or chicken to make chicken Hakka noodle if you are not vegan.
- You can also use soba noodle instead of plain to make this recipe.
- You can also make hakka noodles vegan just by getting a vegan version of Soy sauce or other sauces . All other ingredients used are vegan.
Equipment
Invest in a hand-crafted wok for getting the best dish. Wok tossed noodles are great because cook time is reduced as it heats up real fast. If you do not have a wok, you can still make them in a pan.
Use kitchen tongs to mix the noodles with vegetables in the wok if required.
Use a food processor for easy chopping.
Top tip
- Use a chopper or food processor to reduce preparation time.
- Do not over cook the veggies as wok retains a lot of heat. It will continue to cook on its own until served even when it is off the flame.
- Do not over boil the noodles. Look at the packet for cooking instructions.
Looking for interesting Asian inspired dishes?
- Chilli Paneer
- Gobi Manchurian
- Veg Manchurian
- Manchow soup
- Tofu soup/pho
- Vietnamese salad
- air fried frozen spring rolls
- Homemade spring rolls in air fryer
- Vegan Pad Thai
Vegan lo mein recipe
Equipment
- wok
- saucepan
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon oil ( use sesame oil for a good flavor)
- 300 gms noodles Udon/soba/Ramen or any other that you like
- 1 tablespoon ginger finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon garlic finely chopped
- 1 small onion finely chopped
- ½ medium green bell pepper thinly sliced
- ½ medium red bell pepper thinly sliced
- 1 cup cabbage thinly sliced
- ¼ cup spring onion greens finely chopped
Sauce mix
- 2 tablespoon soy sauce
- 2 tablespoon hot chilli sauce Adjust as per your taste.if you do not prefer hot,use sweet chilli sauce
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup to balance the heat from the sauce.Not required if you are using sweet chilli instead of hot chilli sauce above.
- 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar or plain white vinegar
- Salt and pepper as per taste balance the salt as per the saltiness of the soy sauce
Instructions
- Mix all the sauce together and keep it aside.
- Boil water and add noodles and salt to it. Cook for 3-5 mins.Refer to timings on the veg noodles packet.
- Drain the water and toss it with 1 tablespoon oil. Keep it aside.
- Heat oil in a wok. Add ginger and garlic ,followed by onions. Fry the onions on a medium high heat for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the cabbage and cook for a 1-2 minutes on high flame/heat.
- Add the peppers to the mix and cook for 1-2 mins.
- Add noodles,salt,pepper and sauces to it. Toss them and cook for 2-3 mins.
- Serve noodles hot and enjoy!
Notes
Check and cook the noodles according to the instructions on the pack so that you do not overcook them. The amount of sauce can be adjusted as per your choice. Adjust Salt as per the usage of Soya sauce as it has good amount of salt. You may add more veggies such as celery,snap peas etc
Chow mein is made with fried noodles but in lo mein they are not fried. Hence, lo mein has almost 50% less fat and calories than chow mein.
Hoisin sauce made with soy , chilli, garlic, spices, salt and sugar
Chowmein is made from thin dry noodles which are par boiled for 5-6 mins and then fried with veggies. Lo mein are thick fat chewy noodles which are boiled for few minutes and then added after veggies are cooked.
Please share your inputs..