Vegetable Noodle Stir Fry or Vegetable Lo Mein, a delicious and healthy Chinese recipe that is ready from scratch in about 15 minutes. The sauce is easy to make at home, and you can use any vegetables you have around. Quick, simple, but big on flavours, this is a fantastic midweek dinner that can be enjoyed by the whole family.
Chinese take-away always sounds like a great idea, and yes, there is plenty of choice out there, some cheaper than others. But, how about a homemade version, as delicious, but a lot healthier? And way cheaper too. Plus, you get to use whatever ingredients you want or have.
And also make it as fiery or as mild as you like. Does it sound too good to be true? Well, it is that good actually. Noodles are a favourite with us, and can be cooked in so many different ways. Yes, the instant ones might sound like a good idea when time is short, but my vegetable noodle stir fry is ready in just 15 minutes.
And, trust me, you actually get to eat real food, as opposed to some dodgy noodles that come with an even dodgier sachet of powder to give it some sort of taste. Yuck! This vegetable lo mein is vegetarian, as I used egg noodles, but egg-free noodles can be used for a vegan version.
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Ingredients needed
- egg noodles - or the noodles of your choice
- carrots
- bell pepper
- mushrooms
- spring onions
- cloves of garlic
- chopped ginger
- vegetable oil - for stir frying
- light soy sauce
- dark soy sauce
- sesame oil - for a lovely sesame touch
- rice vinegar - it's the best in stir-frying as its sharpness adds flavour to the sauce
- sugar - it balances out the sharpness of the sauce
Step-by-step photos and instructions
- start by stir frying the chopped spring onions, garlic and ginger, you only need about a tablespoon of oil, and stir fry them for 30 seconds or so
Spring onions, garlic and ginger are the very base of our vegetable stir fry. They might be some common ingredients, but they give all the flavour we need, so not to be omitted.
- add the chopped mushrooms, and julienne-cut carrots and peppers, and stir fry for about 1-2 minutes, until they beginner to soften
I quite like using mushrooms in stir fries, as their high water contend adds moisture, which helps the other vegetable soften. Make sure the peppers and carrots are cut really thinly.
- make the sauce by combining the soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sesame oil, rice vinegar and sugar, and add the sauce to the vegetables, and leave to cook for about one minute, at the stage the vegetables will cook to perfection.
- Once we have the vegetable stir fry getting ready, we can cook the noodles and have them ready to be added to the pan.
Egg noodles are the most common ones, and we quick to make. Just follow the packet instructions and drain the water when they are cooked.
Expert tips
Stir frying vegetables is quick and easy, and can be done just before the noodles are cooked. I like the veggies to have a tiny bit of crunch, but still be cooked, rather than boiled until tender.
One golden rule, before you start stir frying, is to have all the vegetables already chopped, as stir frying is done quickly.
You can also used ramen noodles or any other kind of noodles you have. Just make sure they are cooked before adding them to the stir fry though, as they won't cook further at this stage.
Other stir fry recipes
Healthy Chinese Chicken and Broccoli Stir Fry
Quick Chicken and Asparagus Stir Fry
Spicy Shrimp Stir-Fry with Noodles
Chinese Broccoli and Beef Noodles Stir Fry
If you’ve liked my VEGETABLE NOODLE STIR FRY or any other recipe on the blog then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you! You can also FOLLOW ME on FACEBOOK, and PINTEREST to see more delicious food and what I’m getting up to.
Vegetable Noodle Stir Fry
Ingredients
- 2 egg noodle nests
- 2 carrots
- 1 bell pepper
- 1 cup mushrooms
- 2 spring onions
- 2 cloves of garlic
- 1 tablespoon chopped ginger
- 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
For the sauce
- 3 tablespoon light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- ½ tablespoon rice vinegar
- ½ tablespoon sugar
Instructions
- Chop the spring onions, peel and chop the ginger and garlic cloves.
- Chop the mushrooms, and julienne cut the peeled carrots and pepper (it can be of any colour).
- Heat up the oil in a pan or wok, making sure it's on a high heat, add the chopped spring onions, garlic and ginger, and stir fry for 30 seconds until fragrant.
- Add the chopped mushrooms, carrots and pepper, and stir fry for about 2 minutes, until they begin to soften.
- Boil the noodles according to the packet instructions, drain and set aside.
- Combine the soy sauces, sesame oil, vinegar and sugar, and add the sauce to the vegetables, leaving it to cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the drained noodles, and toss well to combine.
- Garnish with more chopped spring onions if you like.
Lynn
I’m taking 1 star away because the listed prep time is 5 minutes. It takes way more than 5 minutes to gather all the ingredients, then there is the washing, peeling, chopping and slicing. I find so many recipes that are just like this, what does prep time mean? The flavor of the finished dish is very nice and I can see where it would be easy to also add in any leftovers.