Chinese Lo Mein with Chicken and Cashews
6 servings
20 minutes
Lo-mein with chicken and cashews is a vibrant representation of Chinese cuisine, blending textures and aromas. Tender chicken pieces, crunchy wood mushrooms, and cashews create a rich flavor palette enhanced by spicy notes of ginger and garlic. The noodles soaked in a fragrant soy and oyster sauce gain deep flavor with a hint of cane sugar sweetness. Historically, lo-mein emerged as a quick and nutritious way to prepare noodles, perfect for family dinners or restaurant servings.
1
Soak the wood mushrooms in a large amount of room temperature water (mandatory!) for 30-40 minutes. The mushrooms will open up, absorb the liquid, and increase in volume (about 6-8 times). After opening, be sure to rinse under running water to remove sand. Cut into strips 5 mm wide.
- Dried wood ear mushrooms: 2 pieces
2
Preparing the marinade: mix rice vinegar, 1 teaspoon of starch, and white pepper in a bowl.
- Rice vinegar: 2 tablespoons
- Potato starch: 1 tablespoon
- Ground white pepper: pinch
3
Cut the chicken fillet into thin strips 5 mm wide. Add it to the marinade and let it marinate for 15-20 minutes.
- Chicken breast fillet: 2 pieces
4
In boiling slightly salted water, add lo-mein egg noodles (I use Fine Egg Noodles by 'BLUE DRAGON') and boil until half-cooked (about 3 minutes), as we will fry it later. Drain the water and set aside.
- Egg noodles: 300 g
5
Preparing sauce for noodles: add oyster sauce, sugar, remaining starch, and 2 tablespoons of sesame oil to soy sauce. Set aside.
- Dark soy sauce: 50 ml
- Oyster sauce: 1 teaspoon
- Cane sugar: 1 teaspoon
- Potato starch: 1 tablespoon
- Sesame oil: 4 tablespoons
6
In a wok (or a high-sided saucepan), we fry the cashews without adding oil. Then we transfer them to a bowl.
- Cashews: 170 g
7
Add sesame oil to the pan. Peel the ginger root and grate it on a fine grater. Add the grated fresh ginger and chopped garlic to the heated oil. Stirring, fry for 30 seconds.
- Sesame oil: 4 tablespoons
- Ginger root: 30 g
- Garlic: 2 cloves
8
Send the chicken and fry for 4-6 minutes, then transfer to a free bowl.
- Chicken breast fillet: 2 pieces
9
Cut the vegetables into strips. Add the vegetables (carrot, pepper) to the wok, stir-fry for 2 minutes, add frozen peas and green beans, stir-fry for 3 minutes.
- Carrot: 1 piece
- Bell pepper: 0.5 piece
- Frozen green peas: 110 g
- Frozen green beans: 110 g
10
Next, push the vegetable mix to the side. If the wok is completely dry, add a little sesame oil and heat it for a minute. Crack the eggs into the wok and scramble them constantly. Once the eggs are cooked (1-2 minutes), mix them with the vegetables. Add wood ear mushrooms, bean sprouts (often sold in plastic bags like salad mixes), roasted cashews, and stir-fry for 1-2 minutes. Return the chicken to the wok. Add the noodles and gently mix them in to warm up.
- Sesame oil: 4 tablespoons
- Chicken egg: 2 pieces
- Dried wood ear mushrooms: 2 pieces
- Mung bean sprouts: 200 g
- Cashews: 170 g
11
We add the sauce, mix well but gently (!), and let it thicken for a couple of minutes. If it's too thick, you can add a few tablespoons of water. Remove from heat.
- Dark soy sauce: 50 ml
- Oyster sauce: 1 teaspoon
- Cane sugar: 1 teaspoon
- Potato starch: 1 tablespoon
- Sesame oil: 4 tablespoons
12
Cut the green onion feathers diagonally into 2-3 cm wide pieces. Place a portion of lo-mein on a plate and garnish with the onion feathers.
- Green onion tops (scallion greens): 3 pieces
