Beef Lo Mein – Chinese Takeout-Style Stir-Fried Noodles

Egg noodles stir-fried in a wok with marinated beef, cabbage, carrot and a glossy soy sauce, just like Chinese takeout.

It’s late, you’re hungry, and you find yourself thinking about that cardboard carton from the Chinese takeout place, those glossy brown noodles you pick up straight from the box with chopsticks.

Homemade lo mein brings back that same pleasure: soft, springy noodles, tender slices of beef, cabbage that still has some crunch and that aroma of garlic and ginger rising from the wok. The sauce glazes every strand without drowning the plate. At the end, a handful of bean sprouts and green onions adds a freshness that keeps you coming back for more.

What Is Lo Mein?

Lo mein is a dish of fresh egg noodles that are boiled, drained and then tossed in a wok with a sauce and toppings. In this beef version, the noodles meet thin strips of marinated meat, cabbage, onion and carrot. Light soy sauce adds salt, dark soy sauce gives the mahogany color, oyster sauce brings shine and toasted sesame oil perfumes the whole dish. Chow mein is its closest cousin, with noodles fried longer in the oil, making them firmer and sometimes crispy.

The name comes from the Cantonese lou mein (撈麵), which translates as “tossed noodles”: the noodles are cooked separately, then stirred into the sauce. The spelling lo mein is the one found on the menus of Chinese restaurants in America.

From Cantonese Food Stalls to America’s Chinese Takeout Spots

In Guangzhou and Hong Kong, lo mein is a simple dish: thin, springy alkaline noodles, lightly seasoned, often served with a bowl of clear broth on the side. The texture of the noodles matters more than the sauce.

With the Cantonese immigrants who settled in the United States, the dish took on a new look in restaurants serving Chinese cuisine. The broth disappeared, the egg noodles got thicker, and soy sauce, oyster sauce and sesame oil came to play a bigger role. The result is darker, glossier and much more generously sauced.

It’s this takeout version, served in a carton with beef, chicken, shrimp or just vegetables, that is known today as lo mein, in Europe and America alike.

Main Lo Mein Ingredients

Fresh lo mein noodles are egg noodles you’ll find in the refrigerated section of Asian grocery stores. Thick and springy, they soak up the sauce without falling apart. The beef comes from a quick-cooking cut such as flank steak, hanger steak or strip steak. Cabbage, onion and carrot add crunch and a touch of sweetness, while green onions and bean sprouts bring freshness at the last minute.

The beef marinade follows the Chinese restaurant method. A little baking soda tenderizes the meat, then cornstarch, sugar, salt, light soy sauce, Shaoxing wine and oil coat it in a thin film that keeps it juicy over high heat.

The sauce combines chicken broth, light and dark soy sauces, oyster sauce, white pepper, sugar and a little cornstarch, which thickens it within seconds once it hits the wok. A spoonful of toasted sesame oil is all it takes to flavor it.

Key Techniques for Great Lo Mein

Both the beef and the noodles need to be nice and dry before they go into the wok: the marinade clings better to meat that has been pressed dry, and noodles that are drained, dried and then oiled take on the sauce without sticking. On a home stove, a wok loses its heat quickly, which is why the cooking is done in stages: the vegetables, then the beef, then the aromatics and the noodles.

Pour the Shaoxing wine and the sauce down the scorching side of the wok, not over the noodles, so they reduce and caramelize in a matter of seconds. The same very-hot-wok approach applies to stir-fried beef noodles and beef chow fun.