Vegetable Lo Mein
Makes: 4 to 6 moderate servings
This is a fun, Chinese restaurant-style dish to recreate at home, and has the advantage of being far less oily than its take-out counterpart.
8 ounces udon noodles or Chinese wheat noodles
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 teaspoons dark sesame oil, divided
8-ounce bag preshredded coleslaw (preferably with carrots included)
1 cup fresh green beans, trimmed and cut in half, or frozen cut green beans, thawed
15-ounce can cut baby corn, drained, liquid reserved
2 to 3 scallions, cut into 1-inch-long segments
Vegetable stock or water, as needed
Natural soy sauce to taste
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Cook the noodles in plenty of rapidly simmering water until al dente, then drain.
Meanwhile, heat the vegetable oil and 1 teaspoon of the sesame oil in a wok or stir-fry pan. Add the coleslaw, green beans, and 1/4 cup of the liquid from the baby corn. Cover and steam for 5 minutes.
Add the baby corn and scallions and stir-fry over medium-high heat for 5 minutes or until the vegetables are all just tender-crisp, adding just enough liquid from the baby corn to keep the bottom of the pan moist.
Combine the cooked noodles with the vegetables in a serving bowl and toss together. Add the remaining teaspoon of sesame oil, then season with soy sauce and grind in pepper to taste. Serve at once.