Shrimp Lo Mein

This authentic Cantonese shrimp lo mein recipe is adapted from Grace Young’s recipe for chicken lo mein. The lo mein noodles are egg noodles, not wheat. The marinade for the shrimp uses Shaoxing wine, salt, and corn starch to flavor and velvet the shrimp. The corn starch helps to preserve the moisture in the peeled shrimp when cooking.

The ginger in this shrimp lo mein is used to flavor the oil before adding the garlic and shrimp, but is removed from the oil before cooking the other ingredients. We don’t want a strong ginger flavor. Use fresh sliced ginger, and press the ginger against the side of the wok and move it around to add the essence of flavor.

You can add a small amount of sugar if you want, but this dish is plenty sweet with fresh plump shrimp, fresh carrots and bell pepper. For best results, I highly recommend a quality soy sauce (Zhongba is what I use, but Pearl River Bridge and Lee Kum Kee are good options) and authentic Shaoxing wine (which you can order from Mala Market or Amazon). Use salt sparingly. I only add salt to the shrimp marinade.

Brown the shrimp lightly on both sides, being careful not to overcook. 30 seconds per side should suffice. Then remove the shrimp from the wok before stir-frying the vegetables. Next, add the sauce and toss to coat the vegetables before adding the cooked shrimp back to the wok. This will minimize its exposure to heat.

Preparing the shrimp for shrimp lo mein

Using jumbo or extra large shrimp saves a lot of time in preparation for shrimp lo mein!

First, rinse the shrimp in a sieve, then peel and de-vein. Peel the shrimp by holding the feet between thumb and forefinger of one hand, and the body in the other hand, and then unwrap around the body to peel the shell away.

Slice the peeled shrimp lengthwise into two halves, remove the vein, and rinse again. Then chop the halves into 3/4-inch (2 cm) lengths. In this way you only need to clean and de-vein 13-15 shrimp, as opposed to 20-25 for medium-sized shrimp.

Shrimp Lo Mein

Glenn Emerson

Adapted from a chicken lo mein recipe in The Breath of a Wok, by Grace Young, this recipe uses jumbo or extra large shrimp. Use raw shrimp, fresh if available, or frozen shrimp allowed to thaw overnight in the refrigerator. A half pound is sufficient, because you will split them in half lengthwise when de-veining them, and then cut them into short pieces. The shrimp are velveted: marinated with salt and Shaoxing wine, then coated lightly with corn starch and browned lightly. Many Asian recipes cook the shrimp with the shell on, to preserve the moisture and flavor of the flesh. Since you are removing the shell, the corn starch acts in the same way as the shell.

Do not overcook the shrimp when browning. They will finish cooking when you combine the noodles and broth with the vegetables in the final stage of cooking.

4 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Total Time 25 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine Cantonese cuisine

Servings 4 servings

Calories 399 kcal

Equipment

• 1 sharp kitchen knife
• 1 wok
• 1 pair, chopsticks
• 1 wok spatula

Ingredients

 

US CustomaryMetric

 

1x2x3x

• ½ lb shrimp (jumbo or large, peeled, de-veined, cut into halves and chopped)
• 10 oz dry lo mein (egg) noodles

Accessory ingredients:

• 2-3 cloves garlic (minced, about 1 tbsp)
• 4-5 slices fresh ginger (thickness of a coin)
• 1 green bell pepper (sliced into ¼ inch-wide strips)
• 1 cup carrots (thinly sliced into pennies)
• 1 stalk celery (sliced thin)
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
• 2 tbsp cooking oil (divided in half)

Shrimp marinade

• ½ tsp Shaoxing cooking wine 
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 tsp corn starch

Lo mein sauce

• 1 tbsp Shaoxing cooking wine 
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce 
• 1 tbsp oyster sauce

Instructions

 

Preparation

• Add three quarts of water to a large saucepan and bring to a boil. While the water is heating, prepare the other ingredients.
• Wash the vegetables, rinse the shrimp.

Mix the sauce

• Prepare the lo mein sauce in a bowl by combining the oyster sauce, soy sauce, and cooking wine and stir well. Set aside.
  1 tbsp Shaoxing cooking wine , 2 tbsp light soy sauce , 1 tbsp oyster sauce
  

Prepare the shrimp

• Remove the shrimp head if it is still on.
  
• Grasp the body of the shrimp in one hand, pinch the feet with your thumb and forefinger, and peel by unwrapping around the body of the shrimp.
  
• Grasp the tail fins firmly and pull the tail segment of the shell away from the body.
  
• Slice the shrimp in half, lengthwise, de-vein, and rinse again.
  
• Chop the shrimp into pieces about ¾ inch (1.9 cm) long. Place the shrimp chunks in a bowl. Sprinkle ¼ tsp salt on the shrimp, add ½ tsp Shaoxing wine, and stir to mix until moisture is absorbed.
  ½ lb shrimp, ¼ tsp salt, ½ tsp Shaoxing cooking wine 
• Sprinkle the cornstarch on the shrimp and stir to coat evenly. Set aside.
  1 tsp corn starch
  

Chop the vegetables

• Julienne-slice the green bell pepper into ¼-inch wide strips. Thinly slice the celery and carrots. Put all on a plate and set aside.
  1 green bell pepper, 1 cup carrots, 1 stalk celery
  
• Peel and mince the garlic cloves and set on a plate. Peel and slice the ginger into coin-sized slices.
  2-3 cloves garlic, 4-5 slices fresh ginger
  

Cook and drain the noodles

• When the water comes to a rolling boil, cook the lo mein noodles until al dente, according to the instructions on the package.
  10 oz dry lo mein (egg) noodles
  
• Drain the noodles in a sieve, and rinse with cold water several times to remove the starch. Then return the noodles to the pan in which they were cooked, add the sesame oil, and toss well to combine.
  1 tsp toasted sesame oil
  

Brown the shrimp

• Heat the wok until just smoking. Swirl in some oil to coat the wok, then pour it off into a heat-proof container.
• Add 1 tbsp (15 ml) cooking oil in the wok. Add the ginger slices, and press against the side of the wok with your spatula to flavor the oil. Remove and discard the ginger.
  ½ lb shrimp, 1 tsp corn starch, 2 tbsp cooking oil
  
• Add the garlic and stir-fry until fragrant (about 30 seconds), then add the shrimp. Arrange the shrimp to lay flat, and let it brown for 30 seconds, then turn it over to brown the other side. Remove from the wok and set aside.
  2-3 cloves garlic, 2 tbsp cooking oil, ½ lb shrimp
  
• Rinse the wok and scrub with a nylon scrubbing pad (do not use dish soap) to remove any stuck on bits of starch or garlic. Dry the wok with a towel and return to high heat.
• When the wok just begins to smoke, swirl in some oil to coat the wok, then pour it off into a heat-proof container.

Final stir-fry

• Swirl in 1 tbsp (15 ml) oil, then add the carrots, bell pepper, and celery. Stir-fry for 1 minute.
  1 green bell pepper, 1 cup carrots, 1 stalk celery, 2 tbsp cooking oil
  
• Stir the sauce to mix and swirl it into the wok. Toss the vegetables to coat evenly, until the liquid is hot.
• Add the shrimp, and toss quickly to coat. Work fast so as not to overcook the shrimp.
  
• Add the drained noodles, toss with a pair of chopsticks to mix with the other ingredients until all ingredients are evenly mixed. Check the taste, add a small amount of salt or soy sauce if desired.
  
• Serve.
  

Nutrition

Calories: 399kcalCarbohydrates: 58gProtein: 20gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0.03gCholesterol: 91mgSodium: 1085mgPotassium: 367mgFiber: 3gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 5501IUVitamin C: 27mgCalcium: 60mgIron: 1mg

Keyword carrots, celery, egg noodles, garlic, green peppers, lo mein noodles, Noodle Recipes, oil, sesame, oyster sauce, salt, shrimp, soy sauce, light

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