Slippery, dark and slurpy, Spicy Shrimp Lo Mein Noodles taste just like really good takeaway Chinese noodles that you’ve made yourself. They’re a little addictive and easily play host to other seafood or your preferred protein and vegetables. Something I must be insistent about is to use dark soy sauce and the lighter, regular soy. The dark soy sauce gives the noodles their distinct deep brown color and that restaurant-style flavor.
Egg noodles, Lo Mein noodles can be found in Asian markets, the international aisle in some grocery stores and Amazon. This is the brand I used. Don’t feel like hunting for lo mein noodles? Then use spaghetti in a pinch.
Cantonese in origin, lo mein is the wetter, darker cousin of chow mein. A chow mein noodle dish is drier in texture but uses the same noodle. Both are excellent especially when cooked at home. This recipe comes together in a flash so have all your prep work done ahead of time. The noodles take a mere four minutes to cook; shrimp cook in no time at all and you want the veggies to retain some of their crunch so it really is a speedy recipe. And is much better than takeout.
Here are a few more noodle recipes that are delicious: Slow Cooked Miso Beef with Noodles; Red Curry Pork Noodles; Honey Chili Shrimp Noodles.
SPICY SHRIMP LO MEIN NOODLES
Ingredients
SPICY SAUCE
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons dark soy sauce
- 2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon Chinese cooking wine or mirin
- 2 teaspoons white sugar or monk fruit sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1/2 teaspoon white pepper
- 2 teaspoons Korean crushed red peppers or regular crushed red peppers/chili flakes
SHRIMP NOODLES
- 10 oz lo mein noodles
- 24 jumbo, raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 tablespoon peanut or other neutral oil
- 1/2 yellow onion, thinly sliced into wedges
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 medium carrots, cut julienne
- 1 red bell pepper, trimmed and thinly sliced
- 8 green onions, cut into 1-inch lengths, plus extra for garnish
- 1/4 cup water
Instructions
To make the sauce:
- Combine cornstarch and dark soy in a small bowl. Add remaining ingredients and stir until smooth.
To make the noodles:
- Cook the noodles according to package directions. I used dried noodles and they took 3 to 4 minutes in boiling water in a large pan. You want them to be al dente, just like pasta. Drain and rinse noodles with cool water.
- Combine 1 tablespoon of sauce and the shrimp in a small bowl; set aside.
- Heat the oil in a large wok or deep, large frying pan over high heat. Add the onion and garlic and stir-fry for 30 seconds.
- Add carrot and red pepper. Stir-fry for 1 minute. Add the shrimp and stir-fry for 2 minutes until pink. Add the noodles, sauce and water (use the water to rinse out the bowl the sauce was in). toss the noodles for 30 seconds. Add green onion and toss for 1 minute until the noodles are coated in the sauce and the shrimp are cooked. Serve sprinkled with extra green onion. Serves 4.