How does a blogger who runs a site called Hello Veggie end up with a 4-year-old who doesn’t like to eat vegetables? I don’t know! I swear I did everything right! So when my daughter eats one of my recipes, it’s always a victory. And not only did she eat this Spring Vegetable Lo Mein recipe, she asked to bring it to school for lunch the next day.
I may have cried a little bit.
Of course, it’s the noodles that make this vegetable lo mein so irresistible to kids. Noodles are fun! And unlike many Asian-inspired noodle dishes, the sauce is fairly mild. My daughter likes ginger so I added lots of it, but go easier on it and add a teaspoon or two less if you want to be conservative.
As you might have guessed from the title of this post, the veggies in this vegetable lo mein recipe are all in season right now–green onions, peas, asparagus, carrots and shiitake mushrooms. Yep, this recipe is packed with veggies. You can change things up seasonally and go with zucchini and bell peppers in the summer, broccoli in the fall, whatever.
For protein, I went with tempeh because we love it. Not a fan? Try tofu, edamame, or even chickpeas–or just add 8 more ounces of vegetables.
Like my daughter, you too may want to bring the leftovers to school or work for lunch the next day. This works well because vegetable lo mein is one of those fabulous recipes that’s just as good cold as it is warm.
Photos by Lindsey Johnson
Spring Vegetable and Tempeh Lo Mein
Ingredients
- 1/3 cup low-sodium tamari or soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
- 1 tablespoon grated ginger
- 1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 1 8-ounce package tempeh, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 8 ounces dried lo mein or udon noodles cooked according to package directions
- 3 tablespoons avocado oil divided (or any other neutral-flavored cooking oil)
- 1 bunch green onions
- 4 ounces snow peas or sugar snap peas halved on a diagonal
- 4 ounces shiitake mushrooms stemmed and sliced
- 1 cup asparagus cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 medium carrot thinly sliced
- 1 clove garlic minced
- Sesame seeds for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Combine the soy sauce, wine or sherry, ginger, cornstarch and sugar in a small bowl and whisk until the cornstarch is dissolved. Transfer 2 tablespoons of the sauce to a medium bowl. Place the tempeh in the medium bowl and toss to coat; set aside.
- Cut the white ends off of the scallions; thinly slice the white parts, then cut the green parts into 1-inch pieces. You'll use the white parts and green parts at different times in the recipe, so keep them separate.
- Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large nonstick skillet or wok over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the white parts of the onion and cook until starting to brown, about 2 minutes. Add the snow peas or snap peas, mushrooms, asparagus, carrot, garlic, and green parts of the onions and stir-fry until crisp tender, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate; set aside.
- Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil in the skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tempeh and spread into a single layer. Stir-fry until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
- Add the noodles and reserved vegetables to the skillet. Cook, tossing with tongs, until heated through, about 2 minutes. Whisk the sauce again to dissolve the cornstarch, then pour it into the pan. Toss until the sauce evenly coats the noodles and vegetables, then remove from heat. Divide into serving bowls and garnish with sesame seeds, if desired.
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