Shout-out to all Lo Mein fans! If you never set foot in another noodle bar, I promise you won’t even miss it. This steaming bowl of luscious noods, crunchy veggie rainbow and the silkiest of umami-rich sauces is the only Lo Mein you’ll ever, ever need.

Asian cuisine is so artful in its balance of flavours. And it’s also so easy to adapt for healthier versions of the traditional dishes. For this Lo Mein, the balancing of sweet and salty is achieved by bringing together fresh veg, toasty spices and a blend of staple Chinese sauces and nutty sesame oil.

It’s the simplest take-out style meal you’ll ever make, that’s loaded with very good things.

What Is Lo Mein?

Lo Mein means tossed noodles. Traditionally, Lo Mein sauce has a sesame oil base, with the addition of garlic, oyster sauce and soy sauce.

The end result is a silken tangle of noodles, nestled in the rich comfort of umami warmth, and sweetened by stir-fried-until-just-tender veggies.

How to Make Perfect Lo Mein. Every Time.

The secret to making a bangin’ bowl of Lo Mein noods is using the best quality soy sauce you can lay hands on. That’s it—the hard work is done. All you need to do is grab your favourite protein, and favourite veg. I like to choose sweeter vegetables, like peppers, mangetout, carrots, etc. to balance out the salt-based sauce.

For this recipe, I use a combo of prawns and tofu, and a party of colourful veg; but you can totally mix it up or strip it back to suit your preferences (I use whatever is languishing in my refrigerator!). As long as your soy sauce is premium grade, there’s nothing between you and Lo Mein Heaven.

Short on Time? Try this Lo Mein Hack.

Ditch the dry egg noodles and buy fresh instead. Add to your skillet or wok after adding the sauce, and continue with the recipe as written.

It also helps speed things up if you prep your ingredients beforehand. Slice and chop all the veggies and garnishes, crush the garlic, and cube the tofu, if using.