Vegetable Lo Mein Noodles - Instant Pot Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What's the difference between stir fry noodles and lo mein noodles? ›

The process of stir-frying fully cooks the noodles along with the remaining ingredients. In contrast, lo mein noodles are completely cooked before getting mixed in with the meat, vegetables and sauce. Instead of getting stir-fried, the lo mein ingredients are lightly mixed and tossed.

When the noodles are boiling, remove the lid, set the stove to a simmer, and stir the noodles for about 30 seconds. Cover the pot again, and cook for another 5 minutes. Once the noodles are done, drain the pot into a colander, and rinse the noodles in cold water for 10-15 seconds.

I separate the noodles before cooking. If the noodles are wheat based noodles, I let them drain in a colander for at least 15 minutes. If it is rice based noodles, I drain them then pat them down with some paper towels before throwing them into the wok.

Lo mein sauce

The sauce is what makes this dish so addictive. It's a simple umami filled mix of light and dark soy sauce, toasted sesame oil, sugar, and a hint of ginger. It's super easy to make a batch of lo mein sauce and keep it in the fridge so you can easily make lo mein whenever the craving hits.

Made with just soy sauce, sesame oil, a pinch of sugar, ramen noodles or spaghetti noodles, and any veggies or protein you like. SO YUMMY! Hel-lo-lo-mein!

How can I use a pressure cooker to make healthy foods without them becoming mushy or overcooked? Just use less time for the pressure period (at the low end, pressure time can be as little as 1 min, and electric pressure cookers can even be set for 0 minutes).

Pour 1 cup water into the Instant Pot and arrange a steamer basket on the bottom. Place the vegetables in the steamer basket, making sure the vegetables aren't touching the water. Secure the lid and move the steam release valve to Sealing.

While you can use the slow cooker setting with the regular Instant Pot lid (set to vent), you'll get better results when you use a tempered glass lid with a stainless steel rim—find it one on Amazon for under $20.

Things go fast, and you don't want to overcook the noodles. Once done, remove the lo mein from the boiling water right away, and drain. Don't wait, or the noodles may become overcooked and mushy. Rinse your drained noodles under cold water after cooking.

What noodles are best for lo mein? ›

You want to buy an egg noodle or pasta that's relatively thin and has some tooth. Some common names will be lo mein, chow mein, egg noodles or pancit noodles. Most markets have Japanese yaki soba noodles in the cold case, and those would work perfectly.

Since the lo mein variety of noodles are thicker than wonton noodles, they usually take about three to five minutes to cook in boiling water. As with wonton noodles, they should be rinsed under cold water if you're not going to serve them immediately.

Typical side dishes like fried rice, lo mein noodles, crab rangoon, and egg rolls are high in calories — and fat. Healthier choices include steamed brown rice, sautéed or steamed vegetables, spring rolls, or soups like egg drop soup or hot and sour soup.

The biggest difference between chow mein and lo mein lies in the translations of their names: chow mein is fried, and lo mein is tossed. The experience is somewhat different between the two. Lo mein tends to be saucier and more toothsome, with a texture some describe as “slippery” because of the noodles' softness.

Chow is the Cantonese term for stir-fry, and mein means noodle. Therefore, chow mein means stir-fried noodles. Wheat noodles are semi-cooked on a wok first with hot water, and then tossed over a high heat with the accompanying ingredients.

If you want lip smackingly delicious Lo Mein noodles just like takeout, you just need to get the SAUCE right! The noodle part is easy - you can literally use any noodles, even pasta (yep, seriously). Also, switch out the vegetables with 5 cups (packed) of any chopped vegetables of choice.

By origin, stir frying is a Chinese cooking technique and has spread throughout Asia (and all the way to our Kansas grocery store). In stir fry recipes, ingredients are added to a hot pan with a small amount of oil, then tossed until crisp-tender.

Any noodle can be a stir-fry candidate. If this is your first noodle stir-fry, stick with standard lo-mein egg noodles — preferably fresh noodles, if you can find them. They are easy to work with and make a great stir-fry.