Beef & Broccoli Lo Mein

No more school = no more work for me.

Working in the school district now means that I get to be home again during the summer. 

I haven't missed being home all day much. 

Except for when I decided to make the hubs lunch and take it to his work.

I scoured the fridge and realized I could make Beef & Broccoli. 

But, when I peered into the freezer I saw a package of lo mein noodles just hanging out.
Lonely. 

Wanting to be eaten. 

Beef & Broccoli Lo Mein was then made in my kitchen. 

That's when I realized I do miss being home and whipping up a dish whenever the mood struck.
But, then boredom from my daughter set in a bit later that day...I don't miss it much again anymore.

I love, love, love Beef Lo Mein. 

The hubby's mama showed me how to make it when she was visiting a few years ago from Tacoma. It is super simple to make and always tastes delicious. 

I knew since I would be adding the beef to noodles, I wanted it to be really tender. 

So I set to work marinating the meat right away. 

After cutting the beef into a little bit smaller than 1" inch pieces I doused it in my usual sauces from the Asian section of my kitchen :) 

Letting the beef mingle in the marinade for at least an hour before cooking helps break down those fibers and creates a much better texture. Just trust me on this.

I set it aside and chopped up the broccoli into bite-sized pieces. Nothing is worse than having huge vegetables in your noodles. 

Nobody wants to mess with cutting up a green just to eat it. 

Make it bite-sized, people.

I opted to not to use my wok for this, which I normally swear by using my wok whenever I'm making a stir fry.

But, whenever I make lo mein, I feel like my big, heavy skillet gets the noodles evenly crisped since they can all lay out in a more even layer in the pan. Use whatever you prefer, but the skillet just seems to work better for me. 

Now, lo mein noodles are not always simple for people to find. 

We get ours in 1 pound packages at the Asian grocery in Des Moines. They are kept in the refrigerated section (and freeze wonderfully, so we always stock up). 

Lo mein noodles are a thicker, round, yellow-colored noodle. If you are in a pinch, plain ol' spaghetti noodles will work also!

I took pictures of the stir-frying process this time since I didn't toss it all in the pan at once like I normally do, again since the noodles were involved. 

I didn't want to over-cook them!

Heat the skillet and then add the oil.

Cook the beef slices in an even layer:

When the beef is browned and starting to crisp around a few edges, remove it to a plate and set aside. 

Add some of the broth and then the broccoli to the skillet:

After the broccoli is cooked (not much broth will be left) add it to the beef that is set aside.

Now, you'll add the rest of the broth and the garlic, then the noodles and the remaining sauces.

When the noodles have absorbed the broth, add the plate of broccoli and beef, mix together and let the noodles fry up a bit.

And just like that, you've made beef & broccoli lo mein.

Pretty simple, huh?

My hubs texted me after he ate it to let me know that the noodles were "on point".

A serious compliment from him. I mean, I want to print out that text, frame it, and hang it in my kitchen. He doesn't ever comment on my food like that. (He's my toughest critic). 

I learned you have to let the noodles absorb the broth, mix everything and just let it sit for 30 seconds or so over the high heat to get the stir-fry crisp to the noodles. You don't want it like that on all the noodles. Some of mine actually stuck to the bottom of the pan, so I scraped them off with my wooden spoon and they were still perfect.

Try out these other recipes:

• Beef & Snow Peas
• Bourbon Chicken
• Honey Walnut Shrimp

Beef & Broccoli Lo Mein

by Sugar For Breakfast

Prep Time: 10 min

Cook Time: 15 min

6073081

Ingredients (4 servings)

For the Marinade

• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
• 2 teaspoons sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 pound thinly sliced beef

For the Lo Mein

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 cups beef stock (or 1 beef bouillon + 1 1/2 cups water)
• 2 heads fresh broccoli, chopped
• 1 pound lo mein noodles
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
• Black pepper

Instructions

For the Marinade

Mix the sauces together and whisk in the sugar and cornstarch in a medium-sized bowl.

Add the beef and coat well in the sauce.

Cover with plastic wrap and let sit for at least 30 minutes-1 hour.

For the Lo Mein

Heat a large skillet over high heat.

Add the vegetable oil and allow it to heat up.

Pour the beef and any of the marinade left in the bowl into the skillet.

Separate the beef out into an even-layer in the skillet and let it cook.

Flip the pieces when one side starts to get a bit crisp around the edge.

When cooked through, remove the beef from the skillet and set aside on a plate or bowl.

Add 1/2 cup of the beef broth to the skillet and let it come to a simmer.

Add the chopped broccoli and coat the pieces in the broth.

Cover with a lid to allow the broccoli to cook.

Check every 30 seconds or so to check if there is any broth left.

When there isn't much left, remove the broccoli from the skillet; adding it to the beef already set aside.

Pour the remaining cup of beef broth into the skillet.

Add the garlic and let it simmer.

When you can smell the garlic, add the remaining sauces and noodles.

Even out the noodles as best as you can and let them cook in the broth.

When the broth is mostly absorbed, add the plate of beef and broccoli to the noodles and mix together.

Let the noodles sit for 30 seconds or so without stirring to allow them to fry up some.

Add crushed black pepper over the top and mix one more time.

Plate and serve!

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