Beef Lo Mein

Step 1

Slice 300 grams of beef into 1/8 of inches thick pieces. You can use beef chuck, flank, ribeye, sirloin steak.

Step 2

Marinade it with 1/4 tsp of salt, 1/8 tsp of baking soda, 1/2 tbsp of soy sauce, 2 tbsp Chinese cooking wine, 1/2 tbsp of cornstarch, some freshly ground black pepper to taste. Mix well and let it sit for 20 minutes.

Step 3

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Cook 2 portions of fresh egg noodles for 2-3 minutes. If you are using a different type of noodles, you have to follow the cooking instruction on the package.

Step 4

While waiting for the noodles, you should have enough time to cook the beef.

Step 5

I got many people asking me - why is my food sticking to my carbon steel wok? Well, you need to learn how to control the wok heat correctly.

Step 6

First, turn the heat to maximum and heat the wok until it is smoking hot. Then add some oil. Be generous with oil amount for this recipe because you want enough oil to coat the noodles so they don’t stick together while serving.

Step 7

Give it a toss so the oil will create a slight non-stick surface on the bottom. Wait for the oil to be smoking again. That means the wok is hot enough for you to add the marinade beef. Stir and cook. This way, the meat will not stick to the wok at all. That is how you control the wok heat correctly. We call it 掌握火候in Chinese.

Step 8

When the beef is halfway cooked, you should still be able to see some pink color here and there. Add a bunch of sliced onion. Stir for another 15 seconds.

Step 9

By now, the noodles should be ready. Quickly take them out. Shake off the excess water. Throw a bunch of scallion into the wok along with the cooked noodles. Turn off the heat. It is important, I will explain why later.

Step 10

Add 1.5 tbsp of soy sauce, 3 tbsp of oyster sauce, and 1.5 tsp of dark soy sauce. I will suggest you use a better quality oyster sauce since it is the key flavor. Mix until the seasoning is well combined and you are done.