Lo mein dish only takes 5 minutes to stir-fry

One of my favorite Chinese dishes is lo mein, which means mixed noodles. Noodles are a staple of Chinese cooking and are served at birthday dinners because they represent long life.

The dish has a smoky flavor produced by stir-frying in a very hot wok. Restaurants use special wok burners to achieve high heat, which is difficult to duplicate at home. I find that by mixing a little sesame oil in just before serving, you can capture some of this smoky flavor.

It takes a few minutes to prepare the ingredients, but only 5 minutes to stir-fry. Fresh snow peas add texture to the dish.

Oyster sauce flavors this dish. I find it's a tasty condiment and use it to flavor meat, vegetables and other stir-fry dishes.

Helpful Hints:

— You can use any type of quick cooking steak.

— You can use dried Chinese noodles or angel hair pasta instead of fresh or steamed noodles.

— You can use bottled stir-fry sauce instead of oyster sauce.

— Find fresh bean sprouts in the produce section of the market.

Countdown:

— Place water for noodles on to boil.

— Prepare ingredients.

— Make Lo Mein.

Shopping List:

To buy: 3/4 pound grass-fed beef tenderloin, 1 bottle oyster sauce, 1 package fresh or steamed Chinese noodles, 1 bottle sesame oil, 1 small piece fresh ginger or 1 bottle ground ginger, 1 package snow peas, 1 package fresh bean sprouts.

Staples: onion, garlic, salt and black peppercorns.

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BEEF LO MEIN

Recipe by Linda Gassenheimer

3/4 pound grass-fed beef tenderloin

3 tablespoon oyster sauce

1/4 pound fresh or steamed Chinese noodles

3 teaspoons sesame oil, divided use

1 cup sliced onion

4 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tablespoons fresh chopped ginger or 2 teaspoons ground ginger

1/4 pound fresh snow peas, cut in half if large (about 1 1/2 cups)

1 cup fresh bean sprouts

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large saucepan filled with water to a boil over high heat. Trim beef of visible fat and cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Add noodles to boiling water. As soon as the water comes back to a boil, drain.

Heat a wok or skillet over high heat. Add 2 teaspoons sesame oil. Add onion and stir-fry 1 minute. Add beef, garlic and ginger and stir-fry 1 minute. Add snow peas and bean sprouts. Toss another minute. Add the drained noodles. Move the ingredients to the sides of the wok making a hole in the middle. Add oyster sauce to the hole. Bring the ingredients to the middle and continue stir-frying 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste and the remaining 1 teaspoon sesame oil. Toss well and serve.

Yield 2 servings.

Per serving: 601 calories (30% from fat), 20.1 g fat (6.4 g saturated, 7.6 g monounsaturated), 132 mg cholesterol, 48.4 g protein, 59.54 g carbohydrates, 5.7 g fiber, 869 mg sodium.

(Linda Gassenheimer is the author of over 30 cookbooks, including her newest, "The 12-Week Diabetes Cookbook." Listen to Linda on www.WDNA.org and all major podcast sites. Email her at Linda@DinnerInMinutes.com.)