Chicken Lo Mein

I am kind of relieved that all the election hullabaloo is over.  No.  Extremely relieved.

As you probably could guess, I am not exactly into politics.  Maybe I could be.  But I am so turned off by:

1.  The ridiculous amount of junk mail, flyers and stuff hung on my door.  

2.  The phones calls.  Oh...the phone calls.  And the millions of recorded voicemail messages.

3.  The radio and TV commercials.  All they talk about is why I should NOT vote for certain candidates.  All they taught me is that Ken Buck is super annoying.  

4.  And finally, the many people who came and knocked on my door and reprimanded me for not sending in my mail-in ballot yet.  (I mean, I guess I appreciate the citizen volunteer's hardwork...)

Election season makes me feel like I am in kindergarten.  Except I have 300 different moms, dads and teachers telling me what to do.  And making me feel bad for being the worst citizen ever.  

It makes me wish I could choose someone else to vote for me.  Then I realize that is exactly what I am doing by voting.  Dang.  Why does it have to be so hard?  Why can't they explain the issues in real life language?  I am a fairly educated person but I got a headache trying to read through all the issues.  Not to mention, I don't care much about them.  I don't care who is treasurer of the secretary of the city of the state OR if taxes should be raised .00004% for the people who have horse farms and make more than $98, 456 per year.  

Anyways, I voted.  But barely.  And I didn't even feel good about it.  

And I also made this Chicken Lo Mein.  And I did feel good about that.  Good transition!  Yes!  Score!

I found out the past weekend that Scot didn't know what lo mein was.  I mean he did but he didn't.  That is kind of always the story with him.  It makes me sad when I have made something for him and he doesn't remember (this is the way it is about 75% of the time).  But I usually get over it because I know it hard for him to remember all the new foods he eats.  Most of the things I have been eating all my life, plus I am obsessed with food, so I remember every detail about every crumb I eat.  Anyways, that is why I wanted to make lo mein for him.  This was a delicious recipe.  Much better than take out.  It is fresh, the noodles can be perfectly cooked, and there are a lot more veggies!  

Chicken Lo Mein

from Joy of Cooking

Stir together in a medium bowl:

  1 tsp cornstarch

  1/2 tsp salt

  1 tsp toasted sesame oil

Cut across the gain to make very thin slices (more easily done if the chicken is partially frozen):

  1 boneless, skinless chicken breast (about 6 ounces)

Toss in the cornstarch mixture and let marinate for 10 to 20 minutes. Stir together in a small bowl:

  1/4 cup chicken stock or broth

  2 tbsp oyster sauce

  1 tbsp soy sauce

  1 1/2 tsp sugar

Cook in a pot of boiling unsalted water just until tender:

  6 ounces Chinese egg noodles or spaghetti

Drain in a colander and cool under cold running water. Drain again and toss thoroughly with:

  1 tsp toasted sesame oil

Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat. When hot, pour in:

  1/3 cup peanut oil

Swirl the oil around the pan until very hot but not smoking. Add the chicken and stir-fry, flipping it in the oil to separate the slices, and cook just until white. Drain in a sieve or colander and discard the oil. Heat the pan again until hot. Pour in:

  3 tbsp peanut oil

Swirl and heat until very hot but not smoking. Add:

  2 heads of baby bok chop cut into 2 inch pieces

  3 scallions, chopped

  1 cup of shredded carrots

  1 cup of sliced mushrooms

Stir-fry until the vegetables are well coated with oil, about 45 second. Pour the stock mixture down the side of the pan; stir and cover to steam the vegetables in the sauce for 1 minute. Uncover, add the noodles and chicken, and stir and toss

for about 30 seconds. Add:

  1/2 cup bean sprouts

Stir for about 30 seconds. Serve immediately.

(Servings: 3, Prep time: 30 minutes, Cook time: 20 minutes, Difficulty: Easy)

Printable Version

foodforscot Ratings:

Shanon (taste):  7/10

Scot (taste):  7/10

Effort:  3/5

Dishwashing Effort:  3/5