Celebrate long life with quick-to-fix Lo Mein

I was hungry for an Asian-inspired quick dinner and thought of this dish. Lo Mein, which when translated means mixed noodles, is a staple of Chinese cooking. It’s served at birthday dinners, because the noodles represent long life.

It takes a few minutes to prepare the ingredients, but only 5 minutes to stir-fry. Fresh snow peas and bean sprouts add texture to the dish. Oyster sauce, which is seafood based, flavors this dish. I find it’s a tasty condiment and use it to flavor meat, vegetables and other stir-fry dishes. You can use stir-fry sauce instead. The results won’t be the same but still good.

Shrimp Lo Mein

1/4 pound fresh or steamed Chinese noodles

2 tablespoons sesame oil, divided use

1 cup sliced onion

4 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tablespoon fresh chopped ginger or 2 teaspoons ground ginger

3/4 pound peeled raw shrimp

1/4 pound fresh snow peas, cut in half if large (about 11/2-cups)

1 cup fresh bean sprouts

3 tablespoon oyster sauce

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Bring a large saucepan filled with water to a boil over high heat. Add noodles to boiling water. As soon as the water comes back to a boil, drain. Set aside.

Heat a wok or skillet over high heat. Add 2 teaspoons sesame oil. Add onion and stir-fry 1 minute. Add garlic and ginger and stir-fry 1 minute. Add shrimp, 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 for 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste and the remaining 1 tablespoon sesame oil. Toss well and serve.

Yield: 2 servings

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.