Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Sesame Shrimp Lo Mein

Recently the Witch got brave, and with a little help from her friends, went to the Asian Pacific Grocery store. Why this place intimidated me for so long is a mystery, I'm just so glad that I've discovered it! As a lover of Asian flavors I was in foodie heaven with all those different types of soys, sauces, chili pastes and noodles. Oh, the noodles!! SO many choices: rice noodles, ramen in every variety you can imagine and a few you've never thought of, lo mein noodles, etc. The ones that really caught my eyes were the nested egg noodles. Something about them spoke to me, and I'm really glad I listened to their call!

The lo mein noodles are thin, yet have nice texture to them, light yet hearty enough to stand up to the intense heat of a wok. Their flavor is exactly what a lo mein dish needs. Once you've tried real Asian noodles in lo mein you won't be going back to plain old pasta as a substitution.

The flavors on this are inspired by sesame chicken, our most ordered dish from Chinese restaurants. The Witch chose to use a bit of tahini in the sauce to really bring the sesame flavor home, however I'll be the first to admit that the sauce needs a bit of tweeking. It was good, quite good, don't get me wrong, but its not perfect. I don't quite know what's missing, maybe a touch more acid? Less tahini? The flavor & texture of the sauce was very similar to peanut sauce, thick and rich, spicy and sweet, but SOMETHING was missing. If you all have any suggestions please let me know! Despite the sauce not being up to my high standards of perfection this dish was devoured and not a single left over noodle was to be found. Which just means that I need to make it again, and work on that sauce!

Sesame Shrimp Lo Mein
makes 4 servings
1 lb shrimp, defrosted, deveined and peeled, removing tails
red bell pepper, julienne
1 bunch scallions, sliced on the bias
1 large carrot, julienne
1 stalk celery, sliced thin on the bias
4 bunches of Asian egg noodles
3 T soy sauce
2 T white wine
3 cloves garlic
1 T tahini
2 T water
2-3T sugar
2 t Sriracha
sprinkle of sesame seeds for garnish
2 T oil for stir fry

Chop all vegetables and set aside first.
Peel and devein shrimp and pat dry.
Mix up the sauce ingredients in a bowl and reserve.

Cook noodles according to instructions on bag & reserve.

Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat. Add the oil and stir fry the veggies until they start to brown & have softened slightly. Push the veg aside in the pan and add the shrimp. Cook about 1/2 to 3/4 of the way through then add the sauce, stirring to coat everything evenly. After sauce is added throw the noodles in and stir fry about 1-2 minutes longer. Shrimp will finish cooking in this time. Garnish with sesame seeds and enjoy!



Nutrition Facts provided by SparkPeople recipe calculator
Amount Per Serving
Calories 374.6
Total Fat 12.0 g
Saturated Fat 1.3 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 4.1 g
Monounsaturated Fat 5.4 g
Cholesterol 185.8 mg
Sodium 963.5 mg
Potassium 784.3 mg
Total Carbohydrate 38.3 g
Dietary Fiber 5.2 g
Sugars 16.3 g
Protein 28.1 g

12 comments:

Siri said...

This looks amazing. I need to go to a market like this!! Did you buy some miso?? Mmm, I will try this out for sure : )

StephenC said...

Not only do I love lo mein, I love shrimp about as much as anything. I've got some noodles in the freezer and you've given me the idea for what to finally do with them. Thanks.

Unknown said...

I love that you used tahini to kick up the sauce! You're full of great ideas! Looks and sounds wonderful! :)

Chef Dennis Littley said...

fresh lo mien makes all the difference, your sesame shrimp sounds delicious! I am so glad you stepped out of your comfort zone!
Dennis

Unknown said...

Oh yea... You'll be bringing that to me when? That turned out fantastic looking (and sounding) Andrea!
Kick ass on going to the Asian market too...it was a bit intimidating the first time I went...but it was so much fun! :)

Katie@Cozydelicious said...

Yum yum yum! I love lo mein. And this looks fantastic. The tahini must add a ton of flavor.

Chef Bee said...

I have been intimitated to adventure some ethic markets. Your story gives me courage and my daughter would be in Heaven with all the noodle choices. She'd be willing to try them all.

Plan B

Unknown said...

oh my my am drooling over the shrimp and noodles :)

Unknown said...

Thanks for the FYI on my blog. Not sure what's going on... it seems alright to me. I will look into it and see if I can figure it out.

By the way, I don't like shrimp, but this recipe almost makes me want to try it. :)

Sarah said...

This looks so good, Andrea. Good for you for stepping outside your comfort zone! I love Asian markets. Visited the one in Atlanta when I was down South. It was amazing.

Velva said...

Asian Markets can take you through an amazing journey of discovering new foods and flavors. I know you will be back. Your Sesame shrimp Lo Mein looks wonderful.

Cheers to you.
Velva

Pam said...

I would love a big bowl of this right now - yum.

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