Easy Shrimp Lo Mein with Bok Choy

When you’re craving take-out but want to cook at home, my Shrimp Lo Mein is just what you need. It comes together in just 45 minutes thanks to pantry ingredients that deliver bold flavor with no work. Plus, a few quick-cooking vegetables and shrimp make the entire cooking process short and sweet.

Lo mein is essentially a noodle-based stir fry, which we know is a great weeknight cooking technique. And my lo mein sauce is low-fuss, made with soy sauce, hoisin, ginger and sriracha. Nothing surprising here!

Once that’s mixed up, all of the cooking happens on the stove top. One saucepan to blanch the green veggies and cook the noodles (use the same boiling water for each step to save time) and one large sauté pan to bring this all-in-one dish together.

And lastly, I love this recipe because it’s forgiving. Play around with different flavors—add a dollop of gochujang to the sauce (or use my Gochujang noodles as the base of the dish) throw in some crispy tofu, swap the shrimp for shredded rotisserie chicken, etc.

The key to a great weeknight dinner is being able to make it what you want using what you’ve got on hand—and this recipe is just that.

Shrimp Lo Mein Recipe Ingredients

• Soy Sauce: I develop recipes using low-sodium soy sauce. If you’re using regular soy sauce, start with ¼ cup and add more as needed.
• Hoisin: Salty, slightly sweet and tangy, this thick sauce is key to creating a luxurious sauce. Find it in the Asian section of your grocery store.
• Sriracha: a bit of this hot sauce adds a nice heat along with garlicky flavor. If you don’t have it, simply skip it.
• Toasted Sesame Oil: this adds SO much flavor. You’ll use it various times throughout the recipe. It can be substitute with toasted peanut oil or avocado oil.
• Lo Mein Noodles: I like to use dry lo mein noodles (I like Roland brand) because they are convenient to keep on hand. Find them in the Asian section of your grocery store or at any Asian market. If you can find them, you can also use fresh lo mein noodles.
• Bok Choy: it’s a type of Chinese cabbage with crisp white stalks and tender, dark green leaves. It’s known for its mild, slightly sweet flavor. Find it in the produce area near the cabbage and fennel.
• Fresh ginger and garlic: fresh is best here! Use a microplane to finely grate both.
• Snow Peas: Similar to snap peas but flatter and larger. They are often sold in 8-ounce plastic bags or in the refrigerated bulk produce bins.
• Shrimp: Use medium (31/40 per pound) shrimp. US farm-raised is best, but if you can only find imported look for shrimp from Ecuador, Thailand or Indonesia.
• Red Pepper Flakes: for a bit of heat. Add more or less depending on your spice preference.
• Bell Pepper: I like the sweet flavor red bell peppers add here. Yellow, orange or even green can be swapped in.
• Scallions: these get very thinly sliced and stirred in right at the end to add a dose of fresh onion flavor.

How to Make Lo Mein

1. For the sauce, whisk together the soy sauce, hoisin, ginger, and sriracha. You won’t need this for a while, so set it aside. (Or better yet, I like to make it a day or two ahead of time and store it in the fridge.)

2. The next step is to blanch the green veggies. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and season generously with salt. Fill a large bowl with ice water and set this aside. Add the bok choy to the boiling water and cook just until tender, this will only take 2 minutes. Use a spider or slotted spoon to transfer the bok choy to the ice water.
3. Repeat the blanching process with the snow peas (they only need 1 minute in the boiling water) then transfer those to the ice bath as well. Keep the water boiling!
4. Add the lo mein noodles to the boiling water and cook them according to the package directions. And since the noodles will sit for a bit, once drained, I like to toss them with a little bit of sesame oil. Set these aside.

5. In a large skillet or deep wok, heat a tablespoon of sesame oil until shimmering. Add the shrimp and cook just until pink, about 1 minutes per side. Add the pepper flakes and garlic and cook just briefly, about 30 seconds, until fragrant. Pour the shrimp onto a plate and set aside.

6. Heat a bit more sesame oil in the now-empty pan and add the bell pepper, blanced and drained bok choy and snow peas, and stir-fry until hot, just 2 minutes.

7. Finally, add the noodles and the sauce mixture and toss to combine, cook for about 2 minutes.

8. Add in the cooked shrimp and scallions. Done! Serve immediately.

Shrimp Lo Mein Recipe Variations

This recipe is wildly forgiving. Feel free to use a variety of different vegetables. Thinly sliced celery and carrots are a great option. So is broccoli, chopped cabbage or even water chestnuts. You can also use larger or smaller shrimp, just adjust the time depending on size.

Lo Mein Sauce Recipe Variations

Personally, I wouldn’t change anything about the sauce. But you can always increase the amount of garlic or ginger if you want something a bit more potent.

Tamari can be used in place of soy sauce, but keep in mind it much saltier so start with half the amount. And lastly, sometimes I’ll throw in a bit of oyster sauce for more depth of flavor.

Storing Leftovers

Store leftover shrimp lo mein in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat it gently on the stovetop over medium-low heat, or you can reheat in the microwave in 30-second increments. I don’t recommend freezing this since the vegetables will become soggy.

Serve With

This dish is so salty and savory that it benefits from a side of fruit. I like to pair it with my Strawberry Salad or Grape Salad.

Or finish the meal with something sweet and refreshing like my Mango Sorbet. It’s easy to make (no churn) and just perfectly light and refreshing.

Side Salad

Simple Strawberry Salad with Basil

Side Salad

Garden Salad

Desserts

Easy No-Churn Mango Sorbet