Ham Lo Mein with Shiitake and Snow Peas

Serves 4

To learn more, read:
Cook Once/Eat Twice: Fresh Ham
by Bruce Weinstein, Mark Scarbrough
from Fine Cooking
Issue 108
Last Edit Date: 5/16/2011 11:35:35 AM

This dish is a fun twist on takeout at home. Look for fresh Chinese egg noodles at Asian markets or in the produce section of the supermarket (near the wonton wrappers and tofu).

more about:

8 dried shiitake mushrooms (3/8 oz.)
3/4 lb. fresh Chinese egg noodles
3 Tbs. soy sauce
1/2 Tbs. Asian sesame oil
3 Tbs. peanut oil
4 medium scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced (1/2 cup)
3 medium cloves garlic, minced
2 Tbs. minced fresh ginger
1/2 lb. leftover roasted fresh ham (or substitute roasted pork loin), any seasonings removed, cut into thin strips (2 cups)
6 oz. snow peas, trimmed and thinly sliced lengthwise (2-1/2 cups)
1 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and thinly sliced (2 cups)
1 Tbs. oyster sauce
1 Tbs. Chinese chile or chile-garlic paste

Rinse the mushrooms; then soak them in a small bowl in 3/4 cup boiling hot water until softened, 20 to 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a 4-quart saucepan, bring about 2 quarts of water to a boil over high heat. Boil the noodles until barely tender, about 2 minutes. Drain, toss with 1 Tbs. of the soy sauce and the sesame oil, and spread on a baking sheet.

When the mushrooms are soft, pluck them from the water and squeeze them dry (reserve the soaking liquid). Trim off the stems and thinly slice the caps.

Heat a wok or wok pan over medium-high heat for a couple of minutes and then swirl in the peanut oil. Add the scallions, garlic, and ginger; stir-fry for 30 seconds.

Add the ham, snow peas, bell pepper, and mushrooms. Stir-fry until the bell pepper strips begin to soften, 2 minutes.

Add the reserved soaking liquid, the remaining 2 Tbs. soy sauce, the oyster sauce, and chile paste. Cook until the sauce bubbles, about 1 minute.

Add the cooked noodles and toss until most of the sauce has been absorbed, less than a minute. Serve immediately.

nutrition information (per serving):
Calories (kcal): 580; Fat (g): 24; Fat Calories (kcal): 210; Saturated Fat (g): 5; Protein (g): 27; Monounsaturated Fat (g): 10; Carbohydrates (g): 65; Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 6; Sodium (mg): 1410; Cholesterol (mg): 110; Fiber (g): 5;

Photo: Scott Phillips

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by user-182526, 2/5/2013This was excellent made with leftover fresh ham (from accompanying Fine Cooking article) and just as good made with bite-size pieces of pork tenderloin. The fresh lo mein noodles in the produce department of our local store are always moldy so we use dried German spaetzle noodles, which a local store carries. It's become one of our favorites.

by Cdn_Kiwi, 1/17/2013My family was a little doubtful about ham stir fry for dinner (actually, my son thought I was kidding); however, as I had rather a large amount of leftover ham at present, and I was looking for a way to change it up a little, this was it. I followed the recipe exactly and served it on a lovely, crisp bed of thinly sliced raw bok choy (roughly equal parts to the stir fry itself). We loved it: an excellent blend of flavours including the ham!

by redladywolf55, 6/2/2011I left out the ginger and used fresh white button mushrooms that I had on hand. I also used fettuccine noodles because the grocery store didn't have any Chinese noodles Due to allergies I used vegetable oil instead of peanut oil. Like other reviewers I added red pepper flakes and chicken broth (for the mushroom water). I used pork loin chunks that were on sale and this turned out wonderfully. Will definitely be making this again! I love the simpleness of the prep also (I love slicing veggies, it's very relaxing to me) Thanks for the recipe!

by maryvill, 5/25/2011Enjoyed this dish very much. Agreed with the earlier reviewer and I used pork loin which I marinaded in the soy, dry sherry, toasted sesame seed oil and added a shake of red pepper flakes. Also used fresh shitakes and chicken broth as a subsitute for the dried mushrooms. Used the garlic chili sauce and the dish was quite spicy, which is the way we like it. Will definitely make this again and depending on what I have available, will use pork, shrimp, or chicken breast, but never ham. Ham just doesn't sound appealing. Great noodle dish. Did take a fair amount of prep time, but then took just a few minutes to cook the dish.

by Joyfull, 5/16/2011Recipe was tasty made with chicken. Not sure what the creators of this recipe where thinking, but there's no way on earth I'd use leftover ham in any asian style recipe.

by ElrondVT, 2/19/2011This recipe is delicious! I changed it up a bit by using chicken, shrimp and pork in the lo mein. I marinated the meats in a tbs of soy, 1 of dry sherry, and a dash of pure sesame oil for about 2 hours. I added a little cornstarch to the marinade 20 minutes before cooking. I also used fresh shiitakes, so I had to use chicken stock as part of the sauce. I added a bit more chili oil for heat as well. I'll definitely make this recipe again.

by hayley3, 11/10/2010I was looking for a chow mein recipe for my teenage daughter. We both loved it! I substituted chicken and also used chicken broth because I couldn't find dried shitake mushrooms so didn't need to soak and therefore didn't have the soaking liquid.