Amateur...

I had Monday off as the firm's official celebration of New Year's day, so I took the opportunity to cook a nice dinner for N (who had to go into the office).  I spent a lot of the day searching for recipes to make the perfect meal as a nice surprise for him. Since N had mentioned a craving for Chinese food, I decided to try my hand at making home-made lo mein.  I bought all the ingredients, did tons of chopping, and had most of the meal prepared once he got home.  For the last step, I made the sauce.  And that's where it went all wrong.  You know how the cheese sauce in Kraft macaroni and cheese thickens once you take the macaroni off the burner?  (obvious mistake ahead -- never compare real food to Kraft mac&cheese...).  Well I figured that the sauce for my lo mein, which included corn starch, would also thicken if I let it sit.  It did not. :(  We had a soupy and less-than-delicious dinner.

The good news though, is that today I decided to show that sauce who's boss.  I poured the lo mein into my wok and heated it in there until the sauce became a sticky, thick consistency.  Much better!

Shrimp Soba Lo Mein
1/2 onion
3 handfuls baby carrots
1 red bell pepper
1 head of broccoli
3 handfuls of mushrooms
3 small zucchinis
3 handfuls snow peas
1 lb. shrimp, peeled and deveined
8 ounces soba noodles
8 ounces chicken broth
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
soy sauce (to taste)
cayenne pepper (to taste)
salt
pepper


Chop all vegetables into a similar size.  Cook vegetables in a small amount of oil in a wok in batches, leaving each vegetable a bit crispy.  After each batch, remove the vegetables into a covered container.  Season each batch with salt and pepper to taste.  Cook shrimp in oil, also seasoning with salt and pepper.  Add shrimp to vegetable container.  Meanwhile, cook soba noodles according to package directions.  In wok, add chicken broth and cornstarch.  Stir until combined.  Add hoisin, soy sauce, and cayenne pepper.  Taste it and add more soy sauce or cayenne to reach desired taste.  Heat sauce until it thickens (important!).  Add vegetables, shrimp, and soba noodles.  

One thing I like about this recipe is the flexibility it gives you to modify according to your own tastes.  Add whichever vegetables you prefer.  You can also change the protein or the type of noodles.  Once I finally got our sauce thickened, it was pretty good!