Vegetable Lo Mein | Kenji's Cooking Show
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- Опубликовано: 15 сен 2020
- More science and the recipe here: www.nytimes.com/2020/09/04/di...
This video is based on an article and recipe I wrote for the NYT about wok hei, the smoky flavor common in many stir-fries (especially Cantonese). Read up on the elements that create it and how to replicate them at home with the link above. 
Хобби
I love your way of "recipe says X but i'm going to use Y because that's what i have" it's really home-cook-friendly, and prevents waste of food ;)
Well the important part is that it's informed choices and isn't just complete nonsense replacements that won't work lol
True. Of course you don't replace yellow onions with green apples, but other kinds of Onions or shallots probably work fine.
You can teach a recipe, or like Kenji, you can teach how to cook... Kenji does it right! Firm policy with lots of flexibility.
The essence of stir fry is clearing out the leftovers :D
It is indeed a very nice habit of Kenji. Back when I knew only few recipies and barely knew how to improvise I would reject any online recipe if I was even missing a single ingredient, not to even mention substituting them!
Using a salad spinner to strain and dry noodles is genius, this is the kind of cooking hack I love
I do it all the time haha
just give the strainer a few shakes, keep it simple
is it really genius? its made to spin water off of things
@@williamstewart3774 It's made to spin water out of *salad*. Hence the name salad spinner. Most people would think to spin noodles in a *salad* spinner, ya know?
I use my salad spinner to sprout mung beans. Actually it's all I use it for.
"I sprout mung beans on a damp paper towel in my desk drawer. Very nutritious, but they smell like death"
unexpected office
Creed has a distinctive old man smell
Not bad, for a day in the life of a dog food company.
BOBODDY!
I'm so glad I wasn't the only one thinking of creed in the beginning of this video
I like that you show the prep, a lot of RUclipsrs just immediately have the ingredients prepped which makes everything seem much faster than it is
Funny part is, Kenji’s knife skills still make it seem much faster than it is.
6:23 a trick among Japanese home cooks is to boil pasta and then add baking soda at last one minute of cooking the noodles. Somehow the noodles turn into ramen noodle like texture and can be used for Asian dishes.
Really??? That's so great, in my country it's very difficult to find good ramen noodles, so I rarely make ramen which is a shame. I will try this, thank you!
Did it work well? @@letXeqX
I love that your bigger dog seems to have gotten more interested in food throughout the pandemic. I remember you mentioning early on that he wasn't as food motivated, but now it seems he's there in every video ready to get a treat.
Jamon is such a gentleman of a dog: you need to bring the food to him.
@@DaveOBrien yeah, he doesn't like to beg... like a dog.
Maybe the dog will start his own youtube cooking who knows ?
@@pavelchromcak7384 Not his dong...
@@pokemonhacker01 oh god, trust me that wasnt intended, stupid autocorrection
Hey Kenji! my girlfriend is vegetarian and sometimes it can be hard to find foods that we both really like and can both eat. Her and i are getting more into cooking and seeing a veggie dish like this is super helpful so thank you! Hopefully there will be more veggie or modifiable recipes in the future too.
Another shoutout to Chinese cooking demystified! really good to see
Apparently they’ve got an interview brewing (I think that was in the notes of the latest CCD recipe). I’m hype!
They’re honestly one of the best cooking channels on RUclips and deserve way more love than they get.
Honestly, you are my favorite contemporary chef. You're so wholesome and down-to-earth about your entire process. "Don't have ____? Use _____, or ____, or _____!" It's really useful for all of us aspiring amateur chefs who love to make a great meal but don't necessarily have access to every single ingredient.
The dogs at the end were the icing on the cake.
👎
Hey Kenji my daughter absolutely loves Every Night is Pizza Night, as do I! Thanks for all the great content
How old is she? My daughter is 8, is the book for more for younger children?
She is seven
Chinese cooking demystified is really underrated imo
The progression of that channel from the beginning is really amazing. They went from being your everday novice cooks to food scientists/historians in the span of like 2 years.
@@akxdev yes, I wish they would be more understanding about substitutions. Too often they are like... just give up, there is no sub. So, you don't want me to attempt this dish if I can't make it perfectly authentically? I look to Seonkyoung Longest for substitutions and CCD for technique. I used the combination to make great dan dan noodles. (I also watched Kenji's versions) I am still a big fan of CCD.
@@philaphobic agreed, you can find that in a lot of cuisines, really. Like for Japanese, a lot of times, the recipes will call for expensive ingredients, particularly for meat (pork belly, kobe beef, etc). It's funny because my mom is Japanese and most of the time she just uses whats available. For example, using canned spam and searing it in a pan for okinawa soba (as a substitute for pork belly)
Jenn Grace They all contribute to a well rounded culinary education!
@@akxdev You can find a lot of those ingredients online. It's a bummer paying shipping, but some of the ingredients can be used for a long time in many different dishes. Thankfully, I'm lucky to live in a heavily Chinese populated urban area and have a ton of different Asian markets. I feel for you though.
Dear Kenji, why does everything I own now smell of garlic? Regards, someone who recently watched your garlic noodle video.
Garlic blanket is the best flavour of blanket.
Kenji's videos are a great way to fend off vampires.
I mixed the garlic noodles idea with the simple cherry tomato pasta sauce and added some fresh basil because I have an indoor basil plant. I feel you in that as soon as you walk in my home you are greeted with this blanket of garlic followed by the preferred aromas of sage and of roast chicken because I also made roasted chicken thighs and added the renderedfat and crispy bits that collected at the bottom of the pan to the pasta.
My wife put garlic in her vagina and we’re expecting garlic bread in 6 months. We have a gender reveal party next week.
@@DGNYY27 thanks for taking "bun in the oven" to explosive new heights
You can probably achieve a nice smoky flavor just by opening the window and putting the finished dish out on the sill for a few minutes these days.
Good one lol
whats a sill
@@Solbashio window sill
Sill
Noun
a shelf or slab of stone, wood, or metal at the foot of a window or doorway.
California, Oregon, Washington, BC
Beautiful sooty skies, as far as the eye can see!
Flat bottom woks you make the rockin world go round
The orange flame actually comes from the sodium chloride (salt) crystals being atomized (separated) to Sodium and Chlorine atoms due to the intense heat (introduced energy). The flame breaks the ionic salt bond, vaporizes the atoms and energizes the electrons in the sodium, which immediately release their energy in the form of orange light. This is known as the sodium emission spectrum. Each spectrum is unique depending on the electrons in whatever metal you test, but Sodium is the most common metallic element found in trace amounts everywhere, so we always see these orange flames while cooking.
This is also why having very humid weather can make your stove burn more orange than blue, due to the NaCl in ambient aerosol droplets.
I’ll bet Kenji really appreciates you for explaining the sodium emissions spectrum. He likes the science.
I, myself, on the other hand, care about the flavor, the result, the techniques that get you there. But nice to know, so thanks.😊
4:36 Kenji calls it a "rough rough chop".... man that's super ultra fine chop as per my standards.
Cooking is just the greatest, it feeds your soul and your body at the same time
Your videos have taught me so many cooking skills I felt were too difficult for an amateur and definitely shown me how easy it is to cook amazing food at home. Thank you!
It’s so refreshing to see that even Kenji can’t resist eating food that is dangerously hot
kenji, you calm me. watching you cook makes my mind at ease like nothing else 🙌🏻
The torch on the noodles and vegetables is a great idea, and allows you to get some of that burnt oil wok hei flavour and a light Maillard on those items without over-cooking them. To really bump up the wok hei sodium-salty-soy-oil burn, I’ve started slightly burning a little oil in a wok, throwing in the sauces soy and sesame and then immediately pouring it out into a small bowl. I then just throw a teaspoon of my ‘burnt wok mix’ in at the end alongside the non-burnt versions and it’s as though I’ve cooked the dish in a cloud of orange flames over a real wok burner. The burnt wok mix also seems to keep well in the fridge for a couple weeks.
10:55 We need more shots like this
Hi Kenji! Love everything...everything that you do. Thank you. Can you show us how you organize your kitchen and supplies someday? maybe what you stock regularly as your kitchen staples and how you like to grocery shop?
Kenji is not just an excellent teacher, he helps us to go from fearful to fearless in the kitchen.
Him casually name dropping all the cooking RUclipsrs I watch is such a fun great mood
Oh my lord I have been waiting years for this secret to be revealed. I love noodles and have a decent cooker burner at home, but no matter how hot I got my wok I could never get that wok hei flavour which is paramount in this recipe. Using a blow torch is the secret of the century. What a revelation to my dishes now. As close to authentic that I can master at home. Thank you so very much
Great video, thanks!! Love the noodles in the salad spinner! Never thought of that but will definitely use that idea!
Kenji's Lo Mein Recipe:
Kosher salt
8 ounces fresh Chinese egg noodles
Rice bran, peanut, canola or other neutral, high-temperature frying oil
4 ounces fresh shiitake mushroom caps, thinly sliced
4 ounces Napa or green cabbage, thinly sliced
1 small carrot, peeled and cut into thin matchsticks
1 small yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
3 scallions, trimmed, cut into 2-inch segments, then thinly sliced lengthwise
3 medium garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 tablespoon dark soy sauce
1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine or dry sherry
½ teaspoon toasted sesame oil
¼ teaspoon white pepper
2 ounces mung bean sprouts (about 3/4 cup), sprouted end picked off and discarded
YIELDS 2-3 SERVINGS
Thank you sir
👍
Like many others, I just found you and jeeze I love your style. It’s 100% the way I wanna cook myself, knowledgeable about what why and how, but flexible enough to give alternatives for when it isn’t an option for whatever reason. I love knowing how things interact and come together when cooking. Babish always said “creator of all good recipes ever, j kenji Lopez-alt” and I’m so glad I finally listened and looked you up. Not to mention your personality is just icing on the cake.
If you want that knowledge, start reading and watching content from Cook's Illustrated and America's Test Kitchen. It's where Kenji got his start and much of his experience and knowledge.
Eyyyy, new Kenji fans always welcome! Happy cooking!!!
Violet I tend be be passive listening to videos followed by trying things out for myself in the kitchen but I do wanna expand my knowledge base so why not.
Alton Brown Good Eats 😎
This, for sure looks yummie. Defo trying it. I'd love to see you do more vegan/veggie recipes. God bless 👍
If you're cool with just recipes as opposed to videos, Kenji's back catalog of vegan recipes on Serious Eats (and tbh all the vegan recipes from there) are a great resource!
@@notmyrealname23 Thanks for letting me know.👍
I've always missed that smoky quality cooking Lo Mein at home. Very informative.
Just tried this one sans the blow torch and it came out great the dry texture really allows the springy-ness of the noodles to come through. My kids almost had more fun playing with the noodles than eating them.
Thank you for providing a second use for my salad spinner! Also, thanks for always brightening my quarantine life. ❤️
Drying your noodles with a salad spinner is a stroke of genius! I will definitely be using that technique from now on.
Biggest smile every video is the pups getting a treat at the end, great the big guy looked like he wanted some too
I appreciate your art Kenji. Very accessible and it makes me want to expand my palate and skill set. Thank you
A lot of great techniques learned here. Thank you Kenji!
Another important component of wok hei is said to be the initial 15 sec frying of garlic, followed by dried red chilli for 15 sec, followed by a flambe prior to adding other components (in certain cuisines). This I find to be "largely" true.
And calling wok hei purely a smoky flavor is a bit of oversimplification, though no equivalent English words do it justice. Or another statement which I remember is - without MSG, wok hei is "naked". Whatever.
Nice article, BTW. Nice to see these things being discussed by celebrity chefs like you.
The go pro view is so much better. Watching from that angle makes it a lot faster to learn. Thanks Kenji
@kenjilopezalt your timing is solid and you really are a storyteller. I love how you make me feel like that I can cook like you!
I've heard the term wok hei many times but for some reason it didn't really click what it was until I watched this. I always felt there was something missing from my lo mein and it's that smokey wok hei flavor. For some reason I just thought I wasn't stir frying at high enough temperature and missing on some char but it's the oil combustion from the heat that comes up from the sides because of the types of burners asian restaurants use. This method to replicate that is so genius.
Some ideas to keep here, like using the salad drier to dry the pasta so that they don't turn into a soggy mess, or the blowtorch. And a lot of explanations, which is always good to understand the techniques.
I watch every one of your videos, but this one has blown me away. Everyone knows this, but you are an effing master. So good. Thank you so much for teaching everyone new things every time we watch one of your videos.
Torching the noodles is such a Kenji move, genius :D
Learning to add my sauce directly to oil was a game changer for me. Before everything just ended up tasting like soy sauce and my wok would become a sticky mess. The oil prevented the stick and mellowed out the soy sauce flavor!
It's cool to see the variety of dishes you make. I know for a fact I would never make a dish like this, with using that butane torch (idk if it's necessary) but watching you make it is satisfying enough.
Those are some nice knife cuts, Kenji! That's something I definitely need to practice
You mentioned a while back that you seasoned your wok in about 15 minutes, and I was wondering if you were going to shoot the process start to finish to demo. As you asked in your post, I would personally like to see a flat bottom wok seasoned on an indoor burner as I've been trying to get into stir frying with my carbon steel pan on an electric top.
It's unlikely that he seasoned it in 15 minutes on an indoor burner. Here's how professionals would season their woks. ruclips.net/video/UGXGJD2xTzQ/видео.html
Your local chinese restaurant might be willing to season it for you, since they'll have the high heat burners necessary to season a nice carbon-steel wok and likely know what they're doing when seasoning it. A small fee would be worth it to have a properly seasoned carbon steel wok. The burners they use are like portals to hell, and there's no good way to emulate that in a home kitchen.
@@michaelzero3626 Kenji did a whole video on the outdoor burner thing. I plan on getting one of those
Heat oil it hot wok, wipe off oil and repeat 12 to15 times, after that Everytime you cook in the wok you're essentially seasoning it, but after a 6 to10 uses I would repeat the seasoning a few times with just oil.
I cannot recall him saying that he seasoned it in 15 minutes, I know he has said multiple times that he has had that wok for at least 15 years and got it at Target... That being said, I have 2 very similar basic carbon steel woks. They both essentially came with the same directions, 1. you must clean the protective layer by heating over high heat then rinsing and scrubbing with something like Dawn and steel scrub pad. 2. After that I heat in oven at 450 for an hour or 2 then pull out, wipe down with Grapeseed oil inside and out (tongs and paper towel) then put back in oven for 2 hours then turn off oven and leave overnight. Have done this a few times and its at the starting to brown but not quite blackened stage, I have used it here and there and keep oiling and wiping down. Kenji has also repeated that you just need to fry and stir fry to get it to high heat and with oil. If it wasn't so hot outside, I would fire it up over my propane burner and do it there.
This is enlightening. Love all the tricks Kenji!
When I'm depressed I watch your videos Kenji and they always cheer me up. :)
My favorite version of this is: instead of just the soy, I use around a teaspoon of toban jiang (spicy fermented bean sauce), a teaspoon of black vinegar, a tablespoon of good chili oil, and a tablespoon of soy sauce.
I’ve never made lo mein before but this looks like the perfect opportunity to clean out the fridge. I’m going to try broiling the noodles since I don’t have a blow torch hanging around.
Lol, before shitake i heard, "a shit tonne of mushrooms" haha
Chinese cooking demystified name drop! I love that channel ❤
So good!! The best part is the eating part!!! I always wanted to learn how to cook dry smokey lo mein!
Veg lo mein is a fav, can't wait to try The Torch Technique!
You know a channels good when you can watch someone pick mung bean sprouts for 5 minutes and not get bored
I would make that any day of the week brother. great demonstration and technique . I've used many of ur methods already.... Thanks!!
watching this channel can develop really nice knife skills and clean work. You can say there is huge chef working in this kitchen.
Just discovered your channel. Love the cooking and really enjoy the dogs chomping the food at the end. I hope your channel does awesome.
I can do this!! Thank you. Can't wait to make this for my family :)
Dude, I love your youtube channel. You give some amazing tips into asian cuisine. Thank you.
this is my go-to order when i get Chinese food, definitely going to give it a try
I just made this. It was so good that there was an absurd amount of swearing coming out of my very catholic parents 😂 Thanks Kenji!
Love this! Thanks - looking for so long on how to get that wok hei flavour at home. Q: why light AND dark/regular soy? And does light= less sodium or just lighter taste? THANKS!!!
Light is higher sodium and stronger taste. It’s just lighter color. Dark soy is a little sweeter, milder, and mainly used for color.
@@JKenjiLopezAlt Huh. The more you know. I always assumed light has to be "weaker". Guess I go and buy light soy sauce now. :D
Don't confuse light soy with low sodium, also cooking (reducing) soy sauce intensifies the flavor and saltiness.
Thanks a lot! This is just what I've been looking for.
Salad spinner with the noodles!!!!
Whaaaaat!!! Never thought of that.
Definitely gonna do that trick👍🏻👍🏻
As always, great video man!
I crave this all the time thank you for sharing Chef Kenji Lopez-Alt I will share your technique to my family and friends and add your link and new Children’s book & The Food Lab to their wish list 😎👌
Hello kenji, i've been binge watching your series for a little while now and i want to say i love what you do! i was wondering if you're going make a harvest season/thanksgiving themed video in the future? i really want to get into that sort of cooking but since we don't celebrate it here the way you do over in america i wouldn't know where to start! thanks in advance and have a great week!
I found your videos yesterday and accidentally stayed up till 3 a.m. swearing I only watch 3 I'm so inspired and informed
I went to Wo Hop Restaurant at 15 Mott St, NYC, NY and bought the Vegetable Lo main with the smoky wok flavor. I don't own a butane fuel tank or gadget for this process. Your Vegetable Lo Mein looks great, Kenji! (Love the Shar Pei)
Lo Mein looks good and thanks for the lessons on how to cut up garlic. Never knew how. LOL
cutting the scallions backwards 😀 you taught me that trick and i’ve used it ever since
Thanks for "woking" us through this :))
get out /s ;P
blowtorch idea seems legit. I need to try this. Seems like a new solution to imitate the Chinese restaurant style stir fry without their jet engine stoves. Also I strongly advise you that you premix your soy sauce, salt and pepper, sugar and what ever condiments in a bowl for the last quick stir fry unless you are skilled as Kenji, in which case do whatever you want.
Hi kenji love the videos and I learn so much from them. Your dogs are my fav part. Do you have any knife recommendations for a frost time chef knife??
Always love your vids, Q how far from the pan do you torch? Hard to see with the POV, any rule of thumb we can follow for torching? U mention only the orange flame? How far do u turn the torch knob. Also could u treat fried rice the same way?
@kenji you truly are a treasure. So many bits of info, right through the video. Can I still make this if I have a flat cooktop, or is a wok and fire top necessary.
Please do a few more veggie recipes, love your videos!
Lovely watching 👍
Incredible cooking
Love your videos. A very sharp knife is a definite must to prepare these dishes. Doing this for dinner tonight. Thanks.
Love the videos! Could you comment, sometime, about the torch flavor that can happen when using a torch in cooking? I have tried to employ a torch on occasion but haven’t gravitated to it due to that characteristic taste. I ended up buying a device called the “Searzall” and it is just okay. Any thoughts?
when ur craving noodles 24/7 and Kenji drops a lo mein video😭
You know kenji is a dad ( not just has kids but is a “dad”) purely because he always clacks the tongs to make sure they work before he uses them
Love simple dishes thank you
As a non-binary pacific islander who loves wok cooking, this video has made me a lifetime fan and subscriber. Thank you so much for your content and inclusive language, the simple representation means so much to marginalized people 😭💖
Gay
LOL
Made this tonight, but had to use my weeding torch for the noodles/veggies. Turned out DELICIOUS! Thanks.
also used dried ramen noodles from Ranch 99 because I didn't have fresh egg noodles
Great recipe, gotta love the dogs at the end.
You are the master Kenji, but my brain kept saying "separate those noodle more and better incorporate them with the veggies!.." :) Looks like some amazing flavors.
I wanted to watch you pick mung bean sprouts. All of em! Wtf Kenji don’t screw up again
First, we Longyau.
Get that wok piping hot!
A long yau is also how I greet my homies when we haven’t seen each other in a while
@@torymiddlebrooks Shut off the heat
Add in your oil. Give it a swirl to get a nice non-stick surface.
This is the first time I've actually wanted a torch for my kitchen. That's such a cool tip. That and the adding the sauces to the oil.
You make it look easy, chef. I have a very tough time with my noodles here; especially using fresh, they get gummy no matter what I do (I buy a similar fresh style, from the refrigerated section of my Asian grocer). My partner loves the slightly crispy pan-fried ‘Singapore’/vermicelli noodles from our local take-out, and that’s what I’m going for, can’t seem to get there. Maybe I’m over-cooking them? I guess I should invest in a torch!
your knife work is hypnotic
Great video, as always! I'm looking to get a wooden wok spatula instead of the metal one I'm currently using. I think it would be better for scraping the wok especially with eggs, and easier on the seasoning finish. Do you have a link or info on the one you use? It looks nice. Thank you!!
Good idea wooden spatulas are good.
Thank you for this. Was wondering how adding a protein would affect the dish. Cook it first? After the veg? Thanks in advance!
cutting scallion length wise? Mind=Blown. Never thought of that.
Would love to see if you could use the vortex on a webber kettle for that high heat to get the wokhey flavor.
Kenji really is the food mad scientist, but I'll be damned if that lo mein doesn't look absolutely delicious. Going to have to add butane to my grocery list
Very clever way of using a salad spinner!