Cantonese Pan Fried Noodles (Pork Lo Mein)
Cantonese Pan Fried Noodles (Pork Lo Mein) – Our pan-fried noodles AKA pork lo mein recipe is savory, slightly spicy, and packed with flavor. Made with fresh veggies and stir-fried pork, it’s a light and healthy dish that’s easy to make in only 30 minutes!
It’s easy to get into a rut at dinner time…
We often fall into a routine of making either quick healthy dinners that cut calories, or comfort foods we know our kids won’t complain about like grilled chicken salad or spaghetti with marinara.
There is absolutely nothing wrong with that. It’s good to have a few staple meals you can pull together without ever looking at a recipe.
But, c’mon. Sometimes you need a break from the American comfort foods and weekly staples.
Today’s Cantonese Pan Fried Noodles recipe, AKA Pork Lo Mein, is a far cry from traditional (mostly mundane) dinner options. It’s packed with veggies like scallions, carrots, and mung bean sprouts, as well as stir-fried pork loin, and oodles of skinny egg noodles.
Cantonese Pan Fried Noodles AKA Pork Lo Mein
Cantonese Pan Fried Noodles is a quick meal that feeds a hungry crowd and always, always, gets rave reviews.
It will make any boring weeknight feel like an exotic celebration.
Egg noodles that are first boiled and then lightly stir-fried have a deliciously delicate texture. Fresh vegetables and juicy pork tenderloin are all sliced thin to create a balance with the noodles, and together they perfectly absorb and hold on to all of the spicy, salty, crave-able saucy goodness.
Fresh bean sprouts help to finish the dish, adding a delightful crunch that you won’t be able to get enough of.
What Ingredients You Need
This dish is great for making with whatever protein or produce you have available, so feel free to mix it up with different meats and veggies.
I generally make Cantonese Pan Fried Noodles with pork, but you can certainly swap our chicken, shrimp, or tofu.
Here are the ingredients we used to make our version of Pork Lo Mein:
- Egg noodles
- Bean sprouts
- Carrots
- Scallions
- Cornstarch
- Soy sauce
- Rice wine
- Sesame oil
- Oyster sauce
- Garlic
- Crushed red pepper
- Coconut oil
How to Make Pan Fried Noodles
The key to making fabulous lo mein is to mix the soy sauce based dressing ahead of time, and then to stir-fry the pork and veggies separately so that each gets just the amount of time and attention it needs.
Then just toss it all back together in the end and serve!
From start to finish this dish only takes about 30 minutes to make. Here’s how to make the BEST Easy Cantonese Lo Mein Recipe:
1. First, prep all of the veggies and cut the pork loin into thin strips and. Sprinkle the pork or other protein with soy sauce and cornstarch, and toss to coat. In a small bowl whisk together the remaining soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil, oyster sauce, minced garlic, and crushed red pepper. Set aside.
2. Place a large pot of water on to boil for the egg noodles, and heat coconut oil over medium-high heat in a wok or large skillet. Stir fry the pork in the wok for just a few minutes until cooked through, and transfer to a plate or bowl.
3. While the pork is sautéing, cook the egg noodles in boiling water according to package instructions.
4. After removing the pork from the wok, stir fry the shredded carrots and scallion whites, followed by the cooked and drained egg noodles.
Be sure to stir fry the ingredients over a hot flame so they sizzle immediately when added to a wok or large skillet.
5. Add the pork and soy sauce back to the wok, continuing to stir and cook for just a few minutes more until hot.
Stir in the scallion greens and mung beans just before serving to keep them fresh and crunchy.
Get the Complete (Printable) Cantonese Pan Fried Noodles (Pork Lo Mein) Recipe Below. Enjoy!
Cantonese Pan Fried Noodles (Pork Lo Mein) makes great leftovers.
I love to meal prep a large batch in under 30 minutes, enjoy a serving for dinner that night, and set myself up with a few healthy and yummy weekday lunches.
Stored in an airtight container in the fridge this dish will keep well for up to 4 days. Wait to add the fresh bean sprouts and scallions until ready to enjoy!
Are Cantonese Pan Fried Noodles Gluten-Free?
This recipe calls for egg noodles which do contain gluten. However, if you swap the egg noodles for rice noodles, and make sure to buy gluten-free soy sauce then yes, this is easily a tasty gf-friendly dish!
What Other Ingredients Could I Include or Substitute?
Sliced celery, mushrooms, water chestnuts, and baby corn as just a few examples of the many different vegetables you could add or swap in this easy recipe.
Use thinly sliced chicken breasts or whole peeled and deveined shrimp for a pork-free version.
For a vegetarian and vegan-friendly dish, substitute thinly sliced extra firm tofu (well pressed first) in place of the pork.
Looking for More Delicious Asian-Inspired Dishes?
- Potstickers (Chinese Dumplings)
- Easy Szechuan Beef
- Instant Pot Chinese Sesame Chicken
- Homemade Lo Mein Recipe with Vegetables
- Black Pepper Chicken Stir Fry
- Chinese Hot Pot Recipe
Cantonese Pan Fried Noodles (Pork Lo Mein)
Ingredients
- 10 ounces long thin egg noodles Hong Kong Noodles
- 1 pound pork loin
- 2 cups mung bean sprouts
- 1 1/2 cups shredded carrots
- 1 bunch scallions
- 1 tablespoons cornstarch
- 4 tablespoons dark soy sauce divided
- 1 1/2 tablespoons rice wine
- 1 1/2 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 1/2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
- 2 1/2 tablespoons coconut oil for cooking
Instructions
- Cut the pork loin into paper-thin pieces. Sprinkle 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 1 tablespoon cornstarch over the pork. Toss to coat. Cut the scallions into 1 1/2-inch sections, then slice into thin strips. In a small bowl mix the remaining soy sauce with the rice wine, sesame oil, oyster sauce, minced garlic and crushed red pepper. Whisk well.
- Place a large pot of water over high heat and bring to a boil. Place a wok (or deep skillet) over medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of coconut oil to the wok. Add the pork and stir fry for 2-3 minutes until just cooked through. Remove the pork and set aside.
- Meanwhile drop the egg noodles into the boiling water and cook according to the package instructions, usually 2-3 minutes. Drain well.
- Add the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons coconut oil to the wok. Once hot, add the shredded carrots and scallions whites. Stir fry for one minute, then add the noodles to the wok and stir fry for 2 more minutes.
- Add the pork and soy sauce mixture to the wok. Stir fry another 2-3 minutes. Then turn off the heat and mix in the scallions greens and mung bean sprouts. Serve warm.
Nutrition
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Every time I make this – and it is “on the rotation”, my husband marvels anew about how much he loves it! Highly recommend this recipe! A true winner!
WOW! This is as good or better than in a Chinese restaurant! I also doubled the sauce mixture. My daughter is allergic to fish/seafood so I could not use the oyster sauce. I whisked in 2 eggs after I removed the pork mixture. I set the eggs aside with the pork and then stir-fried the veggies. I crisped up some of the noodles nicely. The flavors are unbelievably authentic and tasty for a homemade Chinese dish (most of mine don’t turn out well!) This will be made quite regularly!
This is the BEST!!! I cannot count how many times I have prepared this and it is always a winner!
Everything about this recipe brings me joy!
What an amazing looking dish! Truly worthy of a restaurant; looking forward to enjoying this for dinner tonight!
I am so making this for dinner this week! SO excited!
This was one of the best lo meins that I have ever made.
This recipe was great!! I doubled everything and tripled the sauce for my fam of 5. Turned out perfect
thank you
This was very good, and I will be making it again. It was a bit dry, so next time I will double the sauce. And the addition of celery ( as noted by another reader) would be excellent. This is a definite keeper. Thanks for this recipe.
Hi Nancy,
Your sauce might have boiled down too much before adding the noodles. If you are worried about too much sodium in a double batch of sauce, you could always add in some water to loosen the sauce before adding the noodles.
Absolutely the best!! I added chopped celery,and used left over pork loin, sliced thin. So flavorful! Family loved it! A keeper.
Thanks Cynthia! I’m so very glad you enjoyed it. :)
Such a great idea. This sounds so zesty and delicious! I cannot wait to try it out!
That looks soo adorable and delicious!!! Thank you for sharing your recipe :) will definitely give this a try!
This was better than Chinese takeout. Soooo good and instantly a new favorite. Thanks for sharing!
Just made this for dinner and …………. OMGosh!!!!!
I added some sliced fresh portabello mushroom, added a bit more chili flakes, and doubled the sauce.
This is definitely going into the monthly rotation. Yes, I said monthly. I doubt if I cook the same meal more than 6 times a year.
I’m a foodie by nature, a cook by profession and a genetically predisposed recipe hoarder. This one’s going into the collection, but into the “find it fast cuz we love it” section.
this looks really good. Where do you buy the thin egg noodles? I’m assuming you don’t use angel hair pasta.
Hi Adele, I found it at our local grocery store. You can use egg angel hair if you can’t find it. :)
YES, we totally get into the dinner ruts, too. This looks like such a delicious option!!
This looks just so delicious!
Such a great idea for a quick dinner!
One of my favorite dishes! Love that you can easily make this at home now!
OMG….now I’m starving!!
Looks so good – so much flavor and texture!
Looks like this dish is loaded with flavor!
Beautiful looking dish! Thanks for the inspiration!