Easy Prawns Lo Mein

Prawns Lo Mein is a common and classic Chinese dish normally made with egg noodles. Traditionally, they serve lo mein with vegetables and meat or seafood like chicken, beef, pork, prawns or wontons. In Cantonese “lo” means “tossed” and “mein” means “noodles”. They boil the noodles, then drained, tossed and mixed with a brown sauce. Likewise, they make the brown sauce for lo mein with a combination of soy sauce and oyster sauce. Plus Chinese rice wine and chicken broth. As well as garlic, ginger and thickened with corn starch.

Conventionally, lo mein is a dry version of noodle soup. While many regard wonton noodle soup as the most well known dish. Whereby they prepare the lo mein noodles with ingredients like meat, seafood or vegetables. Then they serve the dry lo mein noodles separately alongside the clear boiled wonton soup.

Gluten Free Easy Prawns Lo Mein

For my gluten free recipe, I have made this Easy Prawns Lo Mein. With only 30 minutes preparation time and 10 mins cooking time. Also, I used rice vermicelli (thin rice noodles) boiled and tossed with a soy free brown sauce. I made the sauce with blackstrap molasses, coconut aminos, sesame oil, medium dry sherry and salt. Similarly, I used main ingredients like cooked large King prawns, cucumber, carrots, capsicums, spring onion (shallot), ginger and garlic.

This Prawns Lo Mein recipe is not only gluten free and soy free. It is also dairy free, egg free, nut free and refined sugar free. In addition, this easy to make dish is a perfect addition to your holiday entertaining for family and friends.

Easy Prawns Lo Mein Gluten Free

History of Lo Mein

The history of Lo Mein dated all the way back to the Han Dynasty (206 B.C. – 220A.D.). Whereby they invented it in China as a wheat flour noodles dish. Even though it is not clear who created the method of combining flour with water to make noodles. It is evident that noodles are an important food staple in the Chinese diet. And they have been consuming noodles for more than 2,000 years. Typically, they serve noodles virtually always as full-length. Because they symbolise longevity and prosperity particularly for birthdays and during Chinese New Year.

Lo Mein (Dry Noodles) in Southeast Asia

In Southeast Asia especially Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Thailand. Many street food noodles have adapted Lo Mein to the local tastebuds. Offering both variations of noodle soup and dry noodles. Additionally, there are many examples of popular noodles that they serve dry or in soup. These noodles are bbq pork and wonton noodles, wonton noodles soup and stuffed tofu (Yong Tau Foo) noodles. As well as fish balls and fish cakes noodles. Moreover, they also serve chicken or pork (thinly sliced or minced) with vegetables clear soup noodles. Plus pan mee noodles, pork balls or beef balls noodles, etc.

Types of Noodles used for Lo Mein (Dry Noodles)

Common types of noodles used today for Lo Mein are wheat flour noodles, egg noodles, rice noodles (vermicelli or sticks). As well as tear drops noodles, Hokkien noodles, hor fun (kway teow), wonton noodles, etc. Moreover, they prepare Lo Mein by boiling the noodles for around 3 minutes and then tossed with a brown sauce. Whereas, Chow Mein which is different to Lo Mein means fried noodles, normally stir-fried or deep fried for crispy noodles.

Easy Prawns Lo Mein Gluten Free

Brief Facts About Prawns/Shrimps

Overall, many regard prawns or shrimps as not only a favourite food ingredient. But they also value them as a crucial seafood eaten globally. Prawns are normally In British English, they use the term prawns. Whereas in United States English, they use shrimps instead. Generally, they refer prawns as larger in size. While they refer shrimps as smaller in size. Today, they apply the terms prawns and shrimps interchangeably.

In scientific terms, they classified prawns as a shellfish called Crustaceans. Just like crabs, crayfish, lobsters and scampi. Moreover, prawns’ bodies are compact from side to side and slim. With translucent exoskeleton, lengthy antennae and ten long legs and fan-shaped tail. In addition, we can find them in both fresh as well as salt water. Prawns are a member of the order decapod and categorised in the infraorder Caridea.

In culinary uses, prawns are very versatile. Likewise, we steam, bake, boile, stir-fry, pan-fry, deep-fry and grill them. Choose prawns that smell fresh, firm shells, clean and moist looking. Stay away from prawns that appears dry, with black spots and has cracked shells.

Easy Prawns Lo Mein Gluten Free

Nutritional Values of Prawns

Many consider prawns as one of the world’s healthiest food as a result of their numerous nutritional values. And a wide diversity of food and health experts highly valued prawns as an essential part of our diet. Prawns are an excellent source of protein and are high in calcium but low in food energy. Likewise, prawns has high quality protein that includes all the nine amino acids. In the precise ratio for the human body to function correctly.

Additionally, prawns contain roughly the same amount of protein as comparable amount of chicken or beef. Prawns are low in calories (much less than chicken or beef). They are also a superb source of selenium, phosphorus, copper, iodine, choline and vitamin B12. In addition, they are also a good source of zinc, and Omega-3 fatty acids. Plus vitamin B3 (niacin), vitamin B5 (pantothenic acid), vitamin B6, vitamin A and vitamin E.

Although prawns comprise above average quantities of cholesterol. The majority of their fat content is healthy polyunsaturated fatty acids and particularly Omega-3 fatty acid. Furthermore, prawns are a distinctive source of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory carotenoid nutrient called astaxanthin.

Health Benefits of Prawns

The overall health benefits of prawns may include:

  • Lower blood pressure;
  • Decrease risks of cardiovascular diseases;
  • Boost the body’s immune system;
  • Promote healthy skin;
  • Support strong muscles and bones;
  • Help reduce risks of cancer especially colon cancer;
  • Assist in a healthy central nervous system;
  • Lower risks of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia; and
  • Aid in weight loss management.
Easy Prawns Lo Mein Gluten Free
Easy Prawns Lo Mein Gluten Free

Easy Prawns Lo Mein

Lo Mein is a common and classic Chinese dish. The noodles are boiled, drained, tossed and mixed with a brown sauce and served with prawns or meat and vegetables. Conventionally, lo mein is a dry version of noodle soup.
5 from 4 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Lunch, Main, Noodle
Cuisine: Chinese
Diet: Gluten Free, Low Fat
Keyword: Dairy Free, Easy Recipe, Egg Free, Gluten Free, Nut Free, Prawn, Refined Sugar Free, Seafood, Soy Free
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes
Servings: 6 people
Calories: 594.23kcal
Author: Daphne Goh

Ingredients

  • 1 kg Large cooked king prawns peeled with tails intact
  • 500 g rice vermicelli or rice noodles
  • 3 medium Lebanese cucumber halved and thinly sliced
  • 3 medium carrots peeled, halved and very thinly sliced
  • 1 medium red capsicum thinly sliced
  • 1 medium yellow capsicum thinly sliced

For the Garlic and Ginger Oil:

  • 3 garlic cloves finely minced
  • inch ginger peeled and finely grated
  • 1 spring onions (shallots) including the white parts, thinly sliced lengthwise

For the Sauce:

For the Garnish:

  • 1 spring onions (shallots) including the white parts, thinly sliced lengthwise
  • 2 sprigs coriander roughly cut into 2 cm pieces

Instructions

  • Prepare and mix the sauce ingredients in a separate bowl.

For the garlic and ginger oil:

  • Heat up a small pot with the extra virgin olive oil, add garlic and ginger and stir-fry until lightly golden on low heat. Turn off the heat.
  • Add the sauce prepared in step 1 and the spring onion (shallot) into the garlic and ginger oil, combine and mix well. Set aside.

For the noodles:

  • Fill a medium pot half full of water, bring to a boil and turn off the heat. Add the rice noodles into the pot for 5 minutes or until the rice noodles are just soft. Separate the noodles, drain the water and set aside in a large bowl.
  • Add the garlic and ginger oil sauce mixture prepared in step 3 into the noodles, toss and mix until well combined.
  • Then add the sliced cucumber, carrots, red capsicum, yellow capsicum and the cooked prawns to the noodles. Toss and combined until all the ingredients are mixed well.
  • Add some cooked prawns on top for presentation. Garnish with some coriander and spring onion and serve.
Nutrition Facts
Easy Prawns Lo Mein
Serving Size
 
1 people
Amount per Serving
Calories
594.23
% Daily Value*
Fat
 
7.28
g
11
%
Saturated Fat
 
1.08
g
7
%
Trans Fat
 
0.01
g
Polyunsaturated Fat
 
2.45
g
Monounsaturated Fat
 
2.19
g
Cholesterol
 
210
mg
70
%
Sodium
 
2430.85
mg
106
%
Potassium
 
939.67
mg
27
%
Carbohydrates
 
100.7
g
34
%
Fiber
 
3.72
g
16
%
Sugar
 
19.81
g
22
%
Protein
 
27.42
g
55
%
Vitamin A
 
6298.48
IU
126
%
Vitamin C
 
69.27
mg
84
%
Calcium
 
191.07
mg
19
%
Iron
 
2.7
mg
15
%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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2 thoughts on “Easy Prawns Lo Mein”

  1. 5 stars
    I am glad that I came across this recipe, so simple to make. Tried it and absolutely delicious. Thanks for sharing! ????

    Reply

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