Food

Vegetable Lo Mein and Hoisin Chicken for a Very Jewish Christmas!

Vegetable Lo Mein and Hoisin Chicken Image by Carly Pildis

By Carly Pildis December 23, 2020

Vegetable Lo Mein

2 tablespoons chopped ginger
2 cups baby broccoli
1 ½ cups baby corn
5 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
½ cup soy sauce
1 cup julienned carrots
1 cup green beans
2 1/2 cup scallions
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
salt
1 package fresh mein noodles ( approximately one pound.) Fresh or frozen. If you can’t find good quality noodles, bucatini works better than dried lo mein. Check the freezer aisle for frozen fresh lo mein noodles.

Hoisin Chicken

4 bone-in skin-on chicken thighs
2 Tbsp honey
2 Tbsp hoisin sauce
2 Tbsp sriracha
1 Tbsp soy sauce
2 Tbsp. sesame seed
1 tablespoon chopped scallion

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Lightly oil a cookie sheet to avoid sticking

Whisk together honey, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, scallion, and sesame seeds. Generously spread across the chicken, spooning over and spreading evenly. Roast at 425 degrees for about 30 – 35 minutes on the top shelf of your oven. Chicken thighs are forgiving, so cook until the top is bronzed and golden, the meat won’t overcook if it takes a few more minutes to achieve this, and that’s what makes it special.

While the chicken cooks, let’s make lo mein!

Boil water. Cook noodles, 1 – 3 minutes. Toss lightly in oil and season with salt. Set aside. If substituting regular pasta for fresh lo mein noodles, cook until al dente.

Chop ginger. Leave the broccoli florets elegant and whole, but chop and half the stems. Reserve the florets. Chop 1 ½ cup of scallions and reserve the other half. Quarter the green beans.

Drizzle a little toasted sesame oil in a large pan or wok and cook ginger till tender, about 3-4 minutes. Drizzle all the vegetables, except for the florets, in 5 tablespoons of oil and fry on high heat until just tender, about 4 minutes. Add florets and cook lightly, about 1 minute, until bright green. You want the vegetables to still have some crunch.

Add 2 tablespoons of hoisin sauce. Chinese chili oil or Sriracha would be welcomed here — a tablespoon or two if your kids will eat spicy food. Toss noodles with vegetables and sauce using tongs. Think of tossing it like you would a salad.

Take the remaining cup of scallions and cut on a diagonal to garnish.

Carly Pildis is an organizing and advocacy professional living in Washington, D.C.

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