Lo mein () is a Chinese dish with

noodle Noodles are a type of food made from unleavened dough which is either rolled flat and cut, stretched, or extruded, into long strips or strings. Noodles are a staple food in many cultures and made into a variety of shapes. The most common noo ...

s. When prepared in the Cantonese style, it is often topped with or accompanied by

meat Meat is animal Tissue (biology), tissue, often muscle, that is eaten as food. Humans have hunted and farmed other animals for meat since prehistory. The Neolithic Revolution allowed the domestication of vertebrates, including chickens, sheep, ...

(such as

char siu ''Char siu'' () is a Cantonese-style barbecued pork. Originating in Guangdong, it is eaten with rice, used as an ingredient for noodle dishes or in stir fries, and as a filling for '' cha siu bao'' or pineapple buns. Five-spice powder is t ...

beef brisket Brisket is a cut of meat from the breast or lower chest of beef or veal. The beef brisket is one of the nine beef primal cuts, though the definition of the cut differs internationally. The brisket muscles include the Pectoralis major, superficial ...

), wontons, or vegetables, and may be served with a bowl of broth for dipping.

Etymology

The term ''lo mein'' comes from the

Cantonese Cantonese is the traditional prestige variety of Yue Chinese, a Sinitic language belonging to the Sino-Tibetan language family. It originated in the city of Guangzhou (formerly known as Canton) and its surrounding Pearl River Delta. While th ...

, meaning "stirred noodles". The Cantonese use of the character 撈, pronounced ''lou'' and meaning "to stir", in its casual form, differs from the character's traditional Han meaning of "to dredge" or "to scoop out of water" in

Mandarin Mandarin or The Mandarin may refer to: Language * Mandarin Chinese, branch of Chinese originally spoken in northern parts of the country ** Standard Chinese or Modern Standard Mandarin, the official language of China ** Taiwanese Mandarin, Stand ...

, in which case it would be pronounced as ''laau'' or ''lou'' in Cantonese (''lāo'' in Mandarin). In Mandarin, the dish is called ''lāo miàn''. In its country of origin, it is made of thin flour-and-egg noodles which are notable for their elastic texture.

Regional variations

Northern China

In northern China, ''bàn miàn'' (拌面) can refer to many other types of wheat noodles without egg, including laghman in

Xinjiang Xinjiang,; , SASM/GNC romanization, SASM/GNC: Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Sinkiang, officially the Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region (XUAR), is an Autonomous regions of China, autonomous region of the China, People' ...

Guangdong

Cantonese cuisine Cantonese or Guangdong cuisine, also known as Yue cuisine ( zh, t=廣東菜 or zh, labels=no, t=粵菜), is the cuisine of Cantonese people, associated with the Guangdong, Guangdong province of China, particularly the provincial capital Guan ...

, lo mein (撈麵) typically consists of boiled wheat noodles that are tossed in a sauce, such as

oyster sauce Oyster sauce describes a number of sauces made by cooking oysters. The most common in modern use is a viscous dark brown condiment made from oyster extracts,The Times, 22 January 1981; ''Cook Accidentally on purpose'' sugar, salt and water, thi ...

, or are served with a sauce alongside. It may be accompanied by items such as wontons,

, or beef brisket. Unlike

chow mein ''Chow mein'' ( and , ; Cantonese Yale: ''cháaumihn'', Pinyin: ''chǎomiàn'') is a dish of Chinese stir-fried noodles with vegetables and sometimes meat or tofu. Over the centuries, variations of ''chǎomiàn'' were developed in many reg ...

, Cantonese-style lo mein is not traditionally pan-fried or stir-fried.

American Chinese cuisine

In American Chinese restaurants, lo mein is a popular

take-out A take-out (US, Canada, Philippines) or takeaway (UK, Ireland, Commonwealth) is a prepared meal or other food items purchased at a restaurant or fast food outlet with the intent to eat elsewhere. A concept found in many ancient cultures, take ...

food and is sometimes considered synonymous with

. The dish is distinct from both Cantonese lo mein and Cantonese crispy chow mein. U.S. lo mein noodles are usually stir-fried with a sauce made from soy sauce and other seasonings. Vegetables such as

bok choy Bok choy (American English, Canadian English, and Australian English), pak choi (British English, South African English, and Caribbean English) or pok choi is a type of Chinese cabbage ('' Brassica rapa'' subsp. ''chinensis'') cultivated as a le ...

and

cabbage Cabbage, comprising several cultivars of '' Brassica oleracea'', is a leafy green, red (purple), or white (pale green) biennial plant grown as an annual vegetable crop for its dense-leaved heads. It is descended from the wild cabbage ( ''B.& ...

can be mixed in and meats like roast pork, beef or chicken are often added. Shrimp lo mein, lobster lo mein, vegetable lo mein, and "house" lo mein (more than one meat) are sometimes available. File:Lo Mein American Style.JPG, American-style lo mein

Indonesian Chinese cuisine

Indonesian Chinese cuisine Chinese Indonesian cuisine (, ) is characterized by the mixture of Chinese with local Indonesian style. Chinese Indonesians, mostly descendant of Han ethnic Hokkien and Hakka speakers, brought their legacy of Chinese cuisine, and modified s ...

, lo mein is made using egg noodles or "mie hokkien". Egg noodles are made of wheat flour and eggs, commonly formed as a ribbon shape.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lo Mein American Chinese cuisine Canadian Chinese cuisine Cantonese cuisine Cantonese words and phrases Chinese noodle dishes Mixed noodles Guyanese cuisine