Christmas Eve 2010

When my parents first moved to Arlington, it was Christmas Eve and their pots and pans were all in boxes. Faced with the daunting task of unpacking and then cooking, they decided instead to go out for dinner. They lived in the Lyon Village neighborhood, and the only thing open that night was a Chinese place called Wah Ying's. It was in the Lyon Village Shopping Center, where the Italian Store is now. And every Christmas Eve since then, my family has had Chinese food. This year, I decided to cook it for us. I made a number of great things, most from Fushia Dulop's cookbooks. But I came up with one on my own, which was based on a recipe from the Internet:

VEGETABLE LO MEIN

Ingredients
1 lb fresh lo mein noodles
5 green onions, sliced into 2” pieces
3 tablespoons fresh ginger, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup bean sprouts
1/2 cup pea pods
1/2 cup shredded Chinese cabbage
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1/2 cup mushrooms
3 tablespoons peanut oil

Sauce:
5 tablespoons soy sauce
5 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons rice wine
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon cornstarch

Directions:
Cut noodles to manageable length and boil noodles as directed; rinse under cold water and drain. Make sauce by combining soy sauce, oyster sauce, rice wine, salt, and cornstarch. Heat peanut oil in a wok or large skillet until very hot. Add ginger and garlic, stirring constantly for 30 seconds. Stir in vegetables and sauce. Stir fry for 1 or 2 minutes, until mostly cooked. Add noodles and stir fry until finished.