Venison Lo Mein Recipe

I am a sucker for Chinese takeout and this lo mein recipe provides the perfect opportunity to integrate wild game.

While there is certainly some prep work involved, it’s worth it. I can promise you won’t find a restaurant offering lo mein quite like this.

Venison Lo Mein Recipe (Serves 2-4, depending upon how American you are.)

• 10 ounces (dry weight) Cooked egg noodles
• 6 Tbsps Chicken stock
• 4 Tbsps Oyster sauce
• 4 1/2 tsps Soy sauce
• 1 1/2 tsps Cornstarch
• 1 1/2 tsps Sesame oil
• 4 Tbsps Vegetable oil
• 1 Tbps Thinly-sliced ginger
• 3 tsps minced garlic
• 12 ounces Clean, cubed venison trim
• 1 large carrot, julienned
• 6 ounces Chopped bock choy leaves (no bottoms, please)
• 3 Scallions, chopped

Step 1: Cook egg noodles according to the instructions on the package and set aside.

Step 2: Combine chicken stock, oyster sauce, soy sauce, sesame sauce, and cornstarch in a small bowl. Whisk together and set aside.

Step 3: Place a large sauce pan on your stovetop over high heat. Add the oil.

Step 4: When oil just begins to smoke, add the ginger and garlic. Cook until light brown, stirring constantly.

Step 5: Add the meat, continuing to stir until cooked to medium, about one minute.

Step 6: Add the noodles and vegetables and mix, cooking until veggies are tender.

Step 7: Pour the sauce into the pan and mix until sauce is thickened and the ingredients are covered evenly. Remove from heat and portion, adding the scallions as garnish.

Tips and substitutions

If you’re anything like me, cooking can be chaotic. But this is far from the time for winging it. While this dish requires a lot of prep work, once the cooking process starts, everything comes together incredibly quickly. It is absolutely vital that you have your ingredients measured and organized before you put the spurs to your cooktop. If there was ever a time for practicing mise en place, this is it.

As one of my favorite celebrity chefs, Jet Tila, likes to point out, “lo mein noodles” really don’t exist. I learned that the hard way. I went to three different grocery stores before I found a package labeled “lo mein noodles.” Don’t put yourself through that. Any long, string-like egg noodles will do.

I like my lo mein with a good deal of meat and plenty of sauce. Feel free to adjust the amounts of those items to your liking.

When the garlic and ginger first hit the pan, stir constantly. You’re dealing with high heat and these ingredients can burn easily.

While you can hit the meat with a dash or two of salt (it almost seems like a sin not to), this is one of those rare dishes that may not require that step. Trust me, there is sufficient salt in this meal as-is.

I find venison to be the ideal candidate for the meat component, but you can certainly do this with the wild game meat of your choosing. Whatever you choose, it is important that the meat is cut into equal sizes so that it cooks evenly. It also must be free of silverskin and excessive fat.

For a more refined presentation, cut the bok choy and scallions on the bias.

You might be able to get away with pre-shredded carrots, but don’t shred your own. They end up disintegrating.

Also, book choy and carrots are the only vegetables in this recipe, but you can add others. For example, mushrooms can also be a nice addition.

Once you add the noodles, it may be easier to mix the ingredients together using tongs rather than a wooden spoon or spatula.

Finally, although this meal is wonderful when served fresh, like most Chinese takeout, it’s even better the next day. Just add a quick mist of water to your bowl before reheating.