Delicious Lo Mein Recipe

I thought I'd share this delicious Lo Mein recipe from our friends from Taiwan, Andrew and Nicole.  It is supposed to be authentic but I have to be totally honest and say I could care less if it isn't.  The fact is, it's so crazy good and healthy you're not going to care either.  The foundational ingredients are quite basic and chances are you have most of them in the pantry already.  If you like oriental food, you'll love this dish and it makes enough to feed an army.  I like to serve it with egg rolls, but I am too lazy to make them myself - so sue me.  The ones you can buy in the deli section at your local market are the best.

Recipe:

- 2-4 Tbsp of Canola Oil
- 1/2 Head of Cabbage Sliced/ Chopped Roughly
- 1 Box of Egg Spaghetti Noodles (use whole grain as a healthier option or if you really feel the need you can buy the lo mein noodles but this is what our friends use and they are very similar)
- 1 Cup Smoked Ham cubed - (I just cubed portions of a picnic ham).  Substitute beef, chicken, shrimp, or whatever else you like.
- 1 Cup mixed Veggies - I used onion and carrots julienned manually.  You could also use mushrooms, zucchini, peas, baby corn, snow peas, broccoli, bamboo shoots, green onion, watercress, or whatever else suits your fancy.  This is a "left overs" meal.  It doesn't need to be complicated.
- 3-5 Tbsp of Soy Sauce
- 1 Tbsp Unsalted Butter
- Salt to taste
- Pinch of Sugar

Directions:

Heat a large saute pan over medium heat.  Add oil and saute any uncooked meat first.  Remove and set meat aside.  In the same pan, add prepared carrots or hardest veggies and saute.  Next add onions about 3 minutes later with a dash of salt and begin to caramelize.  Once onions begin to turn a very light brown, add remaining soft veggies including the cabbage.  Dash of salt and begin tossing somewhat frequently (it will look like a lot of veggies but the cabbage wilts down quite a bit as it releases its moisture).  Once cabbage is reduced in size by nearly half, add noodles and butter.  Once butter melts and is well integrated, add meat back.  Now season with soy sauce, toss, remove from heat, and serve.