Meatless Beef Chow Mein

Meatless Beef Chow Mein

I've always loved noodles. Call it a Chinese thing. On the other hand, noodles is a world-wide thing. So, everyone can get in on the noodle action. Here's my version for the day. It's really what I had lying around. Really, if I had mung bean sprouts or bell peppers or bok choy, I'd throw it in. However, Chinese cabbage works nicely too. This dish features my homemade wheat gluten, but you can buy it at the store. Since I made a whole batch, I may as well eat it up while it's fresh, you know.

Meatless Beef Chow Mein
8 oz of chow mein noodles
1-2 cloves of garlic
4 oz of wheat gluten/seitan, homemade or WestSoy Seitan Wheat Protein
1/2- 3/4 cup of vegetarian chicken broth/bouillon or vegetable stock or mushroom stock
2 teaspoons of soy sauce
2 teaspoons of vegetarian oyster sauce
2 oz Chinese cabbage
1 handful of dried Chinese black mushrooms
a little Lao Gan Ma chili sauce (optional)
spicy sesame oil (optional)
1 teaspoon of sugar (optional)
coconut oil

Soak the dried mushrooms in hot water until soft. Remove stems. You can reserve the water and replace the broth if you wish, but make sure you don't pour in any sediment. Prepare noodles according to directions on package. Usually, you will soak them in hot/warm water for about five minutes and drain.

Pre-heat pan on medium heat. When it's hot, add coconut oil and coat the pan. Throw in your Chinese cabbage, mushrooms and cook for a few minutes. Add garlic (making sure not to burn) and your wheat gluten. It's already cooked so you don't have to worry about it that much. If using Lao Gan Ma sauce, add some at this point. Pour broth in or water. If using bouillon, toss it in right now. If using, add sugar now.  Add soy sauce and oyster sauce. Bring broth to a boil or close to a boil. Add noodles and toss noodles to coat. Reduce broth until it's near dry. If using sesame oil, pour in teaspoon and mix evenly. Serve immediately. This makes 2 servings, but I can eat the whole thing. 23 grams of protein per serving.