Updated with new pictures and additional text (originally postedDecember 14, 2016).
This recipe has three of my favourite things to eat: Chinese egg noodles, lap cheong (Chinese sausage), and gai lan (Chinese broccoli).
Lo Mein vs. Chow Mein
“Mein” is the Chinese word for noodles. Lo Mein means “tossed noodles,” while chow mein means “fried noodles”. The noodle used is an egg noodle, which is usually whole wheat flour with egg, and has a long, stringy, and soft texture.
The difference in names is due to preparation.
More authentic chow mein noodles are fried to crispness separately in the wok and then topped with stir-fried vegetables and meat after.
For lo mein (and in this recipe), the noodles are boiled for a couple minutes in a separate pot to al dente before mixing with the rest of the ingredients in the hot wok near the end of cooking. I find that it absorbs the delicious flavours of the sauce so well while holding its shape.
Although store-bought labelled chow mein noodles are usually flat or round (I always use it due to personal preference in this recipe; i.e. I grew up eating it) while noodles labelled as lo mein tend to be slightly thicker and round.
I’m a bit embarrassed to say, but for months I had labelled this recipe as chow mein instead of lo mein, which is the correct term due to how I prepare it. Growing up, my dad would refer to both methods of preparation as chow mein which caused some confusion. Is it a regional thing? Well, better late than never.

What is Chinese sausage (aka lap cheong)?
It’s a deep-red, dried, smoked pork sausage with pockets of white fat that is sweet, salty, and well, very fatty. It looks like a shrivelled up sausage before you cook it. It has a unique flavour that you just have to try to really appreciate.
When it cooks up in the wok, the fat in the sausage renders and each sausage slice gets crispy and browned on the outside while staying chewy (but really easy to eat) on the inside.
In addition to eating these sausages with noodles, I remember eating lap cheong with plain white rice and a fried egg with a runny yolk on top. It was also my favourite part of eating zongzi or joong (Chinese leaf-wrapped sticky rice dumplings).
What’s Gai Lan?
The leafy green called gai lan, or kai lan, Chinese broccoli or Chinese kale (which admittedly I have never heard it referred to as until I did a quick Google search), has flat, large dark blue-green leaves and thick stems. It tastes like broccoli, but slightly more bitter in flavour. I find that it has a sweetness to it that you don’t get in other similar Chinese vegetables like Bok Choy.
How about the sauce?
The rich tasting savoury sauce is salty due to the soy and oyster sauces, a little sour from the white rice vinegar, and the sesame oil has a toasty, nutty quality to it. To note, rice vinegar is not the same as regular white vinegar as rice vinegar is less acidic, more delicate, and has a hint of sweetness.
In all, the umami flavours in this sauce compliments all the ingredients so well making this one delicious and extremely filling dinner or hearty lunch.
To finish it off, this saucy stir-fry noodle dish is sprinkled with fresh green onions for that tasty mild oniony bite.
How do you make this lo mein noodle recipe?
(Full ingredient amounts and instructions available in the recipe card down below).

Prepare your ingredients. Chop up the vegetables, cook the noodles, and make the sauce.

In a wok on medium-high heat, fry Chinese sausage, garlic, and ginger. Remove from the wok and place it on a paper towel.

Increase stove temperature to high heat, steam gai lan stalks first, then add leaves until cooked through.

Add the noodles, green onions, and sauce. Toss to combine. Then add back in the sausage, garlic, and ginger to combine.
So drool worthy.

Remove from heat, plate it up and serve it hot.
All together it is a FLAVOUR EXPLOSION that is easy and fast to make. The key is to chop and prepare all the ingredients first so that once you start cooking, you have all the ingredients ready to toss into the hot wok.
It’s also really easy scale up or down this recipe so you can make as much as you want.
I hope you enjoy this recipe!

Did you make this lo mein recipe? Leave me a rating and comment down below or tag me on any of my social media. I’m @yay_for_food on Instagram. Please share your recipe pictures!

Lo Mein Noodles with Chinese Sausage and Gai Lan
An easy and fast Chinese egg noodle dish loaded with sweet and salty lap cheong (Chinese sausages) and leafy green gai lan (Chinese broccoli).
Ingredients
- 10 oz dried Chinese egg noodles*
- 3 Chinese sausages (lap cheong), sliced
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tsp fresh ginger, minced
- 3 cups (12 oz / 5-6 stalks) gai lan (Chinese broccoli), chopped, with leaves separated from stems
- ½ cup green onions, chopped
- ¼ cup water
For the sauce:
- ½ cup chicken broth
- 2 tbsp oyster sauce
- 2 tbsp dark soy sauce
- 2 tsp cornstarch
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 tsp rice vinegar
- ½ tsp sesame oil
Instructions
- Boil the noodles according to the package directions until al dente, rinse with cold water and drain. Set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the sauce ingredients until well combined. Set aside.
- Set the stove temperature to medium-high heat. In a wok, add the Chinese sausage, ginger, and garlic. Stir frequently, letting the sausage fat render, and allowing the ginger and garlic to brown, about 2-3 minutes. Remove the ingredients from the wok and place on top of a paper towel. Leave the remaining fat in the wok.
- Increase the stove temperature to high heat and stir in the gai lan stems and 2 tablespoons of water, cover with a lid** and let it steam, until crisp tender, about 3 minutes. Then, stir in the gai lan leaves and remaining 2 tablespoon of water and let it steam until it is completely cooked, about 2-3 minutes.
- Add the noodles, green onions, and the sauce. Using tongs, toss the ingredients until it is well-coated with the sauce, about 2 minutes. Finally, add back the sausage, garlic, and ginger and combine before removing from the heat. Serve immediately.
Notes
- *I like to use steamed chow mein noodles (aka Hong Kong-Style Pan-Fried Noodles). You can also find labelled packaged Lo Mein Noodles. In a pinch, substitute with spaghetti or linguine.
- **If you do not have a lid for your wok (I used a large lid that belongs to another pot), you can cover the wok with a large metal bowl or aluminum foil. Be careful when removing the lid. You can also boil in shallow water in the wok if you prefer not to use a lid.
- If gai lan is not available, you can substitute with bok choy, broccoli, or green cabbage.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 284Total Fat: 11gCarbohydrates: 43.6gProtein: 11.4g
Anne
Tuesday 3rd of May 2022
Very flavorful sauce. My husband is not usually a big fan of noodles, but he loved this dish, and wanted the leftovers for his dinner the next day. Thank you, Marie!
Marie | Yay! for Food
Wednesday 11th of May 2022
So glad it was a hit! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!
patricia gooch
Tuesday 11th of May 2021
will try today with swiss chard from garden and garnish with sliced radishes
Karen Swain
Sunday 31st of January 2021
I love this recipe as it stands! It's delicious exactly as it's written. Sure you can add this or that, but absolutely no need.
Marie | Yay! for Food
Monday 1st of February 2021
Thanks Karen! I'm glad this recipe is a hit for you!
Isis
Monday 11th of January 2021
Hi! Thank you for the recipe. I have a question, how do you get your noodles to have that dark reddish color?
Marie | Yay! for Food
Tuesday 12th of January 2021
Hi Isis! The colour is from the addition of the sauce.
Mary Wood
Thursday 20th of August 2020
I made this tonight and it's absolutely delicious. I followed the recipe with the exception of using about 3/4 the amount of noodles called for. I think next time I'll use even less. I also used regular soy sauce because not even my neighborhood Asian market had the dark soy sauce. The amount of sauce was still just right, even with the reduced amount of noodles. I think this would be really good made with bok choy, too. Thank you for this great recipe!
Mary W.
Monday 13th of December 2021
@Mary Wood, Making this (again!) tonight and logged on to get the sauce recipe. Out of chicken stock, but used plain water, upped the sugar and vinegar a bit. Still delish! So glad I looked at some of the previous posts because it had never occurred to me to use lap cheong with eggs. Believe me, I will be trying it soon. Thank you again for this great recipe, that adapts so well to variations. Mary
Mary Wood
Wednesday 23rd of September 2020
I've now made this several times, with variations on the main dish. I am making double and triple the recipe for the stir fry sauce because it's DELICIOUS and goes with other dishes so well and I keep it in the fridge, ready to use. I've since found the dark soy sauce and make the sauce exactly as the recipe says. I use it for stir-fried rice and have developed a couple of versions that I like, one with chopped kimchi (yes, I use this sauce) and one with chopped Spam (again, the same sauce) and adding whatever vegetables I have on hand, almost always cabbage and onions, garlic and fresh ginger, sometimes frozen peas and carrots, if I'm lucky some authentic Chinese greens, such as gai lan and bok choy. I like to have leftover steamed rice on hand, but in a pinch have substituted ramen noodles, with some basic vegetables and a bit of meat, and I can have a very quick, simple and delicious meal whipped up in literally a few minutes. Thank you so much for the recipes.
Marie | Yay! for Food
Friday 21st of August 2020
Hi Mary! I'm happy to hear you liked this recipe! It would be great with bok choy too.