Copycat

Since my oldest son is allergic to tree nuts--especially cashews--that means going out to a Chinese restaurant is out. If we want to eat Chinese food as a family, it has to be made by me. My family growing up had a tradition of having Chinese food on New Year's. So, I made some Chinese food at home for us to share that night. Here's a new and great recipe I found.

Copycat Panda Express Chow Mein

Ingredients:

1/4 cup soy sauce
1 tbsp. brown sugar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. fresh ginger, grated
Ground black pepper, to taste
2-3 tbsp. vegetable oil
3 (5.6 oz) packages refrigerated Yaki Soba noodles, any flavor (found in the produce section of the grocery store)
2/3 cup diagonally chopped celery
1 medium-sized onion, thinly sliced
2 cups chopped cabbage

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine soy sauce, brown sugar, garlic, ginger, and black pepper. Set aside.

Remove Yaki Soba noodles from packages and discard flavor packets. Rinse noodles well, drain, and set aside.

Heat oil in a large wok or skillet. Add celery and onion and saute for about 1-2 minutes, or until onions start to become soft and translucent. Add cabbage and saute until wilted and softened.

Toss Yaki Soba noodles and soy sauce mixture with the vegetables over medium-high heat for an additional 2-3 minutes or until noodles are heated through.

Source: Favorite Family Recipes. You can find it here.

Notes: Holy cow, this was spot on. It tasted just like the chow mein from Panda Express. It makes a ton, but the leftovers were great too.

I had never bought Yaki Soba noodles before, so I was confused in the grocery store when I didn't find plain noodles. They come in different flavors. Just grab any flavor and discard the flavor packets. The noodles are all the same.

Also, excuse the darkness of the pictures. Blasted winter lighting! It is so hard to take a good picture when it is pitch black outside...and when I am by no means a professional photographer!