This recipe for Lobster Yee Mein features flavorful chunks of lobster meat in a savory, creamy sauce on top of homemade egg noodles. It's a celebratory dish served during festive occasions.
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What is yee mein?
Yee mein (yi mein) (伊面), also known as e-fu noodles, a type of "longevity noodles" which are egg noodles deep-fried with a soft and chewy texture.
Longevity noodles symbolize long life and good fortune, and are eaten at festive celebrations, such as birthdays, weddings, and Chinese New Year.
Yi mein noodles are thicker, flatter noodles, traditionally deep fried before being dried, which makes them puffy. When blanched, the noodles are better able to absorb sauces and flavor.
The noodles are usually blanched and stir-fried or braised and paired with rich sauces and ingredients such as lobster, or mushrooms.
Why you'll love this recipe
This recipe for Lobster Yee Mein is:
Worth the effort: lobster yee mein is a celebratory banquet dish typically served in Chinese restaurants, but my version is straightforward to make, with a streamlined process.
Flavorful & delicious: not only the lobster is smothered in a creamy, savory sauce infused with garlic, green onions and soy, the noodles are also coated with a sauce which infuses the dish with rich, umami flavors.
Adaptable: instead of using traditional deep-fried yee mein noodles, I've opted to use homemade fresh egg noodles which are a little healthier, and easier to find.
Ingredients you'll need
Noodles:
- yee mein(伊面)/fresh egg noodles: you can use egg noodle if you can't find yee mein noodles which are deep-fried; or if you're in a pinch, try chow mein noodles
Noodle sauce:
- aromatics: shallot (小蔥), garlic (蒜), green onion (蔥白)(white part)
- seasoning: oyster sauce (蠔油), soy sauce (醬油), granulated sugar (砂糖), sesame oil (麻油)
- water (水)
Lobster:
- 2 large lobster tails: (龍蝦尾) (1.1kg), about 2.5 lbs, cut into large 1.5" chunks
- egg whites: (蛋白) acts as a binder for the starch
- potato starch: (薯仔澱粉) or cornstarch (玉米澱粉)
Lobster sauce:
- vegetable oil (菜油)
- all-purpose flour: (麵粉) thickens the sauce
- seasoning: soy sauce (醬油), oyster sauce (蠔油), sea salt (鹽), sugar (砂糖), black pepper (胡椒), Shaoxing wine (紹興酒), ginger powder (薑粉), sesame oil (麻油)
- chicken broth (雞湯)
Where to find?
You can find these ingredients at Asian supermarkets or grocery stores.
How to make lobster yee mein at home
To make lobster yee mein, blanch egg noodles briefly, rinse under cold water, and set aside.
Coat lobster chunks in a mixture of egg whites, potato starch, salt, and pepper, then deep fry in batches.
Prepare the noodle sauce by sautéing aromatics and combining oyster sauce, soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, and water.
Toss in the noodles to coat.
Make the lobster sauce by cooking flour in oil, adding reserved aromatics, and seasoning with Shaoxing wine, soy sauce, oyster sauce, and chicken broth.
Simmer the fried lobster in the sauce.
Pour the mixture over the noodles for a flavorful celebratory dish.
How to serve Chinese lobster noodles
Serve the Chinese lobster noodles immediately, as part of a festive meal.
Pair with other dishes such as crispy siu yuk (燒肉), bok choy (白菜), blanched yu choy (菜心).
Or serve with other sides: spring rolls (春卷), dumplings (餃子), fish maw soup (魚肚羹), and/or hot & sour soup (酸辣湯).
For dessert, pair with almond jelly (杏仁啫喱), or mango pudding.
How to store
Store the lobster noodles in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
Do not freeze the leftovers, as the texture will change.
Other celebratory recipes you may like
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Lobster Yee Mein (龍蝦伊面)
For accuracy and precision in baking recipes, use weight (metric) measurements when available.
Ingredients
Noodles:
Lobster:
- 2 large lobster tails (龍蝦尾) (1.1kg about 2.5 lbs), cut into large 1.5" chunks
- 2 egg whites (蛋白) beaten
- 80 g potato starch (薯仔澱粉)
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt (鹽)
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper (胡椒)
- high smoke-point vegetable oil (菜油) for frying, (eg. peanut oil)
Noodle sauce:
- 2 medium shallot (小葱) minced
- 1 large bulb garlic (蒜) minced
- 3-4 green onion (蔥) white part only, chopped
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce (蠔油)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce (醬油)
- ½ tablespoon granulated sugar (砂糖)
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil (麻油)
- ½ C water (水)
Lobster sauce:
- 3 tablespoon vegetable oil (菜油)
- 4 tablespoon all-purpose flour (麵粉)
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce (醬油)
- 2 tablespoon oyster sauce (蠔油)
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt (鹽)
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar (砂糖)
- 1 tablespoon Shaoxing wine (紹興酒)
- ⅛ teaspoon black pepper (胡椒)
- ¼ teaspoon ginger powder (薑粉)
- 2 C chicken broth (雞湯)
- 1 C water (水)
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil (麻油)
Instructions
Noodles:
- Bring a large pot of water up to a boil.
- Blanch noodles for 30-60 seconds to loosen.
- Rinse noodles under cold water and drain well.
- Place onto a plate and set aside.
Prepare the lobster:
- Coat the lobster chunks in a mixture of egg whites, potato starch, salt and black pepper.
- Let it sit at room temperature for 15 minutes.
- In 3 batches, deep fry lobster chunks in high smoke-point vegetable oil, about 2-3 minutes.
- Remove fried lobster from oil and set aside on paper towel to drain. Set aside.
Make noodle sauce:
- Heat up a wok with vegetable oil, and sauté shallot, green onion, garlic, until softened. Remove about half of the aromatics and save for the lobster sauce.
- Add in 1 tablespoon oyster sauce, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, ½ tablespoon sugar, 1 tablespoon sesame oil and ½ C water. Bring to a boil.
- Turn off the heat. Add the noodles to the sauce and toss to coat.
- Transfer noodles onto a serving plate.
Make the lobster sauce:
- In a wok, heat the vegetable oil and stir fry the flour, until light brown in color.
- Add in the reserved aromatics (shallot, green onion, garlic) and continue to cook, until softened.
- Next, add in soy sauce, oyster sauce, salt, sugar, Shaoxing wine, pepper, ginger powder, chicken broth and water.
- Bring to a boil and cook until slightly thickened.
- Add in green onions, fried lobster and cook for another 2 minutes, tossing to coat evenly. Drizzle in sesame oil.
- Pour lobster and sauce over the noodles and serve immediately.
Nutrition
The nutritional information provided should be considered as approximate and is not guaranteed. Please use your best judgment to ensure food is safely prepared and/or a good fit for your diet.
Mar
Very delicious dish, most welcomed by my family especially during celebration. The kids love the noodles that have smothered with the lobster sauce!