Broccoli Rabe and Shrimp Lo Mein

If you haven’t tried broccoli rabe before, I’d love for you to try this broccoli rabe and shrimp lo mein.  It's a quick and easy healthy meal, perfect for just one!

The spicy peanut sauce is the perfect balance to the slight bitterness of the broccoli rabe. My store sells already roasted garlic cloves, which makes them a bit milder.  If you are using fresh garlic, start with two cloves and add more to your taste.

So, what is broccoli rabe?

Broccoli rabe (also known as rapini) is not broccoli at all. In fact, it stems from the turnip green family, which is why it tends to have a bitter note to it. If you blanch the broccoli rabe in boiling water for one minute, then add to an ice bath, it makes for a milder flavor. It will still be slightly bitter, but not as much if you skip this step. My grocery store sells broccoli rabe near the Swiss chard, and it sells for .99 cents a pound, making it a super economical veggie.

Here are descriptions of the ingredients you’ll need for this dish:

• Powdered peanut butter – There are several brands available, and you can find it at most grocery stores on the top shelf of the peanut butter aisle.
• Soy sauce – feel free to use lower sodium soy sauce, if you prefer.
• Sambal Oelek – I love this Thai chili sauce, and I prefer it over sriracha.
• Rice wine vinegar – if you make a lot of Asian food, this should be a pantry staple.
• Garlic – I prefer fresh garlic, but you can use jarred minced garlic as a shortcut.
• Broccoli rabe – this is sometimes a seasonal vegetable – if you can’t find it, feel free to substitute broccoli.
• Shrimp – unless you live near a body of water that provides fresh-caught shrimp, it’s in your pocketbook's best interest to buy frozen and thaw it yourself.

Broccoli Rabe and Shrimp Lo Mein

Scroll down for a printable version of this recipe

Serves: 1

Prep time: 10 minutes

Cook time: 10 minutes

2 tablespoons powdered peanut butter

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 teaspoon Sambal Oelek (Thai chili sauce)

1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar

3-4 cloves roasted garlic, chopped

1 cup broccoli rabe, blanched and chopped

1 cup fresh lo mein noodles

4 ounces shrimp

1. Mix all the sauce ingredients together and set aside.
2. Heat a skillet with 4 cups water, bring to a boil and blanch the broccoli rabe for one minute, then immediately place in an ice bath to stop the cooking process.
3. Heat a wok with a teaspoon of grapeseed oil. Season shrimp with salt and pepper. Cook the shrimp for about 3-4 minutes (depending on the size) then add in the lo mein noodles. Squeeze the broccoli rabe with paper towels to get rid of any excess moisture. Chop and add to wok.
4. Add sauce and cook for an additional minute.
5. Enjoy.

Broccoli rabe can be found late summer into the fall. If you live near our Lincoln Square location, be sure to check out our chef demonstrations where our chefs make a dish using ingredients found at the farmers market. The next one is this Thursday, August 4 at 6pm. We hope to see you there!

You'll notice that this dish makes one serving. That's the focus of my just-released cookbook: Cooking for One. The reason I wrote this cookbook is that so many people have reached out to me over the years since my husband passed away. There was one resounding theme from people who like myself were cooking just for themselves, and they would say “Why should I bother cooking if it’s just for me?” Well, my answer to that is: “You are worth it!”