Lobster yee mein or lobster yi mein (龍蝦伊麵) is a classic and Cantonese signature noodle dish like beef chow fun, wonton noodle soup, crispy pan fried noodles and soy sauce noodles. Also, lobster yee mein noodles are usually served for wedding banquets, Chinese New Year and other events. This lobster yee mein noodle recipe is very similar to chicken yi mein. Let’s learn how to make lobster yee mein with detailed instructions and a video to guide you for your special occasion and feast!
Love Chinese food, check out these hairy gourd vermicelli, pickled & pork noodle soup, black sesame soup, mango pomelo, taro sago, eggplant pork, mapo tofu and chili garlic shrimp recipes.
What is lobster yee mein?
Lobster yee mein is a signature and classic Cantonese Chinese banquet dish. People love to order them for dinner and family gatherings at Chinese restaurants. Also, it is a dish that you will see at wedding banquets, Chinese New Year and other events.
Lobster is expensive, especially if you order them in the restaurants because its price changes everyday and by pounds. Therefore, we don’t eat lobster yee mein often, we eat them during special events. Or, you can try out this chicken yi mein. It is very similar, just use chicken instead of lobster because it’s cheaper and easier to make for dinner or party food.
Besides, Cantonese lobster yee mein has two different types. One is with clear broth, one is with cheese sauce. Both of them are great! And, this lobster yee mein noodle recipe I am going to share is the clear broth one.
What are the ingredients for lobster yi mein?
Usually at Chinese restaurants people use a whole live lobster to make this noodle dish. To make it simple and easier, I used lobster tails instead.
Therefore, in this lobster yee mein noodle recipe, the ingredients are lobster tails, ginger, garlic, green onion, yi mein, egg white, cornstarch, vegetable oil, water, sugar, salt, oyster sauce, cooking rice wine and white pepper.
Cooking tips for how to make lobster yee mein:
- I like to use lobster tails because it is easier to find, cheaper and faster to handle.
- Cut the lobster tails into 3 pieces.
- Dip the lobster pieces, the flesh part, into egg white and dust with cornstarch.
- After deep fry the lobster a little bit until it changes color. Don’t need to be fully cooked at this point.
- Stir fry ginger, green onions, garlic and the deep fried lobster tails. Add water and seasoning the sauce. Lastly, add cornstarch to thicken the sauce.
- Boil the noodles and drain them. Remember don’t over boil it.
- When the noodle is ready, pour the sauce over and ready to serve.
FAQs:
Yee mein or yi mein is a Chinese variety of flat Cantonese egg noodles made from wheat flour. And, yee mein is golden yellow and chewy. In addition, it has a spongy texture because of the soda water that they use in making the dough. Normally, yee mein is deep fried and dried into flat patty-like bricks in a square or circle.
I use this Excellent Flour Stick Pancit Canton yee mein noodles. 
Yes, sure you can. I just used lobster tails because it is easier to handle and less preparation. 
The best is to deep fry them a little bit to seal and lock the proteins. It is very similar to the crab stir fry idea. Then, cook it with the sauce. However, some people will just add some oil and pan fry the lobster.
Instructions for how to make lobster yee mein:
Preparation:
1. Peel off 5 cloves of garlic.
2. Then, peel off a small piece of ginger (around 1 oz) and cut it into 6 slices.
3. Wash and cut 4 sticks of green onions into half. Separate the top white part and the bottom green part.
4. Next, cut 6 lobster tails (around 1 pound) into pieces. Each lobster tail is cut into 3 pieces.
Cooking noodles:
5. Meanwhile, pour 8 cups of water into the big pot. Turn on medium high fire.
6. When water is boiling, add a small pack of yi mein (8oz or 227g) into the water. Let it cook for 2 minutes, turn off the fire and cover the lid for 2 minutes.
7. Drain the noodles.
8. After, put the cooked and drained yi mein noodles on the plate.
Cooking the lobster:
9. Crack an egg and put the egg white into a container. Then, dip a piece of lobster (the flesh parts) into the egg whites.
10. After that, put ¼ cup of cornstarch into a container. Dust the lobster pieces (the flesh parts) with cornstarch. Repeat steps 9 and 10 for the rest of the lobster pieces.
11. Pour 2 cups of vegetable oil into the wok and turn on medium small fire.
12. Insert wooden chopsticks to see if there are any air bubbles around. When the oil is hot enough for deep frying, air bubbles will appear around the wooden chopsticks. Or, use the thermometer to measure temperature around 350-375 F.
13. Deep fry the lobster pieces until it changes color. Don’t need to be fully cooked at this point.
14. Once it changes color, take them out on a plate.
Making the sauce:
15. Clean up the extra oil from the wok. Pour 1 tablespoon of oil into the wok, turn on medium small fire.
16. Add 5 cloves of garlic, 6 slices of ginger, the top white part of green onions from step 3 and stir fry them a little bit.
17. After that, add the deep fried lobster pieces from step 14 into the wok. Keep stir frying a little bit.
18. Pour 1 tablespoon of cooking rice wine, stir fry a little bit. Add 2 cups of water, 1.5 tablespoons of oyster sauce, ¾ teaspoons of salt, ½ teaspoon of sugar and ¼ teaspoon of white pepper. Stir it, cover the lid and let it cook until it’s boiling.
19. In a small container, add 1.5 tablespoons of cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water. Mix it well.
20. Lastly, pour the cornstarch mixture into the sauce in step 18. Keep stirring it until the sauce is thickened. Add the rest of the green part of the green onion into the sauce and mix it well.
21. When it is ready to serve, pour the lobster sauce over the cooked and yee mein.
Enjoy this delicious lobster yee mein noodle recipe for your feast and special event! Also, check out these ham fried rice, pan fried dumplings, taro buns, mouth watering chicken, kung pao chicken, beef with bitter melon and siu mai dim sum recipes.
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Lobster Yee Mein
Equipment
- 1 Wok or pan
- 1 Pot
Video
Ingredients
- 8 oz Yee Mien (Yi mein, 1 small pack with 2 pieces, 8 oz or 227g)
- 1 pound Lobster tails (6 pieces of tails around 1 pound)
- 6 slices Ginger (a small piece of ginger around 1 oz)
- 5 cloves Garlic
- 4 sticks Green onion
- 1 large Egg white
- 1 tablespoon Vegetable oil (For stir fry ginger, garlic and green onion)
- ¼ cup Cornstarch (For dusting the lobster)
Sauce:
- 1 tablespoon Cooking rice wine
- 2 cups Water
- ½ teaspoon Sugar
- ¾ teaspoon Salt
- 1.5 tablespoons Oyster sauce
- ¼ teaspoon White pepper
Cornstarch mixture:
- 1.5 tablespoons Cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons Water
Deep fry lobster:
- 2 cups Vegetable oil
Boil the noodle:
- 8 cups Water
Instructions
- Peel off 5 cloves of garlic.
- Then, peel off a small piece of ginger (around 1 oz) and cut it into 6 slices.
- Wash and cut 4 sticks of green onions into half. Separate the top white part and the bottom green part.
- Next, cut 6 lobster tails (around 1 pound) into pieces. Each lobster tail is cut into 3 pieces.
- Meanwhile, pour 8 cups of water into the big pot. Turn on medium high fire.
- When water is boiling, add a small pack of yi mein (8oz or 227g) into the water. Let it cook for 2 minutes, turn off the fire and cover the lid for 2 minutes.
- Drain the noodles.
- After, put the cooked and drained yi mein noodles on the plate.
- Crack an egg and put the egg white into a container. Then, dip a piece of lobster (the flesh parts) into the egg whites.
- After that, put ¼ cup of cornstarch into a container. Dust the lobster pieces (the flesh parts) with cornstarch. Repeat steps 9 and 10 for the rest of the lobster pieces.
- Pour 2 cups of vegetable oil into the wok and turn on medium small fire.
- Insert wooden chopsticks to see if there are any air bubbles around. When the oil is hot enough for deep frying, air bubbles will appear around the wooden chopsticks. Or, use the thermometer to measure temperature around 350-375 F.
- Deep fry the lobster pieces until it changes color. Don’t need to be fully cooked at this point.
- Once it changes color, take them out on a plate.
- Clean up the extra oil from the wok. Pour 1 tablespoon of oil into the wok, turn on medium small fire.
- Add 5 cloves of garlic, 6 slices of ginger, the top white part of green onions from step 3 and stir fry them a little bit.
- After that, add the deep fried lobster pieces from step 14 into the wok. Keep stir frying a little bit.
- Pour 1 tablespoon of cooking rice wine, stir fry a little bit. Add 2 cups of water, 1.5 tablespoons of oyster sauce, ¾ teaspoons of salt, ½ teaspoon of sugar and ¼ teaspoon of white pepper. Stir it, cover the lid and let it cook until it’s boiling.
- In a small container, add 1.5 tablespoons of cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water. Mix it well.
- Lastly, pour the cornstarch mixture into the sauce in step 18. Keep stirring it until the sauce is thickened. Add the rest of the green part of the green onion into the sauce and mix it well.
- When it is ready to serve, pour the lobster sauce over the cooked and yee mein.
Notes
Cooking tips for how to make lobster yee mein:
- I like to use lobster tails because it is easier to find, cheaper and faster to handle.
- Cut the lobster tails into 3 pieces.
- Dip the lobster pieces, the flesh part, into egg white and dust with cornstarch.
- After deep fry the lobster a little bit until it changes color. Don’t need to be fully cooked at this point.
- Stir fry ginger, green onions, garlic and the deep fried lobster tails. Add water and seasoning the sauce. Lastly, add cornstarch to thicken the sauce.
- Boil the noodles and drain them. Remember don’t over boil it.
- When the noodle is ready, pour the sauce over and ready to serve.
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