Lobster Yee Mein (or yi mein), pronounced lóng xiā yī miàn in Mandarin or loong ha yee meen in Cantonese (龙虾伊面), is a dish combining long life noodles, or yi mein, (also call e fu noodles) and Cantonese-style lobster. It’s an incredibly tasty, luxurious plate of lobster noodles, and we’ll show you how to make it like a pro.
I don’t remember seeing or eating these lobster noodles at Chinese banquets or restaurants in Chinatown while I was growing up in upstate New York in the 70s and 80s, but it has become very popular in Cantonese restaurants today!
The Perfect Chinese New Year Recipe
Long noodles symbolize longevity. They’re enjoyed during birthdays, weddings and Lunar New Year celebrations—or just about any auspicious life event.
For the upcoming Chinese New Year (2024), in which we’re celebrating the new Year of the Dragon, lobster and yi mein are the perfect combination. In Chinese, the word for lobster (龙虾) literally translates to “dragon shrimp” or “dragon prawn.”
For that reason, lobster is an auspicious food, especially for those born in the Year of the Dragon! We think it’s the ultimate celebratory dish for this Chinese New Year, and the perfect auspicious combination of ingredients.
What are yee mein or e fu noodles?
Yee Mein (伊面, yī miàn)—also sometimes spelled yi mein—or e-fu noodles (伊府面, yī fǔ miàn) are a festive, traditional addition to Cantonese-style banquet dinners.
They’re egg noodles with a spongy, chewy texture. The noodles are actually fried before drying, which makes the long noodle strands hard to break—symbolizing long life. They can often be found at Cantonese banquets, usually served alongside fried rice, towards the end of the meal.
While I did mention that e-fu noodles are hard to break, the ones you get at such banquets are often ironically broken up into smaller pieces, simply because they are cooked in such large batches.
Chefs have to fit a lot of noodles into a couple of large woks for many tables, and stirring that volume of noodles breaks them up, and often leads to a wetter, spongier texture and less flavor in the noodles themselves.
That’s why if you can, it’s much better to order these noodles a la carte from a banquet restaurant, so that you can experience a smaller batch made fresh just for your table—or make it yourself!
Yi Mein noodles usually come in packages of 7 to 12 ounces (dry weight). The noodles are usually dried in a loose, round “cake,” and either packaged in shrink-wrapped plastic or in a fancy box. They can also be a bit pricier than your average package of dried noodle, marking them as a special occasion food. You’ll want 6 to 7 ounces of dried noodles to go alongside one lobster.
Do I have to use this type of noodle?
Yes, generally, this lobster noodle dish is best with authentic longevity noodles. However, they can be difficult to find, especially where Chinese ingredients are scarce. You may be able to find them online (as they are shelf-stable), but you can also use any alkaline egg noodle that’s good for stir-frying.
These have a similar chewy texture, although the consistency will be a bit different, since they may not have been fried before drying.
Instant noodles similar to what you might get in a packet of Top Ramen could also be a substitute for taste and texture, since they have been fried before drying. However, they are thinner, shaped into a curly noodle, and are more easily broken into pieces when stir-frying—something that you don’t want if your dish is going to be a symbol of longevity.
Experiment with alternatives, and share your personal results in the comments with us and our readers!
Now that we have given you some background on lobster yee mein, it’s time to get down to it and make this auspicious lobster noodle dish for the upcoming Year of the Dragon!
Lobster Yi Mein Recipe Instructions
1. Prepare the Live Lobster:
Put the lobsters in the freezer for 10 minutes. This slows their metabolism and de-sensitizes them. Use a sharp chef’s knife to dispatch the lobsters. Position the point of your knife vertically in the center of the head shell, just behind the eyes. In one smooth, quick motion, drive the knife straight down until you hit the cutting board below. This instantly and humanely kills the lobster. Any movements from the lobster from here on out are just reflexes. Make sure your cutting board has outer grooves or is placed on a large kitchen towel to catch any liquid.
Next, place your index finger just under the back of the head shell, where it meets the rest of the body, and gently but firmly pull the shell up to remove it from the body. Set it aside. Cut off the mouth portion of the lobster head with a cleaver or chef’s knife. Cut or twist off the lobster claws, and cut off the smaller legs. Alternatively, you can also leave the legs attached to those lobster head pieces.
Trim the antennae off the lobster head shell, and cut off a small portion from each side of the bottom of the head shell so it can sit on a flat surface at a 45° angle (this step ensures it sits nicely on your large serving plate). See the video for more details on how to do this. If you don’t care as much about presentation, you can skip this step and discard the head shells altogether.
Remove and discard the lobster gills, which are inedible. Remove the green mustard and innards. You can discard the mustard, use it in another dish, or include it in this dish. We leave it out, because it has a very strong flavor. Rinse the lobster pieces under cold running water.
Split the lobster lengthwise from the head portion to the end of the tail, so you have two halves, and remove the dark vein running down the center of the tail.
Take each half and cut off the upper section, separating it from the tail portion (there’s actually quite a bit of meat in that piece). Cut each tail half into 3 equal pieces, giving you 6 total tail meat pieces. If the lobster is on the large side, you can cut the tail into 4 pieces.
Separate the elbow joint from the claws and split each claw with a cleaver. Using a mallet with the cleaver can help. Use a good pair of kitchen shears to cut through the shell to split the small elbow piece that connects the claw and body.
Gently rinse all the lobster pieces, and drain in a colander. Repeat with the second lobster.
Let all of the lobster pieces drain well after you rinse them, and pat dry with a paper towel.
2. Prepare the Sauce for the Lobster:
Next, mix the sauce for the lobster. In a medium bowl, combine the chicken stock, oyster sauce, light soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, and white pepper.
3. Dredge & Fry the Lobster:
Mix the cornstarch and flour in a shallow bowl, and lightly dredge the lobster pieces. It’s most important to dredge the exposed meat to protect it from the heat of the oil, give the meat a nice texture, and seal in juices.
At this point, many restaurants deep-fry the lobster pieces all at once in a large wok, but for home cooking, we’ll shallow-fry in batches. This cooks the lobster about 70% of the way through, enhances the lobster flavor, produces a rich color, and seals in juices while preventing the tender meat from overcooking.
Heat 2 cups of oil in a wok or medium pot to about 350°F/175°C. Drop in the lobster a few pieces at a time for about 10 seconds. If using a wok, use your wok spatula to move the lobster pieces around and to pour hot oil over the shells if needed. It’s most important to cook the shells until they start turning red, since they are hardest to cook through. Remove to a sheet pan to drain. Be sure to cook the two lobster head shells thoroughly and set them aside, since you’ll be placing them directly on the plate. Repeat until you’ve fried all the lobster pieces.
Pour the frying oil through a fine mesh strainer into a heat-proof bowl and reserve for later use. The oil is infused with lobster flavor, and we’ll be using it to stir-fry the lobster and yi mein noodles. This lobster oil is great to use for cooking other dishes!
4. PRE-Cook the Noodles:
Boil about 3 quarts of water in a large wok or pot to pre-cook your yi mein noodles. Once boiling, add the noodles.
The directions on the box may say to boil the noodles for 5 minutes, but we recommend cooking for 3-4 minutes to keep them firm and chewy. Overcook them, and you will end up with a mushy texture.
Sample a noodle while cooking. When it tastes closer to the uncooked side of al dente pasta, it’s ready. When the noodles are done, drain, and set aside.
5. Stir-fry the Noodles
Make your noodle sauce by combining the chicken stock, oyster sauce, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl. Set aside.
If the noodles have stuck together at all by this point, rinse them with hot water to loosen them up. Toss them in the colander to let any excess water drain.
Heat the wok until it just starts to smoke, and spread 2 tablespoons of the reserved lobster oil around the perimeter. Add the white parts of the scallions and garlic. Give it a quick stir, and then add the noodles (before the garlic has a chance to burn!).
Spread the yi mein noodles around the wok, and let them cook for about 1 minute. Lift and mix them using your wok spatula.
Pour the prepared noodle sauce evenly over the noodles, and stir-fry for 1 minute, or until the sauce mixture is distributed evenly and the noodles are heated through.
Spread another tablespoon of lobster oil around the perimeter of the wok to prevent sticking if you feel you need it. (If the noodles stick together, you can also drizzle a bit of oil directly over the noodles, or add a splash of hot water if the noodles are too dry.)
Finally, stir in the green parts of the scallions. Mix gently so the noodles don’t break.
Transfer the noodles to a large serving plate, and move quickly on to the next step to finish assembling the dish!
6. Stir-Fry the Lobster & Assemble the Dish:
Start with a clean wok over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of reserved lobster oil to the wok, along with the ginger. Let the ginger fry for about 30 seconds, until fragrant.
Add the white portions of the scallions…
And the lobster. Stir-fry for 20 seconds, keeping the heat cranked up as high as it’ll go.
Pour the Shaoxing wine around the perimeter of the wok, and immediately cover it. Let it cook for about 2 minutes. This step infuses or “bakes” the lobster with the ginger and scallion flavor.
Uncover the wok and add the prepared sauce.
Also add the green parts of the scallions.
Stir-fry for another minute, and turn off the heat. Scoop the lobster pieces on top of the noodles. Place the two lobster heads on one end of the plate.
Serve immediately.
This dish definitely deserves a prominent place on the Chinese New Year or other celebration table!
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Recipe
Lobster Noodles (Lobster Yee Mein/E-Fu Noodles)
Ingredients
For the lobster:
- 2 live lobsters 1¼ to 1½ pounds / 560-680g each
- ¼ cup low-sodium chicken stock
- 2 teaspoons oyster sauce
- 1½ teaspoons light soy sauce
- ¼ teaspoon sugar
- ¼ teaspoon sesame oil
- ⅛ teaspoon white pepper
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 2 cups neutral oil (such as canola, vegetable, or peanut oil, for frying)
- 6 slices fresh ginger (about ⅛-inch/3mm thick)
- 3 scallions (white and green parts separated and cut into 2-inch/5cm pieces)
- 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine
For the noodles:
- 12 ounces dried Yi Mein noodles
- ¼ cup low-sodium chicken stock
- 2 tablespoons oyster sauce
- 2 teaspoons light soy sauce
- 2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
- ½ teaspoon sesame oil
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon sugar
- 2 scallions (white and green parts separated and cut into 2-inch/5cm pieces)
- 1 clove garlic (chopped)
Instructions
Prepare the Live Lobster:
- Put the lobsters in the freezer for 10 minutes. This slows their metabolism and de-sensitizes them. Use a sharp chef’s knife to dispatch the lobsters. Position the point of your knife vertically in the center of the head shell, just behind the eyes. In one smooth, quick motion, drive the knife straight down until you hit the cutting board below. This instantly and humanely kills the lobster. Any movements from the lobster from here on out are just reflexes. Make sure your cutting board has outer grooves or is placed on a large kitchen towel to catch any liquid.
- Next, place your index finger just under the back of the head shell, where it meets the rest of the body, and gently but firmly pull the shell up to remove it from the body. Set it aside. Cut off the mouth portion of the lobster head with a cleaver or chef’s knife. Cut or twist off the lobster claws, and cut off the smaller legs. Alternatively, you can also leave the legs attached to those lobster head pieces.
- Trim the antennae off the lobster head shell, and cut off a small portion from each side of the bottom of the head shell so it can sit on a flat surface at a 45° angle (this step ensures it sits nicely on your large serving plate). See the video for more details on how to do this. If you don’t care as much about presentation, you can skip this step and discard the head shells altogether.
- Remove and discard the lobster gills, which are inedible. Remove the green mustard and innards. You can discard the mustard, use it in another dish, or include it in this dish. We leave it out, because it has a very strong flavor. Rinse the lobster pieces under cold running water.
- Split the lobster lengthwise from the head portion to the end of the tail, so you have two halves, and remove the dark vein running down the center of the tail. Take each half and cut off the upper section, separating it from the tail portion (there’s actually quite a bit of meat in that piece). Cut each tail half into 3 equal pieces, giving you 6 total tail meat pieces. If the lobster is on the large side, you can cut the tail into 4 pieces.
- Separate the elbow joint from the claws and split each claw with a cleaver. Using a mallet with the cleaver can help. Use a good pair of kitchen shears to cut through the shell to split the small elbow piece that connects the claw and body. Gently rinse all the lobster pieces, and drain in a colander. Repeat with the second lobster.
- Let all of the lobster pieces drain well after you rinse them, and pat dry with a paper towel.
Prepare the Sauce for the Lobster:
- Next, mix the sauce for the lobster. In a medium bowl, combine the chicken stock, oyster sauce, light soy sauce, sugar, sesame oil, and white pepper.
Dredge & Fry the Lobster:
- Mix the cornstarch and flour in a shallow bowl, and lightly dredge the lobster pieces. It’s most important to dredge the exposed meat to protect it from the heat of the oil, give the meat a nice texture, and seal in juices.
- At this point, many restaurants deep-fry the lobster pieces all at once in a large wok, but for home cooking, we’ll shallow-fry in batches. This cooks the lobster about 70% of the way through, enhances the lobster flavor, produces a rich color, and seals in juices while preventing the tender meat from overcooking.
- Heat 2 cups of oil in a wok or medium pot to about 350°F/175°C. Drop in the lobster a few pieces at a time for about 10 seconds. If using a wok, use your wok spatula to move the lobster pieces around and to pour hot oil over the shells if needed. It’s most important to cook the shells until they start turning red, since they are hardest to cook through. Remove to a sheet pan to drain. Be sure to cook the two lobster head shells thoroughly and set them aside, since they will be placed directly on the plate. Repeat until you’ve fried all the lobster pieces.
- Pour the frying oil through a fine mesh strainer into a heat-proof bowl and reserve for later use. The oil is infused with lobster flavor, and we’ll be using it to stir-fry the lobster and yi mein noodles. This lobster oil is great to use for cooking other dishes!
Cook the Noodles:
- Boil about 3 quarts of water in a large wok or pot to pre-cook your yi mein noodles. Once boiling, add the noodles. The directions on the box may say to boil the noodles for 5 minutes, but we recommend cooking for 3-4 minutes to keep them firm and chewy. Overcook them, and you will end up with a mushy texture.
- Sample a noodle while cooking. When it tastes closer to the uncooked side of al dente pasta, it’s ready. When the noodles are done, drain, and set aside.
- Make your noodle sauce by combining the chicken stock, oyster sauce, light soy sauce, dark soy sauce, sesame oil, salt, and sugar in a medium bowl. Set aside.
- If the noodles have stuck together at all by this point, rinse them with hot water to loosen them up. Toss them in the colander to let any excess water drain.
- Heat the wok until it just starts to smoke, and spread 2 tablespoons of the reserved lobster oil around the perimeter. Add the white parts of the scallions and garlic. Give it a quick stir, and then add the noodles (before the garlic has a chance to burn!).
- Spread the yi mein noodles around the wok, and let them cook for about 1 minute. Lift and mix them using your wok spatula.
- Pour the prepared noodle sauce evenly over the noodles, and stir-fry for 1 minute, or until the sauce mixture is distributed evenly and the noodles are heated through. Spread another tablespoon of lobster oil around the perimeter of the wok to prevent sticking if you feel you need it. (If the noodles stick together, you can also drizzle a bit of oil directly over the noodles, or add a splash of hot water if the noodles are too dry.)
- Finally, stir in the green parts of the scallions. Mix gently so the noodles don’t break. Transfer the noodles to a large serving plate, and move quickly on to the next step to finish assembling the dish!
Stir-Fry the Lobster & Assemble the Dish:
- Start with a clean wok over high heat. Add 2 tablespoons of reserved lobster oil to the wok, along with the ginger. Let the ginger fry for about 30 seconds, until fragrant.
- Add the white portions of the scallions and the lobster. Stir-fry for 20 seconds, keeping the heat cranked up as high as it’ll go.
- Pour the Shaoxing wine around the perimeter of the wok, and immediately cover it. Let it cook for about 2 minutes. This step infuses or “bakes” the lobster with the ginger and scallion flavor.
- Uncover the wok and add the prepared sauce and the green parts of the scallions. Stir-fry for another minute, and turn off the heat. Scoop the lobster pieces on top of the noodles, and place the two lobster heads on one end of the plate. Serve immediately.
