Pork Chow Shu Recipes

CHAR SIU (CHINESE BBQ PORK)

Steps:

• Cut pork with the grain into strips 1 1/2- to 2-inches long; put into a large resealable plastic bag.
• Stir soy sauce, honey, ketchup, brown sugar, rice wine, hoisin sauce, red food coloring or red bean curd (see Cook's Note), and Chinese five-spice powder together in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Cook and stir until just combined and slightly warm, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour the marinade into the bag with the pork, squeeze air from the bag, and seal. Turn bag a few times to coat all pork pieces in marinade.
• Marinate pork in refrigerator, 2 hours to overnight.
• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat and lightly oil the grate.
• Remove pork from marinade and shake to remove excess liquid. Discard remaining marinade.
• Cook pork on preheated grill for 20 minutes. Put a small container of water onto the grill and continue cooking, turning the pork regularly, until cooked through, about 1 hour. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 145 degrees F (63 degrees C).

MOO SHU PORK

Steps:

• First, combine the pork with the marinade ingredients and set aside for 20-30 minutes.
• Then cook the eggs. Whisk together the eggs with the rice wine and salt. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok over high heat. Add the beaten eggs, scramble, and turn off the heat. Dish out the cooked eggs and set aside.
• Heat the wok over high heat once again, and add 2 tablespoons of oil. When the oil starts to smoke, add the pork and sear the meat until lightly browned. Then add the chopped scallion and stir.
• Next, add the sliced cucumbers and wood ear mushrooms. Stir fry to thoroughly combine the ingredients. Now it's time to add the Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, oyster sauce and water.
• Stir fry everything well for an additional 30 seconds. Finally add the cooked eggs, stir-fry for another 30 seconds, and serve!

AUTHENTIC CHINESE PORK CHOW MEIN

Steps:

• Cut meat into thin strips.
• Combine 2 tbsp cornstarch with sugar, blend in 1 tbsp soy sauce and 2 tbsp oil; mix to blend.
• Pour over pork strips; toss well to coat, marinade in mixture for 20 minutes.
• In a wok or large saute pan heat 2 tablespoons shortening; brown the meat lightly on all sides in hot shortening (after browning the pork you may add in chopped garlic and saute for 2 minutes if desired).
• Add remaining 4 tbsp soy sauce and 1-1/2 cups water; simmer, covered on low heat for 45 minutes.
• Add in the celery and onions; simmer for 15 minutes more.
• In a small bowl, blend in remaining cornstarch with 1/4 cup water; stir into meat mixture.
• Add molasses, water chestnuts, bean sprouts and mushrooms; heat thoroughly.
• Season with salt and pepper.
• Garnish with chopped green onions and toasted almonds.

MU SHU PORK

Steps:

• Combine soy sauce, sherry and hoisin sauce in a bowl. Add the pork, toss to coat evenly, cover, refrigerate and marinate for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, soak the mushrooms in enough hot water to cover for 20 minutes. Drain and thinly slice. Set aside on a plate, along with the cabbage, carrot and scallions.
• Heat a wok or large skillet over medium/high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the peanut oil and swirl to coat. Pour in the eggs, swirling and tilting the wok to form a thin film. Cook just until the eggs are set and feel dry on top, about 1 minute. Transfer to a platter, let cool slightly and cut into 1 inch strips.
• Return the wok to high heat, and swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Add the garlic, and ginger, and stir-fry to release the aromas, about 1 minute. Add the pork and stirfry until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Add the reserved mushrooms, cabbage, carrot, bean sprouts, and scallions, along with the chicken stock, and stir-fry another 2 minutes. Stir in soy sauce, sherry, sesame oil, and sugar, and cook, stirring until sauce boils, about 1 minute. Add egg strips and mix well. To serve, spread a small amount of hoisin sauce on a warm Mandarin Pancake. Spoon about 1/2 cup mu shu mixture in center of pancake, wrap like a burrito, folding the ends to close, and serve.
• Place flour in a medium bowl, making a well in the center. Pour in the boiling water, and use a wooden spoon or chopsticks to mix until a soft dough is formed. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough gently until it is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Cover with a damp towel and let rest for 20 minutes.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a log, 16 inches long. Cut the log crosswise into 1 inch pieces, shape each piece into a ball, then use your hands to flatten each ball into a pancake. Brush the tops of the pancakes lightly with the sesame oil. Then, place one pancake on top of a second pancake, oiled sides together, so that there are 8 pairs. With a rolling pin, flatten each pair into a 6 inch circle. (A tortilla press also works well for this.) Cover the pancakes with a damp towel to rest.
• Heat an ungreased, nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook the pancakes, one at a time, turning them once as they puff and little bubbles appear on the surface, until lightly browned, about 2 minutes on each side. As each pancake is finished, remove from pan and gently separate the halves into 2 pancakes while still hot. Stack cooked pancakes on a plate while cooking the remaining pancakes.
• Serve pancakes while still warm with Mu Shu Pork. Or, pancakes may be prepared up to 1 day in advance, wrapped in plastic, and refrigerated. Pancakes may also be frozen. Reheat them by steaming for 5 minutes, or warming them in a 350 degree F oven, wrapped in foil, for 10 minutes.
• Yield: 16 pancakes

MU SHU PORK

Steps:

• Place 2 tablespoons of soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of white wine, 1 teaspoon of sesame oil, and 2 teaspoons of cornstarch in a non-reactive bowl, and stir until smooth. Stir the pork strips into the marinade until thoroughly coated, and refrigerate for 1 hour.
• Pour hot water over the shiitake mushrooms in a bowl, and allow to soften for 15 to 20 minutes. Drain, pat dry, remove any hard stem pieces, and finely chop the mushrooms. Combine the mushrooms, green onions, garlic, and ginger in a bowl, and set aside.
• Remove the leaves from the Napa cabbage, and tear the green leafy portions from the central stalks of the leaves. Slice the stalks the long way into thin slices, then cut them into 1-inch pieces. Finely chop the green leafy portions, and set aside the sliced stems and chopped leaves in separate bowls.
• In a small bowl, stir together 3 tablespoons of soy sauce, 3 tablespoons of white wine, 1/2 teaspoon of cornstarch, sugar, and ground black pepper. Set the mixture aside.
• Heat vegetable oil and 1 teaspoon of sesame oil in a wok over medium-high heat, and cook and stir the marinated pork until cooked through, no longer pink, and the edges have begun to brown, about 5 minutes. Remove the pork to a bowl.
• Pour the beaten eggs into the hot wok, adding more vegetable oil if necessary, and cook and stir until the eggs are scrambled, firm, and well-broken up, about 2 minutes. Stir in the mushroom mixture, and cook and stir 1 to 2 minutes; then stir in the Napa cabbage stem pieces. Cook and stir until the stem pieces are hot but still crunchy, about 1 minute, and then add the chopped cabbage leaves. Pour in 2 tablespoons of white wine, cook and stir the mixture until hot, about 1 more minute, then mix in the cooked pork and the reserved cornstarch mixture. Stir everything together until slightly thickened and hot, about 2 minutes.
• Mix the hoisin sauce, 1 tablespoon of soy sauce, and 1 teaspoon of sesame oil in a small bowl until thoroughly combined. To serve, spread about 1 tablespoon of hoisin mixture on each pancake, top with about 1/2 cup of the pork mixture, roll, and serve.

EASY MOO SHU PORK

Steps:

• Mix soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, and garlic in a bowl until marinade is smooth; pour into a resealable plastic bag. Add pork, coat with the marinade, squeeze out excess air, and seal the bag. Marinate in the refrigerator, 1 hour to overnight.
• Heat vegetable oil in a wok or large skillet over medium heat. Add cabbage and carrot; cook and stir for 1 to 2 minutes. Push cabbage mixture aside and add pork with marinade to middle of the skillet. Cook and stir until pork is cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Draw cabbage into the center of the skillet; cook and stir for 1 to 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

MOO SHU PORK

Steps:

• Rehydrate the wood ears and lily buds a day ahead of time. I usually keep them in a tupperware container in the fridge.
• In a wok filled with 3 tbsp oil, bring to high temperature and add the pork. Using a strainer, quickly move around the pork and cook until medium rare, only 1 minute. Remove, strain pork and set aside.
• Leave 2 tablespoons of oil in the wok and return to high heat. Add eggs to hot oil and scramble. Set them aside with cooked pork.
• With remaining oil in wok, stir fry the garlic, ginger, and shiitake mushrooms until soft, about 2-3 minutes and season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Add the cabbage, bamboo shoots, and wood ear mushrooms and continue stir frying 2-3 minutes.
• Add half of the hoisin-lime and check for flavor.
• Meanwhile, in a steamer, heat the pancakes until hot.
• Lay individual pancakes on plates and paint on hoisin-lime sauce with the scallion brushes. Top with Moo-Shu, lay on 2 scallion brushes and roll up.
• How to make the pancakes.
• 2 cups unsifted flour.
• 3/4 cup water.
• Kadoya sesame oil.
• Place the flour in a mixing bowl, making a well in the center. Bring water to a boil, then add to the flour. Add additional flour or water as needed to produce a non-sticky dough which can be kneaded. Place the dough on a very lightly floured surface and knead for about 5 minutes. Cover the dough and allow to rest for 30 minutes.
• At the end of 30 minutes, briefly knead the dough for an additional minute or two. Then, roll the dough into a sausage shape, about 1 1/2-inches in diameter. Measure the cylinder into 16 equal size pieces. Cut and roll each piece into a smooth ball. Moisten fingers with a bit of sesame oil. Flatten each ball out to make a round, biscuit shaped disc. Place the disc on a flat surface and brush top with sesame oil. Similarly, flatten out another ball into a disc of similar diameter and place it atop the first. Roll out this double biscuit into a circle about 6 or 7 inches in diameter. Complete this procedure using the rest of the dough.
• Heat a skillet, brushing the inside bottom with sesame oil. Add one of the double pancakes and cook 30 seconds. Flip and cook another half minute, taking care that they do not brown. Quickly lift the pancake away from the hot surface and slap it down on the work surface. While the pancake is still warm, peel the double cake apart into two pancakes. Reserve. Repeat until all of the cakes have been completed. Stack in a sheet of foil. Carefully seal the foil with pancakes into a packet and steam 20-30 minutes before use. Serve warm.