Pork Chow Mein

 

Serves 4 to 6.
By Dennis W. Viau; from eating at a Chinese restaurant.

One of my favorite Chinese dishes in a restaurant where we often ate lunch was Pork Chow Mein. I decided it was time to figure out the sauce. I brought home a little jar of the sauce from my plate and I experimented with the formula. I eventually concocted a sauce that closely matches the original.

Ingredients:

For the Sauce:
¾ cup beef stock (from bouillon is okay)
4 teaspoons oyster sauce
½ teaspoon sesame oil
¾ teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon corn starch
For the Chow Mein:
4 green onions (see below for how to cut)
1 carrot (about 4 ounces/113g); julienned
¼ large yellow onion; sliced into crescents
1 to 2 small cloves garlic; minced or crushed with a garlic press
½ head Chinese cabbage (Napa cabbage); chopped
2 or 3 thin slices fresh ginger (or to taste); minced
6 ounces (170g) chow mein noodles (vermicelli or thin spaghetti are okay)
2 tablespoons peanut oil (corn oil is okay)
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon Chinese five spice (found on the Oriental foods aisle of the grocery store)
½ pound (227g) pork; thinly sliced

Directions:

Combine all the sauce ingredients and heat in a small saucepan over medium heat until the liquid changes from cloudy to clear and comes to the boil and thickens. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Preparing the vegetables will take the most time. Cut the green portion of 2 green onions into small pieces, about ¼ inch (0.6cm). Cut the white portion and the other two green onions into 1 inch (2.5cm) pieces.

Cook the noodles in salted boiling water according to package directions. Drain and rinse well with cold water. Set aside. (Stir with a little oil to prevent sticking.)

Mix the flour and five spice. Lightly dust the sliced pork with the spiced flour and turn well to coat evenly. Heat the oil in a wok over high heat until hot. Cook the meat in the hot oil, about 2 minutes and remove from the wok. Set aside.

Sauté the ¼-inch pieces of green onion in the oil until lightly browned. Add the remaining green onions, onion slices, and carrots. Cook 1 to 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook only a few seconds. Add the chopped cabbage and ginger, reduce the heat and cover the wok. Cook about 2 minutes. Add the cooked pork, noodles, and the sauce. Turn gently to coat with the sauce over medium heat. Serve hot with rice, egg rolls, and/or wantons on the side. (There are recipes for egg rolls and fried rice on this web site.)

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