Mu Shu Pork with Mandarin Pancakes

When ever I go to a Chinese restaurant I check to see if they have Mu Shu Pork on the menu, as it is my favorite Chinese dish. For years I have read recipes trying to find the “perfect” one but haven’t tried making them myself as they looked so involved. This last weekend I decided to take some time and make them. I used a combination of different recipes with ingredients that I thought sounded good and made them for a friend, who agreed that they were indeed - good, and to my surprise were not that hard to make. If you get all of your ingredients prepared ahead of time (Mise en Place) the actual cooking does not take that much time. You can even make the pancakes ahead as well as cutting and measuring ingredients ahead of time. I started on Saturday with cutting the pork and measuring things so that on Sunday I wouldn’t have to spend so much time in the kitchen and be worn out when it was time to eat. I’m sure the second time I do this it won’t be so time consuming and it is well worth it as I think they are the best ones I have ever eaten! - No brag, just fact!

Mu Shu Pork

1/2 pound pork tenderloin
Cut the pork into thin strips.
Marinade:
2 teaspoons dark soy sauce
2 teaspoons rice wine or dry sherry
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons cornstarch
Add the marinade ingredients, adding the cornstarch last. Marinate the pork for 30 minutes.
Sauce:
3 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons low-sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons wine or dry sherry
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon cornstarch
Mix the sauce ingredients, whisking in the cornstarch last. Set aside.
8 ounces mushrooms, sliced
Cut mushrooms into thin strips.
1/2 cup canned bamboo shoots
Rinse the bamboo shoots under warm running water to remove any tinny taste. Drain and cut into thin strips.
2 green onions
3 cups packaged cabbage slaw mix
Clean the green onion and cut into thirds. Measure out the slaw mix
2 slices ginger
Cut the ginger into thin strips.
2 eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
Lightly beat the eggs with the salt.
 6 tablespoons oil for stir-frying - or as needed
Heat the wok over medium-high to high heat. Add 2 tablespoons oil, swirling along the sides. When the oil is hot, add beaten eggs and scramble until they are quite firm. Remove the eggs from the wok. Clean out the wok.
Add 2 tablespoons oil. When the oil is hot, add the ginger and stir-fry until aromatic (about 30 seconds). Stir-fry until the pork changes color and is nearly cooked through. Remove from the wok.
Add 2 tablespoons oil. When the oil is hot, add the mushrooms. Stir-fry for about 1 minute. Push up to the sides. Give the sauce a quick re-stir and add in the middle of the wok, stirring quickly to thicken. Add the pork and scrambled egg back into the pan. Stir in the green onion and cabbage slaw mix. Mix everything together. Taste and add extra seasoning if desired.
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Remove from the heat and stir in the sesame oil.
 mandarin pancakes
Hoisin Sauce
Serve with mandarin pancakes and hoisin sauce. Place pancake on a plate and brush with hoisin sauce. Add meat mixture and roll up the pancake.
Variations: Deep-fry the pork instead of stir-frying.
Serve the Mu Shu pork over rice.

Mandarin Pancakes

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 t. sesame oil
1/4 t. salt
Place flour, 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil and salt in a medium bowl.
3/4 c. boiling water
Add 3/4 cup boiling water. Gradually mix flour and water with a wooden spoon to make a soft dough. On a lightly floured surface, gently knead dough until smooth. Cover with a damp cloth and let rest 15 minutes.
Use your hands to shape dough into a long roll about 1 inch in diameter. Add more flour if necessary. Place the point of a sharp cleaver on cutting surface with middle of roll under cutting edge.
Chop with a quick downward motion, cutting roll in half. Chop each half into 8 equal pieces.
Roll each piece into a ball, then pat flat to make a circle.
1 T. sesame oil
Brush top of 8 circles with sesame oil. Place an unoiled circle on top of each oiled circle.
Use a rolling pin to flatten each pair of circles into one 5-inch circle.
Roll both sides, changing directions frequently so flat pancake remains a circle. Cover pancakes with a dry towel.
Heat an ungreased 8-inch skillet over high heat 30 seconds to 1 minute. Reduce heat to medium. Place 1 pancake in skillet.
Cook about 1 minute on one side until pancake is speckled with brown. Turn pancake and cook about 30 seconds until underside is speckled with brown. Remove from skillet, wrap in a clean, dry towel and place in a bread basket.
Steam the pancakes on a heat-proof plate for 5 minutes before serving them. You may make them hours or days in advance, and you can freeze them. Wrap tightly in plastic for refrigerating or freezing. Reheat by steaming 10 to 15 minutes until soft and resilient.
Note: The crucial point in making the pancakes is the heat level; if the pan is too hot the pancakes will be covered with large burned spots and if it is not hot enough the pancake will dry out in cooking . Be careful to bake only 1 1/2 minutes and test for light brown spots, and you’ll have a perfect pancake. Print this post