Moo Shu Pork

SpiceBunny's Note:

This is a popular classic in the Chinese restaurant scene. You can replace the pork with chicken or shrimp, but the original recipe is with pork. My parents say this recipe tastes better than the ones they've had in Canadian Chinese restaurants. Once you get the hang of making it, you'll want to make it often. If you don't want to spend the time making pancakes, you can use soft tortillas to replace. The homemade pancakes are much better though. This dish goes well with hot and sour soup, for a Beijing style meal.

• Total Time: 1 hrs
• Prep Time: 45 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 1 lb pork, julienned
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 1 cup sliced shiitake mushroom
• 2 cups shredded white cabbage
• 3/4 cup bamboo shoot, julienned (may use canned that have been rinsed well in cold water)
• 3/4 cup wood ear mushrooms, julienned (rehydrated)
• 1 cup hoisin sauce
• 1 -2 tablespoon dry sherry (or splash of sake to taste)
• 3 eggs, beaten lightly
• 1 bunch scallion, made into scallion brushes (to make brushes, hold scallion green and with a paring knife, make several vertical slices through w)
• 4 -6 Chinese pancakes, steamed hot
• kosher salt
• freshly cracked black pepper
• canola oil or grapeseed oil, to cook

Directions:

1. Rehydrate the wood ears and lily buds a day ahead of time. I usually keep them in a tupperware container in the fridge.
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. 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.
5. Add the cabbage, bamboo shoots, and wood ear mushrooms and continue stir frying 2-3 minutes.
6. Add half of the hoisin-lime and check for flavor.
7. Meanwhile, in a steamer, heat the pancakes until hot.
8. 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.
9. How to make the pancakes.
10. 2 cups unsifted flour.
11. 3/4 cup water.
12. Kadoya sesame oil.
13. 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.
14. 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.
15. 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.

Reviews

[Stephanator or Chefanator]

Very Very Very Good! I used regular tortillas this time and it was fantastic! Nice Job! (Next time will try homemade wraps as recipe suggest!)

[Tyler's mom]

This turned out fabulous. It tasted just like at the restaurants! It to a little longer than I expected because I made the pancakes from scratch as well, but everyone said it was well worth the wait. Thanks for sharing!

[adopt a greyhound]

I was a bit confused about hoisin- lime, should it be hoisin-sherry? This did turn out great even though I used chinese cabbage and some button and shitake mushrooms. I added a little lime and sherry so not sure which is correct. I made the homemade pancakes and those turned out great.