When I thought about making Pork Chow Mein, my mind immediately went to memories of watching cooking shows on PBS, in particular, “Yan Can Cook”. I don’t know if you spent much time in the 80s and 90s watching cooking shows on PBS like I did. I loved coming in after school, grabbing a snack, then plopping down in front of the TV to several episodes of great chefs sharing their wealth of knowledge with the world. Our family was frugal and we didn’t have cable, so there was a small window of time between getting out of school and fitting in a few episodes before the onslaught of Oprah and then the news, which my parents devoured every night like clockwork.
I remember loving to watch Justin Wilson’s “Home Grown”, where I think I fully embraced my love for cajun and creole foods. He could weave a story that would having you wondering where the time went when it was all over. I also tuned in to The Frugal Gourmet, where I learned a lot about the history of foods and ingredients. Another great show was “Julia and Jacques Cooking at Home.” That was a combination of two great chefs teaching us all about classic French cooking.
Then there was Yan. I adored watching “Yan Can Cook.” He introduced us all to simple Asian cooking and was funny to boot! He wielded a knife with such speed that it was almost musical. He was so entertaining and funny, yet easy to follow. “Yan Can Cook” was filled with such enthusiasm that you were drawn in instantly and wanted to experience the same thing by replicating the dishes he presented. When I had the chance I went to the kitchen and tried my hand at many of his dishes as a teenager.
As I said in a previous post, Cajun and Asian foods are at the top of my list of favorite things to cook and to eat, and I attribute my love for these foods in part to these great chefs who entertained me everyday on PBS. Along with Justin Wilson, Martin Yan was my favorite chef to watch. I wish I could watch him today! Maybe I’ll dig up some reruns somewhere.
Chow Mein is a simple stir fried noodle dish that can be combined with vegetables and different types of meat. It can also be served without meat. Chow Mein is often confused with Lo Mein. Lo Mein really means “tossed noodles”, meaning the cooked egg noodles are just stirred in to the other ingredients to be coated with the sauce, kind of like spaghetti and meat sauce. Chow Mein means “fried noodles”. The cooked egg noodles are drained, lightly rinsed and allowed to dry slightly, then stir fried in oil to continue the drying out and crisping. They are only slightly browned. I prefer Chow Mein when ordering at a Chinese restaurant or ordering take out because I love the slight crispiness and lightness of the noodles.
I took a little shortcut in the recipe because I didn’t have Chinese egg noodles on hand…but I did have Ramen. I took about 3 packages of Chicken Ramen and discarded the seasoning packets. I boiled the noodles, just until they were tender, drained, rinsed and set them aside while I prepped the other ingredients.
The Pork Chow Mein was a big hit at our table; it made a quick weeknight meal. In fact, I have three teenagers and my two boys took turns scraping the dish clean. Next time I’ll probably double this recipe to make sure they get plenty and that I have leftovers to munch on the next day. Enjoy!
- Noodles:
- 3 packages Chicken Ramen Noodles, discard seasoning packets
- 2 T sesame oil
Marinaded Pork:- ½ to 1 pound pork blade steak, chop or tenderloin, thinly sliced
- 2 T soy sauce
- 2 T Hoisin sauce
- 1 T brown sugar
- 2 T rice wine vinegar
- 1 T Sriracha hot sauce
Sauce:- 4 T soy sauce
- 2 T Hoisin sauce
- 2 T rice wine vinegar
- 1 T brown sugar
- 2 T peanut oil or vegetable oil
Stir Fry:- 2 T peanut or vegetable oil
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger or ginger paste
- 4 scallions, sliced diagonally
- 8 oz package sliced Shiitake mushrooms
- Slice pork thinly and place into a gallon zip top bag.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the marinade ingredients.
- Pour marinade over the meat, seal bag and refrigerate while preparing the noodles.
- In a medium pot, bring 6 cups of water to a boil.
- Cook noodles for about 2 minutes or until almost tender.
- Drain and rinse with cold water, rinse a second time with cold water.
- Drain well, shaking colander to remove excess water.
- Place noodles back into the pot and toss well with sesame oil; set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the sauce ingredients; set aside.
- Drain off marinade from the pork; remove marinaded pork to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Pat meat dry.
- Heat a wok or large skillet over high heat until very hot.
- Add peanut oil, swirling to coat.
- Add pork and stir-fry for about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Remove meat to a clean plate; set aside.
- Clean out wok.
- Again, heat wok over high heat until very hot.
- Add peanut oil, swirling to coat.
- Add the sliced mushrooms stir-fry for about 2 minutes, lightly browning the edges.
- Add in the noodles and stir-fry allowing the noodles to lightly brown in spots, about 2 minutes, tossing occasionally.
- Add garlic, ginger and scallions to the noodles, and continue stir-frying for about 30 seconds or until fragrant, making sure not to burn.
- Add cooked pork and pour sauce mixture over; toss with tongs to combine until heated through and coated with sauce.Transfer to a serving dish and serve immediately.
I am passionate about good food, cooking for family and friends, and creating recipes that form lasting memories from one generation to the next. I hope you find inspiration for cooking and creating here!
Thank you for the recipe! Me and the kids love Chinese but Greg…not so much. I made this the other night and Greg said, “This is the best pork you’ve ever made!” Unbelievable. The kids fought over leftovers so I’ll probably use 4+ ramen packages.
Thank you! My kids fought over it too. It’s a good, cheap and quick meal to throw together!