Under Construction
The filling
I was introduced to Moo Shu Pork by a friend in Houston many years ago. I fell in love with my first bite! There’s something about the unusual ingredients and the sweet, tangy plum sauce that is a flavor marriage made in heaven, in my opinion. As with any Chinese food, more time is spent in the preparation than the cooking, but this one is so worth the time!
I line up paper plates by my stove and get each ingredients chopped and onto a plate, ready to dump into the wok at the right moment. I soak the Tiger Lily Buds and mushrooms first. Make the marinade next. Scramble the eggs and chop next. Chop/slice my veggies last. Then I’m ready to cook!
This recipe is slightly higher in carbs than many of mine and not suitable until you are closer to goal weight, but again, it’s a treat not meant to be indulged in often. Moreover, I consider any recipe below 10g net carbs a serving to be A-OK, as that is so much lower than the average fare on the Standard American Diet (SAD) of my past. 🙂
NOTE: Shitaake mushrooms, Cloud Ear Fungus (also called wood ear mushroom) and Tiger Lily Buds are essential to traditional Mu Shu Pork classic flavors. If omitted, you aren’t eating true Moo Shu. Asian groceries will all carry these items. I order mine on-line.
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MARINADE INGREDIENTS:
4 T. my homemade Hoisin Sauce
1 T. rice wine vinegar
1 T. fish sauce (I use Thai Kitchen brand) [or use oyster sauce]
1 tsp. toasted sesame oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. Sambal Oelek chili sauce
¼ tsp. xanthan gum or preferred thickener
FILLING INGREDIENTS:
2 large eggs, scrambled
1 T. butter (to cook eggs in)
8 oz. lean only pork loin, slivered thin
3 T. peanut or olive oil (or your preferred oil)
½ c. cabbage, slivered thin
4 large dried shitaake mushrooms, soaked
3 large green onions, slivered thinly lengthwise, cut 1″ pieces
1 c. fresh bean sprouts
¼ c. canned bamboo shoots, julienne slivered
½ c. dried Cloud Ear Fungus strips, soaked (if using whole, slice them)
½ cup (small handful) Tiger Lily Buds, cut in half, soaked
8 low-carb flour tortillas (I use La Banderita at 5 n.c. per piece)
Extra hoisin sauce to “dress” before eating (not calculated into stats, as amount used varies)
VARIATION: Use slivered chicken in lieu of pork for a Moo Shu Chicken version
DIRECTIONS: In 3 small bowls, soak mushrooms, Tiger Lily Buds and Clour Ear in very hot water until soft. You want to save the mushroom liquid and just lift them out of that “stock”. Cut out the tough mushroom stems and slice the mushroom flesh. Place on paper towels to dry off for now. Discard water off the Cloud Ear Fungus. If using whole ones, chop or slice and paper towel dry. If using pre-cut strips just set them on paper towel to dry. Discard water off the Tiger Lily Buds and chop them in half. Dry on paper towels. Set these 3 ingredients near the stove.
Mix all marinade ingredients in the small bowl. Add ¼ c. of the mushroom soaking water. When well-mixed, pour half the marinade into medium bowl and add the sliced meat. Toss the meat with your hands to coat meat well and let it marinade while you continue your prepping. Remaining marinade will be added to the wok at the end of cooking.
Scramble the eggs over medium in the butter until set. Remove from heat and chop into medium bits (but not too fine). Set those aside by stove so they are at-the-ready.
Now you’re ready to cook. Heat a dry wok or large skillet. Chinese cooks have a saying: “Hot Wok; Cold Fat.” If you do it this way, the meat does not stick to the pan. If you heat the oil as you heat the wok, the meat almost invariably sticks to the pan! When the steel is VERY HOT, quickly dump in the oil and promptly the meat into the cold oil. Don’t worry, the oil will get hot quick when it hits the hot metal. Stir-fry with spoon until meat is no longer pink. Add in cabbage and Cloud Ear Fungus next. Stir-fry until they just barely begins to go limp. Next add the bean sprouts & scallions and cook those just 1 minute. Add the mushrooms, bamboo shoot slivers and Tiger Lily Buds next, cooking the mixture 2-3 minutes. Pour in the remaining marinade and stir well so all filling is now moistened. Cook another minute or so for the thickener in the marinade to do its job. Add the egg to the wok last, during the final minute of cooking, and stir just to mix. Remove wok from heat.
Serve the filling at the table (I like to do t right in the wok so it stays warm) with low-carb tortillas and more hoisin sauce. I haven’t gotten around to creating a Chinese-style pancake, but give me awhile and I may do that one day. Place about ½-3/4 c. filling on the tortilla down the center. Dab a little extra hoisin sauce down the filling edge (as shown above) and fold the bottom edge up (to catch juices as you eat). Then fold the sides of the tortilla inward like a burrito and pick up and eat it with your hands, like a burrito. Moo Shu Pork is traditionally eaten with hands and is rather messy to eat with a fork, quite honestly.
NUTRITIONAL INFO: Makes 8 servings, each contains: (does not include added hoisin when rolling)
216 cals, 12.4g fat, 24.35g carbs, 13.72g fiber, 10.63g NET CARBS (plus any added hoisin), 13.7g protein, 814mg sodium (and that’s using low-sodium soy sauce!)
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