Pork Lo Mein with Seared Scallions & Shiitakes

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Serves three to four.

To learn more, read:
Scallions: More Than a Garnish
by Tony Rosenfeld
from Fine Cooking
Issue 87
Last Edit Date: 5/20/2011 12:18:12 PM

You can usually find Chinese noodles in the produce section of the supermarket.

more about:

3/4 lb. boneless pork country-style ribs, cut into 1/4-inch-wide strips
2-1/2 Tbs. soy sauce; more to taste
2 Tbs. dry sherry
1 tsp. cornstarch
2 Tbs. plus 1 tsp. kosher salt
9 oz. fresh Chinese noodles
5 Tbs. canola or peanut oil
6 oz. scallions (14 to 16 medium), trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
3-1/2 to 4 oz. shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps thinly sliced (2 cups)
1 Tbs. minced fresh ginger
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
3 cups thinly sliced napa cabbage (about 6 oz.)
2 cups mung bean sprouts, rinsed
2 tsp. Asian sesame oil

In a medium bowl, toss the pork with 1 Tbs. of the soy sauce, 1 Tbs. of the sherry, the cornstarch, and 1/4 tsp. of the salt. Refrigerate for at least 15 min. and up to 1 hour.

Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil in a large pot. Add 2 Tbs. of the salt and cook the noodles, stirring occasionally, until just tender, about 3 min. Drain in a colander and run under cold water until the noodles cool to about room temperature. Turn the noodles out onto a baking sheet lined with paper towels to dry.

Heat 1-1/2 Tbs. of the oil in a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the noodles and cook, tossing occasionally, until golden and slightly crisp, about 6 min. Meanwhile, replace the damp paper towels on the baking sheet with dry ones. When golden, transfer the noodles to the dry towels.

Heat 1-1/2 Tbs. of the oil in the nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering hot. Add the pork and cook, tossing often, until browned and just cooked through, 2 to 3 min. Transfer to a plate or bowl. Pour the remaining 2 Tbs. oil into the skillet and then add the scallions, mushrooms, and 1/4 tsp. of the salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, 3 to 4 min. Add the ginger, garlic, and pepper flakes and cook, stirring, until fragrant, 30 to 60 seconds. Add the cabbage, bean sprouts, and the remaining 1/2 tsp. salt. Cook, stirring often, until the cabbage just starts to soften, 1 to 2 min.

Add the noodles and pork to the pan and cook, stirring, until heated through, 1 to 2 min. Add the remaining 1-1/2 Tbs. soy sauce, the remaining 1 Tbs. sherry, and the sesame oil and cook, tossing the ingredients, for 1 min. more. Serve immediately. Add more soy sauce to taste or pass the soy sauce at the table.

nutrition information (per serving):
Size : based on four servings; Calories (kcal): 680; Fat (g): 35; Fat Calories (kcal): 310; Saturated Fat (g): 7; Protein (g): 29; Monounsaturated Fat (g): 17; Carbohydrates (g): 61; Polyunsaturated Fat (g): 8; Sodium (mg): 1360; Cholesterol (mg): 55; Fiber (g): 6;

Photo: Scott Phillips

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by ellen_in_charlotte, 7/8/2011Overall - pretty good, but not great. I never order lo mein in a restaurant so I have no idea how close this is to the real thing, just basing my review on my own taste. The country ribs were a pain to debone and almost impossible to cut into nice even thin strips - will use boneless pork chops next time. Cooking times were way off. If you follow the recipe, adding ingredients as suggested and cooking for the suggested times, you end up with overdone vegs for sure. Will probably add the vegs all at once and cook only until the cabbage begins to wilt - vegs should be nice and crisp. Might punch up the flavor some with more garlic, ginger etc. I used real Chinese lo-mein noodles from the Asian grocery store - thought they were kind of gummy and had an odd flavor. Will probably find another noodle or use linguine. As for "browning" the noodles as another reviewer mentioned - the recipe calls for frying the noodles until they are "golden" and a bit crisp. Mine DID turn golden, I did not try to "brown" them. We had leftovers and my husband said the dish was better in flavor the 2nd day; another good reason to cook the vegs very little so they won't be totally soggy when warmed up.

by Tbiel047, 11/16/2010first time making asian cuisine and it was a great success! lots of flavour, fun to make, and couldn't stop eating!

by Donna3, 7/25/2009I made this to night and it was absolutely delicious! It was relatively easy to make as well. I did have some difficulty browning the noodles. The recipe calls for Chinese Noodles (there are many kinds). I chose Shanghai noodles. They took much longer than 6 minutes to brown (more like 12) but they were very delicious. I would definately make this again.

by Mromano, 11/26/2008Flavor combination was outstanding. My husband thought this was the best lo mein he'd ever had.