Chinese Take Out Mu Shu Pork Food

MU SHU PORK

Steps:

• Combine soy sauce, sherry and hoisin sauce in a bowl. Add the pork, toss to coat evenly, cover, refrigerate and marinate for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, soak the mushrooms in enough hot water to cover for 20 minutes. Drain and thinly slice. Set aside on a plate, along with the cabbage, carrot and scallions.
• Heat a wok or large skillet over medium/high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the peanut oil and swirl to coat. Pour in the eggs, swirling and tilting the wok to form a thin film. Cook just until the eggs are set and feel dry on top, about 1 minute. Transfer to a platter, let cool slightly and cut into 1 inch strips.
• Return the wok to high heat, and swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Add the garlic, and ginger, and stir-fry to release the aromas, about 1 minute. Add the pork and stirfry until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Add the reserved mushrooms, cabbage, carrot, bean sprouts, and scallions, along with the chicken stock, and stir-fry another 2 minutes. Stir in soy sauce, sherry, sesame oil, and sugar, and cook, stirring until sauce boils, about 1 minute. Add egg strips and mix well. To serve, spread a small amount of hoisin sauce on a warm Mandarin Pancake. Spoon about 1/2 cup mu shu mixture in center of pancake, wrap like a burrito, folding the ends to close, and serve.
• Place flour in a medium bowl, making a well in the center. Pour in the boiling water, and use a wooden spoon or chopsticks to mix until a soft dough is formed. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough gently until it is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Cover with a damp towel and let rest for 20 minutes.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a log, 16 inches long. Cut the log crosswise into 1 inch pieces, shape each piece into a ball, then use your hands to flatten each ball into a pancake. Brush the tops of the pancakes lightly with the sesame oil. Then, place one pancake on top of a second pancake, oiled sides together, so that there are 8 pairs. With a rolling pin, flatten each pair into a 6 inch circle. (A tortilla press also works well for this.) Cover the pancakes with a damp towel to rest.
• Heat an ungreased, nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook the pancakes, one at a time, turning them once as they puff and little bubbles appear on the surface, until lightly browned, about 2 minutes on each side. As each pancake is finished, remove from pan and gently separate the halves into 2 pancakes while still hot. Stack cooked pancakes on a plate while cooking the remaining pancakes.
• Serve pancakes while still warm with Mu Shu Pork. Or, pancakes may be prepared up to 1 day in advance, wrapped in plastic, and refrigerated. Pancakes may also be frozen. Reheat them by steaming for 5 minutes, or warming them in a 350 degree F oven, wrapped in foil, for 10 minutes.
• Yield: 16 pancakes

MU SHU PORK AND MANDARIN PANCAKES

Steps:

• Combine soy sauce, sherry and hoisin sauce in a bowl.
• Add the pork, toss to coat evenly, cover, refrigerate and marinate for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, soak the mushrooms in enough hot water to cover for 20 minutes (no soaking if using button mushrooms).
• Drain and thinly slice.
• Set aside on a plate, along with the cabbage, carrot and scallions.
• Heat a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add 1 tablespoon of the peanut oil and swirl to coat.
• Pour in the eggs, swirling and tilting the wok to form a thin film.
• Cook just until the eggs are set and feel dry on top, about 1 minute.
• Transfer to a platter, let cool slightly and cut into 1 inch strips.
• Return the wok to high heat, and swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons oil.
• Add the garlic, and ginger, and stir-fry to release the aromas, about 1 minute.
• Add the pork and stir-fry until lightly browned, about 2 minutes.
• Add the reserved mushrooms, cabbage, carrot, bean sprouts, and scallions, along with the chicken stock, and stir-fry another 2 minutes.
• Stir in soy sauce, sherry, sesame oil, and sugar, and cook, stirring until sauce boils, about 1 minute.
• Add egg strips and mix well.
• To serve, spread a small amount of hoisin sauce on a warm Mandarin Pancake.
• Spoon about 1/2 cup mu shu mixture in center of pancake, wrap like a burrito, folding the ends to close, and serve.

MOO-SHU PORK

Steps:

• Make pancake dough:
• In large bowl, stir together flour and 1 cup boiling water until water is absorbed. Add 1/2 cup cold water and knead until smooth dough forms. Cover bowl tightly with plastic wrap and let rest 1 hour.
• Prep stir-fry:
• In large nonreactive bowl, toss together pork, 2 tablespoons soy sauce, 3 tablespoons rice wine, pepper, and cornstarch. Let marinate 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in small bowl, combine dried black mushrooms and boiling water to cover. Let stand until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain, squeezing out excess liquid, rinse to remove any grit, discard stems, and coarsely chop caps. Set aside.
• In small bowl, stir together remaining 2 tablespoons soy sauce, remaining 1 tablespoon rice wine, oyster sauce, and sugar. Set aside.
• In small sauté pan over moderate heat, heat sesame oil until hot but not smoking. Add eggs and scramble until softly set, about 1 minute. Transfer to small bowl and set aside.
• Cook pancakes:
• On lightly floured work surface, roll dough into long, even cylinder 1 to 1 1/2 inches in diameter. Using sharp knife, cut cylinder crosswise into about 30 (3/4- to 1-inch) slices. Using rolling pin, roll each slice out to 3 1/2-inch-diameter circle (about 1/8 inch thick). Brush 1 circle with sesame oil and top with 2nd circle. Repeat with remaining circles to form 15 "sandwiches." Roll each "sandwich" out to 6-inch diameter. (Pancakes can be made ahead up to this point and frozen, layered between parchment or waxed paper, up to 1 month.)
• Heat wok or heavy large sauté pan over moderate heat. Brush pan lightly with peanut oil and cook pancake "sandwiches" in batches until lightly golden, about 3 minutes per side, brushing pan with oil between each batch. Transfer each "sandwich" as done to large plate and immediately peel apart 2 halves. Cover with moist towel while cooking remaining pancakes. Keep warm until ready to serve.
• Cook stir-fry:
• In wok or heavy large sauté pan over moderately high heat, heat peanut oil until hot but not smoking. Add ginger, garlic, half of scallions (reserve remainder for garnish), and pork and stir-fry until pork is cooked through and caramelized, about 5 minutes. Add black mushrooms, cabbage, shiitake mushrooms, and cucumber and stir-fry until vegetables are tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Add eggs and soy sauce-rice wine-oyster sauce mixture and stir-fry until heated through, about 1 minute.
• Transfer to serving bowl and garnish with remaining scallions. To serve, divide pork mixture among pancakes and roll up to enclose mixture.

P F CHANG'S MU SHU PORK

Steps:

• Heat a tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large flat frying pan over medium high heat. When oil is hot, pour in the beaten eggs. Let the eggs set up until firm enough to flip as one sheet.
• Cook for a few more seconds and remove from heat to a chopping board. Slice the egg sheet into strips and set aside.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in the same pan over high heat and add half of the green onions. Stir until the onions are sizzling for a minute.
• Add the cabbage and bean sprouts. Saute until cabbage is wilted but still a little crunchy. Remove from heat and set aside in an extra bowl.
• Heat the remaining oil in the same pan over high heat and add the garlic and the rest of the green onions. Saute until fragrant and add the pork. Stir fry until the pork is just cooked.
• Add the Chinese mushrooms, bamboo shoots, cabbage, sprouts, and egg sheet. Stir fry for another few minutes.
• Heat the mu shu shells according to the instructions on the package. Serve each mu shu shell with a smear of hoisin sauce down the middle. Place several spoonfuls of mu shu on the shell and fold the sides inches.

MOO SHU PORK

Steps:

• Make the sauce: Heat sesame oil in a wok over medium heat and mix in sweet bean paste. Stir together until smooth and then add soy sauce and sugar. When sauce bubbles, taste and adjust seasoning, then scrape sauce into a small bowl. Rinse out wok.
• Make the moo shu pork: In a small bowl, mix together rice wine and sugar. Set aside.
• Slice meat against the grain into 1/4-inch-thick pieces. Cut into batons about 1/8-inch wide. Put batons in a small bowl and toss them with salt. (If using pressed bean curd, cut it into thin julienne before tossing it with salt.)
• Soak shredded dried wood ear fungus in boiling water until pliable, about 15 minutes, then rinse and drain in colander. (Fresh wood ears should be rinsed before they're trimmed and cut into thin strips.) Meanwhile, if using dried daylily flowers, cover with boiling water and let soak until soft, about 10 minutes, then drain and tear into strips. (Carrots do not need to be soaked.)
• Place wok over medium heat, and when hot, swirl in 2 tablespoons sesame oil. Toss in garlic and fry until fragrant. Add eggs and scramble them, breaking up large curds into pieces 1/2 inch or smaller. When eggs are barely done, scrape into a large, clean bowl. If any garlic remains in the wok, wipe it out.
• Raise heat under wok to high. Pour in another 2 tablespoons oil into the hot wok and quickly stir-fry meat until it's browned before scraping it into eggs.
• Return wok to high heat. Stir-fry bamboo shoots with a little bit more oil as needed, then add wood ears and either the daylily flowers or carrot and cook these until they are barely done before tossing them into the bowl with the meat and eggs. (If you're using bean sprouts in place of bamboo shoots, cook the wood ears and daylily flowers or carrot alone and add them to the bowl with the meat and eggs; then place wok over high heat, swirl in a tiny bit of oil and quickly stir-fry the sprouts until they're just beyond raw but still very crisp before adding them to the bowl with the other cooked ingredients.)
• Place wok back over high heat, pour in any remaining sesame oil, and add green onions, all of the cooked meat, eggs and vegetables, and the rice wine and sugar mixture. Toss these quickly together for a few seconds, taste and adjust seasoning, and plate in a bowl or on a rimmed platter.
• Serve hot with the sauce, wheat wrappers and shredded green onions. Have each diner spread about 2 teaspoons sauce down the center of the wrapper, sprinkle on some raw green onions, and pile on about 1/2 cup of the meat mixture. Fold the bottom edge of the wrapper up over the meat mixture, then fold one side over the center before rolling up the rest of the wrapper from the opposite edge. Eat with your hands.

MOO SHU PORK

Steps:

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

CHINESE TAKE-OUT MU SHU PORK

Steps:

• Prepare the pancakes according to the directions with the Chinese Take-Out Peking Duck. In a small bowl, combine the pork, 2 tablespoons of the sherry, 2 tablespoons of the soy sauce, 2 tablespoons of the vegetable oil, and half the garlic. Toss together, and refrigerate while assembling the remaining ingredients.
• In a separate bowl, combine the remaining 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and sherry, the stock, 1 tablspoon of the sesame oil, the sugar, chili paste, 1/2 tsp of the salt, and black pepper to taste. Set aside.
• Heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in a wok or saute pan set over medium heat. Add the eggs and stir-fry until they become firm, about 1 minute. Transfer the eggs to a large bowl.
• Add another 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil to the wok and heat. Add the cabbage, mushrooms, and green onion. Saute the vegetables until they begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the remaining garlic, the ginger, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and continue to cook for another minute, or until the garlic and ginger are fragrant. Transfer the mixture to the bowl containing the eggs.
• Heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil in the wok, then add the pork and its marinade and stir-fry until it is almost cooked, about 2 minutes.
• Return the cabbage and eggs to the wok along with the sauce. When the sauce boils, add the cornstarch mixture and cook for another minute, or until the sauce thickens. Transfer the mixture to a heated platter.
• To serve, arrange a platter with mu shu pork, pancakes, and hoisin and let your guests make their own mu shu.