Time for the Entree: Yuk See Chau Mein #FreshTastyValentines

Those of you that have been following me for a while, know that we eat Asian food quite often in this household.  Some of this is because we have a daughter who came to us from China.  But even before Tingting came to live with us we loved Asian food.  We would often go to Chinese, Japanese or Thai restaurants and I would make stir fries at home as well as chop suey.

When Tingting came and I gave her Pork Chop Suey, she loved it but she also informed me that it was not anything she had grown up eating and that it must be "American Chinese".  Up until that point I had never given much thought to how our culture changes the foods from other cultures to adapt to our likings.

I went out and bought an authentic Chinese cookbook by Eileen Yin-Fei Lo called "My Grandmother's Chinese Kitchen".  I will never forget the look on Tingting's face when I made my first recipe from this book.  She actually broke down and cried saying it was just like her grandma's cooking.  Needless to say, this has been my go to book for Chinese recipes ever since.

Yuk See Chau Mein

The recipe I am sharing today is adapted from this book and is the "Chinese Chinese" version of Pork Chow Mein, we don't even spell it correctly LOL.  The adaptations are slight.  I used coconut oil instead of peanut oil. I used fresh baby portabella mushrooms instead of dried black mushrooms, and ginger and garlic paste provided by Gourmet Garden instead of mincing fresh,

Gourmet Garden is one of our many sponsors for this event who not only provided great products for the bloggers to try but also are sponsoring a great giveaway for our readers. You can enter by going to my Welcome to #FreshTastyValentines post.  All opinions in this post are solely mine and are not influenced by the generosity of our sponsors.

Pan Fried Noodles with Shredded Pork
slightly adapted from My Grandmother's Chinese Kitchen by Eileen Yin-Fei Lo

Marinade:

2 t. oyster sauce
1 t. light soy sauce
pinch of salt
3/4 t. sugar
2 t. sesame oil
1 1/2 t. dry sherry
1 t. cornstarch
pinch of white pepper
6 oz. lean pork loin, shredded

Combine all ingredients in a bowl. Add pork, mix well and allow to rest for 15 minutes.

Sauce:

1 t. light soy sauce
pinch of salt
1 1/2 t. sugar
1 t. sesame oil
1 T. oyster sauce
1 1/2 T. cornstarch
pinch of white pepper
1 c. chicken stock

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl.  Set aside.


Pan Fried Noodles:

8 oz. Angel Hair Pasta
3 T. coconut oil

Cook pasta (al dente)  according to package directions.  Turn off heat and run cold water into the pot, drain through a strainer and rinse twice more.  Allow noodle to drain thoroughly for about 30 minutes. Loosen noodles with chopsticks or a fork.  Heat a cast iron skillet over high heat.  Add 2 T. of the oil to cover the bottom.  Place the noodles in an even layer in the pan, covering the entire bottom.  Cook for one minute, moving the pan around on the burner to ensure that the noodles brown evenly.  Lower heat if necessary to prevent burning.

Turn noodles onto a plate. Cover with another plate and flip over.  Add another T. of oil and slide the noodles, browned side up, back into the cast iron skillet.  Cook this side for one minute or until browned as well, moving the pan as before.  Place noodles onto a platter.

Chau Mein:

1 (15 oz) bean sprouts
1 (8 oz) package baby bella mushrooms, sliced
2 1/2 T. coconut oil
2 t. ginger paste
2 t. garlic paste
3 scallions, white and light green parts, trimmed and cut into 2" pieces

Add coconut oil to a wok over high heat.  Add the ginger, scallion and mushrooms and cook for a minute or two, until the scallion greens are bright and vibrant.  Remove from wok to plate and set aside.

Wipe wok clean, add 1 T. of coconut oil and heat over high heat for half a minute. Add garlic and stir quickly for 15 seconds before adding the pork and it's marinade.  Cook and stir for 2 minutes.  Add reserved vegetables and bean sprouts.  Cook and stir for another minute.  Make a well in the center of the mix.  Stir the sauce and pour into the well.  Stir-fry all the ingredients together until well mixed and sauce thickens and bubbles.  Pour Chau Mein over the Pan Fried Noodles and serve.  Print Recipe