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Moo shu pork (mu xu rou)
木须肉 mu xu rou: Shandong and Beijing pork stir-fry with egg, wood ear and lily buds
Mu xu rou began in Shandong and became a Beijing home-cooking staple, a weeknight stir-fry of thin pork strips with fluffy egg, crunchy wood ear and slightly sweet dried lily buds; the name refers to the yellow egg pieces looking like osmanthus blossom. In Beijing it is eaten with rice; Americans know it rolled in thin pancakes with hoisin, and both are good. A little Shaoxing rice wine goes into the pork marinade and evaporates in the hot wok; leave it out for an alcohol-free version. The mistake is overcooking the egg at the start, so it goes rubbery; take it out while still soft. Cook the pork until no pink remains, at least 71 °C. Chef's tip: cut off the hard tips of the lily buds after soaking, or they stay woody.
- Total time
- 25 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 3
Ingredients
For the pork
- 9 oz pork loincut into thin strips
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- 1 tsp Shaoxing rice wineor water for alcohol-free
- 1 tsp cornflour
For the stir-fry
- 3 eggsbeaten with a pinch of salt
- ¼ oz dried wood ear mushroomssoaked and shredded
- ⅔ oz dried lily budssoaked 20 minutes, hard tips removed
- ½ cucumbercut into thin half-moons
- ⅜ in fresh gingerfinely chopped
- 2 spring onionssliced
- 3 tbsp neutral oil
- 1 tbsp light soy sauce
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tsp toasted sesame oil
To serve
- 8 Mandarin pancakes (optional)warmed, with hoisin sauce; or steamed rice
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Mix 9 oz pork loin with 1 tbsp light soy sauce, 1 tsp Shaoxing rice wine and 1 tsp cornflour and leave for 10 minutes.
Step 2: Heat 1 tbsp 1 tbsp neutral oil in a wok over a medium-high heat. Pour in 3 eggs, let them puff for a few seconds, then push into large soft curds and tip out while still slightly wet.
1 minStep 3: Add the remaining 2 tbsp neutral oil and turn the heat to high. Stir-fry the pork for 1–2 minutes, until no pink remains. Add ⅜ in fresh ginger and the white part of 2 spring onions and fry for 20 seconds.
2 minStep 4: Add ¼ oz dried wood ear mushrooms, ⅔ oz dried lily buds and ½ cucumber with 1 tbsp light soy sauce and ¼ tsp salt and toss for 1 minute.
1 minStep 5: Return the eggs, toss to break them into pieces, add 1 tsp toasted sesame oil and serve at once with 8 Mandarin pancakes or rice.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 320 kcal
- Protein
- 24 g
- Carbs
- 6 g
- Fat
- 22 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does moo shu pork (mu xu rou) take?
- About 25 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 10 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 3 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of light soy sauce?
- Tamari, same amount (gluten free).
- What can I use instead of cornflour?
- Arrowroot or potato starch, same amount.
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