I know what you’re wondering. Hey, Judy, are you sure this is Moo Shu Pork? Where are the moo shu pancakes?!
Well, I’m here to break the news to you. This is what Moo Shu Pork (木樨肉) actually looks like. I included its Chinese name so you know I’m not making it up. Trust me, I was equally surprised when I first saw it on a menu in China, because I also wondered where those pancakes were!
Apparently Moo Shu Pork is a very common home-cooked dish in China and the authentic Chinese moo shu pork recipe does not include any moo shu pancakes. It’s super easy and equally tasty. It may look odd at first sight—there’s cucumber, egg, AND black wood ear mushrooms. What a combo!
And those cucumbers; who cooks cucumbers? But in China, besides using cucumbers in cold appetizers (like our smashed cucumber salad), it’s also a common addition to stir-fries. It was weird for us too at first, but once we tried it, we could see the logic.
You’ll just have to trust us on this one. I wouldn’t share this authentic Chinese moo shu pork recipe if I didn’t think it was any good. In fact, it’s more than good! (And, might I add, the fact that it made it to the blog means it earned the approval of my two ABC daughters!)
Perhaps most importantly, as we hit the inevitable August heat wave, my garden has been churning out cucumbers like a cheap ticket machine. I’ve already made this dish four times in the past two weeks! If your garden is like mine, give it a try, and you’ll be pleasantly surprised.
P.S. I apologize for the over-grown cucumbers in the photos. That’s what happens when it’s “still not there yet” as you walk the garden in the morning, and then it turns into a giant mutant in the afternoon.
Moo Shu Pork: Recipe Instructions
First, combine the pork with the marinade ingredients (light soy sauce, Shaoxing (rice) wine, cornstarch, sesame oil, and ginger), and set aside for 20-30 minutes.
Then cook the eggs. Whisk together the eggs with the Shaoxing wine and salt. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok over high heat. Add the beaten eggs, scramble, and turn off the heat. Dish out the cooked eggs and set aside.
Heat the wok over high heat once again, and add 2 tablespoons of oil. When the oil starts to smoke, add the pork and sear the meat until lightly browned.
Then add the chopped scallions and stir.
Next, add the sliced cucumbers and wood ear mushrooms. Stir fry to thoroughly combine the ingredients.
Now it’s time to add the Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, oyster sauce, and water.
Stir fry everything well for an additional 30 seconds. Finally add the cooked eggs, stir-fry for another 30 seconds, and serve!
We served this healthy authentic moo shu pork dish with hot brown rice!
Moo Shu Pork
Ingredients
For the pork & marinade:
- 1/2 pound pork (225g, thinly sliced)
- 1 teaspoon light soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
- 1 slice ginger (minced)
For the eggs:
- 3 eggs
- 1 teaspoon Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon oil
For the rest of the dish:
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 2 scallions (chopped)
- 1 cucumber (halved, deseeded, then cut on a 45-degree angle)
- 1 cup rehydrated black wood ears (washed and drained)
- 2 teaspoons Shaoxing wine (or dry sherry)
- 2 teaspoons light soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 2 tablespoons water
- Salt (to taste)
Instructions
- First, combine the pork with the marinade ingredients and set aside for 20-30 minutes.
- Then cook the eggs. Whisk together the eggs with the rice wine and salt. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a wok over high heat. Add the beaten eggs, scramble, and turn off the heat. Dish out the cooked eggs and set aside.
- Heat the wok over high heat once again, and add 2 tablespoons of oil. When the oil starts to smoke, add the pork and sear the meat until lightly browned. Then add the chopped scallion and stir.
- Next, add the sliced cucumbers and wood ear mushrooms. Stir fry to thoroughly combine the ingredients. Now it’s time to add the Shaoxing wine, light soy sauce, oyster sauce and water.
- Stir fry everything well for an additional 30 seconds. Finally add the cooked eggs, stir-fry for another 30 seconds, and serve!
Amazing! This had so much flavor! Definitely going into the rotation!
I can’t wait to make this dish. I’ve been stocking up on Chinese ingredients and anxious to try many of your dishes. I was wondering what kind of pork do you use for this dish – pork loin – sliced thinly or another cut? Thank you for your wonderful recipes and website just loaded with great information for a novice like me.
Hi Jan, pork loin works but it is very lean. Using pork should butt will give you more flavor since it has more fat.
This is a wonderful recipe. Love the juicy crunch from the cucumbers. Made it for maybe two he fourth time tonight. It’s a keeper. We always make enough for two meals. First night on rice and the leftovers nuked and rolled into a warm hoisin slathered Mission flour tortilla. Both ways delicious. Thank you for so many great meals from you website.
Hi Barbara, I personally love flour tortillas, so that’s a great substitute for the Mandarin pancakes if you don’t feel like making them ;-)
I’m going to try this with tofu!
Do it, Lisa, it will be great. You can try firm tofu, or pan-fried firm tofu.
What cuts of pork do you use for this? I have pork shoulder I got for your hot and sour soup recipe that was amazing, but wasn’t sure if stir frying it would come out as well as boiling. What other pork cuts can be used out of curiosity?
Pork shoulder, sliced is perfect since it has a bit of fat, which makes any dish tastier. Lean cuts like pork loin will also work but then marinating and velveting pork becomes more important.
I’ve made this recipe with well-marinated pork tenderloin (just don’t overcook it) and boneless pork loin. I like to add a pinch 1/8 t) of baking soda to the marinade to tenderize along with a couple teaspoons of water, which is absorbed
Sooo good! This time I used pork loin, thinly sliced, did not overcook the meat, and it turned out velvety and soft! I’ve made this twice already and will repeat! Thank you for the awesome recipe!
That’s lovely, Armie, this dish is also one of my favorites :-)
Again a delicious recipe. Easy to make well worth the effort. I did make some homemade pancakes to go with it but they were really not needed.