The ingredient list for this delicious dish from Cook’s Illustrated may seem long, but once you have your ingredients ready the stir-fry comes together in about 20 minutes. Marinate and stir-fry pork, cook scallions, shiitake mushrooms and Napa cabbage and toss with noodles. Better than take-out!

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

I have never been able to find ready-made oyster sauce and hoisin sauce that are additive-free, so I make my own. The recipes are below; make sure the peanut butter and sesame seed oil are additive-free. Use tamari instead of soy sauce and check the dried spices to make sure they don’t contain colour or anti-caking agents. I used Imagine Organic chicken stock and Eden rice cooking wine. I used Simply Natural sriracha for the chile sauce; you could also use original-style Tabasco.

Marinate and sear pork

Add mushrooms and scallions

Cook garlic and cabbage until the cabbage is slightly wilted

Pork stir-fry with noodles

Ingredients:

Oyster Sauce

1 ½ tablespoons (25 ml) tamari

1 tablespoon (15 ml) sugar

1 ½ teaspoons (7 ml) cornstarch

Hoisin Sauce

4 tbsp (60 ml) tamari

2 tbsp (30 ml) peanut butter

1 tbsp (15 ml) honey

2 tsp (10 ml) white vinegar

Pinch garlic powder

2 tsp sesame seed oil

1 tsp (5 ml) Tabasco sauce

Pinch pepper

For stir-fry

3 tablespoons (45 ml) soy sauce

2 tablespoons (30 ml) oyster sauce

2 tablespoons (30 ml) hoisin sauce

1 tablespoon (15 ml) toasted sesame oil

¼ teaspoon (1 ml) five-spice powder

1 pound (454 g) boneless pork, sliced crosswise into 1/8-inch pieces (0.3-cm)

¼ teaspoon (1 ml) liquid smoke (optional)

½ cup (125 ml) low-sodium chicken broth

1 teaspoon (5 ml) cornstarch

2 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 2 teaspoons/10 ml)

2 teaspoons (10 ml) grated fresh ginger

4 ½ teaspoons (25 ml) vegetable oil

4 tablespoons (60 ml) Chinese rice cooking wine (Shao-Xing) or dry sherry

½ pound (227 g) shiitake mushrooms, stems trimmed, caps cut in halves or thirds (about 3 cups/750 ml)

2 bunches scallions, whites thinly sliced and greens cut into 1-inch (2.5-cm) pieces (about 2 cups/500 ml)

1 small head Napa or Chinese cabbage, halved, cored, and sliced crosswise into ½ -inch (1.25 -m) strips (about 4 cups/1 L)

12 ounces (340 g) dried Chinese egg noodles (lo mein) or 8 ounces (227 g) dried linguine (see note)

1 tablespoon (15 ml) Asian chile garlic sauce

Preparation:

Combine oyster sauce ingredients and set aside.

Combine hoisin sauce ingredients and set aside.

Bring 4 quarts (4 L)  water to boil in Dutch oven over high heat.

Whisk soy sauce, oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, sesame oil, and five-spice powder together in medium bowl. Place 3 tablespoons (45 ml) soy sauce mixture in large zipper-lock bag; add pork and liquid smoke, if using. Press out as much air as possible and seal bag, making sure that all pieces are coated with marinade. Refrigerate at least 15 minutes or up to 1 hour. Whisk broth and cornstarch into remaining soy sauce mixture in medium bowl. In separate small bowl, mix garlic and ginger with ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) vegetable oil; set aside.

Heat 1 teaspoon vegetable oil in 12-inch (30-cm) cast-iron or non-stick skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add half of pork in single layer, breaking up clumps with wooden spoon. Cook, without stirring, 1 minute. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons (30 ml) wine to skillet; cook, stirring constantly, until liquid is reduced and pork is well coated, 30 to 60 seconds. Transfer pork to medium bowl and repeat with remaining pork, 1 teaspoon (5 ml) oil, and remaining 2 tablespoons (30 ml) wine. Wipe skillet clean with paper towels.

Return skillet to high heat, add 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vegetable oil, and heat until just smoking. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally, until light golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Add scallions and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until scallions are wilted, 2 to 3 minutes longer; transfer vegetables to bowl with pork.

Add remaining teaspoon vegetable oil and cabbage to now-empty skillet; cook, stirring occasionally, until spotty brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Clear center of skillet; add garlic-ginger mixture and cook, mashing mixture with spoon, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir garlic mixture into cabbage; return pork-vegetable mixture and chicken broth-soy mixture to skillet; simmer until thickened and ingredients are well incorporated, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove skillet from heat.

While cabbage is cooking, stir noodles into boiling water. Cook, stirring occasionally, until noodles are tender, 3 to 4 minutes for dried Chinese noodles or 10 minutes for dried linguine. Drain noodles and transfer back to Dutch oven; add cooked stir-fry mixture and garlic-chili sauce, tossing noodles constantly, until sauce coats noodles. Serve immediately. Serves 4.

From Cook’s Illustrated