← Nouns Cooking · Chinese

Ingredients

• 4 dried shiitake mushrooms
• 225 g pork loin or tenderloin, cut into thin strips
• 2 tsp light soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Shaoxing wine
• 1 tbsp Cornflour (cornstarch)
• 2 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1½ tbsp Dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp Oyster sauce
• 1 tsp Sugar
• ¼ tsp White pepper
• 450 g fresh thick Shanghai noodles (or fresh udon)
• 3 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
• 340 g baby bok choy, stems sliced, leaves cut in half
• 3 Spring onion, cut into 5 cm lengths

Method

1. Soak the shiitake in hot water for 20 min, until soft. Squeeze dry, trim off the stems and slice the caps. Keep 3 tbsp of the soaking water.
2. Mix the pork with its marinade. In a small bowl, mix the sauce ingredients with the reserved mushroom water.
3. Bring a pot of water to the boil and cook the noodles for 1–2 min, just until they loosen. Drain, rinse with cold water and toss with 1 tsp of the oil so they do not stick.
4. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a wok over high heat. Stir-fry the pork for 2 min until it turns pale and cooked through, then lift it out.
5. Add the remaining oil, the mushrooms, bok choy stems and spring onion whites and stir-fry for 2 min. Add the noodles, bok choy leaves and the sauce and toss for 2–3 min, until the noodles are evenly dark and glossy.
6. Return the pork with the spring onion greens, toss for 30 seconds and serve hot.

Tips

• Look for fresh Shanghai noodles in the chilled section of Chinese grocers; thick udon is the best stand-in.
• Napa cabbage is a common swap for the bok choy.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

Omnivore's Cookbook Tiffy Cooks