Mu Shu Pork - King Wha Copycat Recipe

For those of you who live by me, King Wha Restaurant has been the iconic Chinese food restaurant  in the little land we live and love call Burien.  When I would tell people I lived in Burien they only know the name because King Wha, the best Chinese food restaurant was there.  I have been going to King Wha since I was in grade school and I have always stayed true to my order, Hot and Sour soup, Mu Shu Pork and Mandarin Chicken.  All of these items I had also deemed in my head "restaurant food" and had never tried at home until today....I made Mu Shu Pork!! And in my option it turned out better than King Wha, and it was easy!

Mu Shu Pork - King Wha Copycat Recipe 

Serves 6 -1 large pancake or 10 -1 small pancakes  

pre-time : 20 mins, cook time 30 mins 

Ingredients: 

1 lb pork loin -trimmed, pounded and cut into small bit size piece

Marinate:
2 Tbls dark soy sauce
2 Tbls rice wine or dry sherry ( I only had dry sherry cooking wine)
2 Tbls sugar
2 tsp cornstarch 

Sauce: 

1/2 cup chicken broth 

2 Tbls soy sauce

2 Tbls rice wine or dry sherry 

1 tsp salt

2 tsps sesame oil 

2 tsps corn starch 

Other: 

1 cup - 1 1/2 cups any kind of mushrooms cut into bit sized pieces
1 small can bamboo shoots- rinse din water 2-3 times.
1 bunch green onions
3tbls chopped fresh ginger
2 - 3 eggs beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 tablespoons oil for stir-frying, or as needed
1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 bag bean spouts
Plum sauce - Prepared
Tortillas or Mandarin pancakes ( Tortilla Land is what I used in the refrigerator section with a yellow package) 

Directions: 

1.  Take Pork; trim off fat, cut into bite sized pieces and pound then. 

(this is what I used, it's a end piece of a pork loin) 

2.  Make marinade, combine soy sauce, rice wine/sherry, sugar and corn starch in a bowl and mix until blended. Add pork and allow to sit for at least 15 mins.  

3. Make Sauce in a separate bowl and set aside - broth, soy sauce, salt, oil, sherry/rice wine, corn starch. 

4. Heat up your frying pan be sure to use a non-stick or a Wok. I used a 10 in cast iron non-stick on Med-High heat.  When pan is hot add 1 tablespoon oil.  Add your 2-3 scrambled eggs to the pan and scramble eggs until no longer runny.  Remove egg and wipe pan clean with a paper towel.

4.  After pan has been cleaned out heat 1-2 tablespoon oil  on Med-High heat and add in the chopped ginger until fragrant then add in the pork and the marinade and cook pork until no longer pink. Some of the pieces will stick to the bottom but that's okay, just done let it burn. 

Once pork is done, remove from pan and set aside.  Wipe down pan as best as you can and heat the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. 

5.Add mushrooms to hot oil and allow to reduce 2 minutes until they begin to wilt.  Add bamboo shoots and 1/2 of your bunch of onion then add the pork and eggs back into hot pan and turn heat to high and add your reserved sauce. Allow all flavors to blend and sauce to thicken ( about 5 mins) .

vegetables cooking 

                                                         final assembled Mu Shu Pork  

6. Pancake assembly: 

Warm your pancakes - I used these Tortilla Land tortillas and my crepe pan: 

7.  Spread plum sauce, bean sprouts, green onions and pork mixture on your pancakes and enjoy! 

Easy Marinated Pork Chops

Thursday Night's dinner:  


 Marinated Pork Chops 
with brown rice and broccoli 

This is an easy weeknight meal.  Bill was home on Thursday and prepped this marinade with the chops and we grilled them inside on our grill. It would work better to grill on an outdoor grill or if you had better venting in your kitchen than I do.  The chops were great and the marinade is very versatile for all kinds of meat. But I would just suggest lots of air flow in the house.  Enjoy. 


Recipe: 


1/2 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup brown sugar
2 Tbls lemon juice
1 Tbls vegetable oil
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp garlic powder
6 boneless or bone in pork chops


Directions: 


1. Mix soy sauce, brown sugar, lemon juice, oil, ginger, garlic in a gallon ziploc bag.  Take pork chops and pierce with a fork several times.  Put chops in ziploc and leave in fridge for at least 4 hrs ( overnight is ideal ) 

2. Take pork chops out of fridge and bring to room temperature. Heat grill to med-high heat. 


3. Grill.  My grill took about 10 mins to cook, check at 5 mins. Pork should be firm and have little give when.  Wait until juice run clear.  

4. Let rest 5 mins and serve.  I served with brown rice and steamed broccoli and side salad.  The whole meal took about 30 mins from oven to dinner table.  




Enjoy!

California Pizza Kitchen's Carnitas Pizza with Habanero Salsa

This pizza was inspired by the California Pizza Kitchen's -Carnitas Pizza with Habanero Salsa .  Many of you know that when I go out to eat I can be somewhat of an embarrassment and always ask the server "what's in this?".  Usually they will tell me, I have even had the chef come out and tell me what is in dishes and how he made it......or I have them tell me it was a "secret". I usually get the "secret" line when the restaurant is trying to sell their own sauce, salsa and cookbooks. Nevertheless I will still try to re-create the dish at home.

Last month Bill and I went to CPK and had this new menu addition. It was amazing with a great blend of cilantro pesto and the Mexican spiced pork....with sweet hot salsa.


Here is the recipe and tutorial :

Pizza Details: Base: Cilantro pesto  fixings: Slow roasted Mexican style pork on a bed of mozzarella  and jack cheese garnished with red onions and cilantro.  Served with Habanero Salsa  


Final product was amazing!  I can't wait to hear what you think when you try it.

Ingredients:

Dough:
1 pkg of pre-made dough or make your own ( I used Trader Joe's $1.69 can't beat the price)

Toppings:
1-1 1/2 cup shredded pork- (Mexican spiced pork any kind will do butt/top round /shoulder see recipe below)
2 bunches cilantro
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/2 cup roasted chopped almonds
1/2 cup olive oil
3-4 cloves chopped garlic
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
2 Tbls white vinegar
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1 cup jack cheese
1/2 red onion sliced
garnish with cilantro


Salsa:
1 seeded Habenero finely chopped ( use gloves)
1/2 red onion finely chopped
1/4 cup orange juice
2 Tbls white vinegar
dash salt
finely chopped cilantro


Directions:

Preheat Oven to 400

1. Roll pizza crust out to desired shape and size - I use cornmeal as my base instead of flour it gives the crust more of a crunch.  Bake on corn meal dusted cookie sheet, pizza stone or silpat for 10 mins until softly cooked.

2. While pizza crust is cooking assemble your cilantro pesto. Using your food processor or blender.  Combine 1 whole bunch cilantro stems removed and washed and roughly chopped, 3-4 rough chopped cloves of fresh garlic, parmesan cheese, roasted almonds ( or any nut you want) a few shakes slat and pepper, cup olive oil, vinegar. Blend until pesto consistency.

3. Spread pesto on crust:

*you might have extra pesto - save for pasta or sandwiches*

4.  Add jack cheese, then onions, then pork.

Pork See Recipe below * I use this pork for pork tacos too and the meat freezes well so you can have tacos on Monday and this pizza on Wednesday*

5. Finish with mozzarella it locks everything in.

6. Bake at 400 for aprox 20 mins.  ( check at 15 and gauge from there)

7. While cooking make salsa:
Dice as fine as you can possibly dice with your knife. habanero, red onion, cilantro and orange juice. Should like something like this...... don't blend it or it will turn grey.

 8. Final Product

Pork Recipe :

In your crock pot take a 2-3 lb pork roast and rub with taco seasoning and a chopped onion. Set 6 hr setting and check when pork can fall off the bone or shed with fork.  This can be made in advance and used for tacos, enchiladas, taco salad, nachos and other Mexican dishes.