Pork Stir-Fry with Lo Mein Noodles from Cook's Illustrated

Big Chef has tried his hand at a Cook’s Illustrated recipe in Sept Oct 2008, Pork Stir Fry with Lo Mein Noodles. The results were delicious.

As with all Chinese recipes, the ingredient list stretched a half column and required the chef to visit our local Chinese supermarket. After a two hour absence, he came back with two full bags and great excitement. Big C loves the Chinese supermarket. “You can buy anything there! And the prices. Phenomenal.” Of course, you are not always sure what you are buying – one must search for the English translation on most packages. But certain .. ah-hem, ingredients are quite recognizable. Like live ducks sitting in little wooden crates and big frogs frowning up from plastic containers. I guess with the right spices, you can eat almost anything.

So Big Chef set to preparing Stir Fry Pork in the afternoon, two days ago. I was busy at my business and, although ready to assist in my Sioux Chef role, I was not needed except for boiling the lo mein noodles at the very last minute.

My kind of meal. Set the table and sit down to be served a wonderful meal.

Big C was not as impressed with Pork Stir Fry as I was that first night. Two bites and I was extolling its virtues and proclaiming it a “company meal” candidate. It does need a little garnish of rooster chili sauce to brighten it and bring out the opposite smoky flavor in the stir fry.

(Don’t go looking for rooster chili sauce at the Chinese grocery store. I call it that because the only recognizable feature of the jar is a proud red rooster. Is there any English printed on the packaging? Can you import food without listing the ingredients? However, the sauce is good and I haven’t had a medical emergency yet so I judge it safe to consume.)

Big Chef proclaimed the meal wonderful when we heated it up the next night as a left over.

Which convinces me that this will be short listed for the company meal. If the chef can prepare central ingredients the evening before and the meal is better for that resting period … Ooohh la la.

Excuse me. I’m mixing cultures.