The October Daring Cooks’ Challenge was hosted by Shelley of C Mom Cook and her sister Ruth of The Crafts of Mommyhood. They challenged us to bring a taste of the East into our home kitchens by making our own Moo Shu, including thin pancakes, stir fry and sauce.
When I heard about this challenge, I was a little scared. I had never even tasted Moo Shu, much less cooked it. I didn’t know what hoisin sauce should taste like, but once I had all of the ingredients mixed together in the bowl, I knew I was going to really like it. It smelled amazing!
Here’s my recommendation to you. If you don’t have time to make the homemade “pancakes,” just use flour tortillas. The Moo Shu and hoisin sauce are easy and won’t take long to prepare. If you like Moo Shu and have never made it, my recipe would be a good one to try for the first time.
To see the other chefs that completed this challenge, visit this website.
Hoisin Sauce
Adapted from: Epicurean.com
Printable Recipe
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons peanut butter
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons white vinegar
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
2 teaspoons sesame seed oil
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Directions:
Whisk together all ingredients until combined. This may take a while, so keep stirring. You can store in the refrigerator for 1 week.
Moo Shu Pork
Printable Recipe
Ingredients:
4 tablespoons hoisin sauce (homemade using posted recipe)
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 3/4-pound pork tenderloin, trimmed and cut into thin strips
2 tablespoons sesame oil
4 tablespoons water
8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced (I used 1, 1 ounce package of dried mushrooms reconstituted)
1 14-ounce bag coleslaw mix
1/2 bunch green onions, thinly sliced
Whisk together hoisin sauce, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper.
Marinate pork tenderloin for 10-15 minutes.
Add 1 tbsp. sesame oil to large skillet or wok and heat over high heat. Remove pork from marinade using tongs and add to skillet. Saute over high heat for 3-4 minutes, or until pork is no longer pink.
Remove pork and place in a bowl. Add 4 tbsp. water to skillet and scrap down the sides and bottom of the pan. Pour pan juices over the pork.
Add 1 tbsp. sesame oil to skillet and heat over high heat. Add mushrooms and saute until golden - about 1 minute.
Add coleslaw to skillet and saute until it becomes wilted - approximately 4 minutes.
Add pork to skillet, including juices, reserved marinade and green onions. Saute for an additional 2 minutes. Serve with homemade pancakes.
Thin Pancakes
Makes 12-18 pancakes
Printable Recipe
Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
About 3/4 cup boiling water
1/2 teaspoon vegetable oil
Dry flour for dusting
Directions:
Sift the flour into a mixing bowl.
Gently pour in the water, stirring as you pour, then stir in the oil. Knead the mixture into a soft but firm dough. If your dough is dry, add more water, one tablespoon at a time, to reach the right consistency. Cover with a damp towel and let stand for about 30 minutes.
Lightly dust the surface of a worktop with dry flour. Knead the dough for 6-8 minutes or until smooth, then divide into 2 equal portions. Roll out each portion into a long sausage and cut each sausage into 8-10 pieces. Keep the dough that you are not actively working with covered with a lightly damp dish cloth to keep it from drying out.
Roll each piece into a ball, then, using the palm of your hand, press each piece into a flat pancake. Dust the worktop with more dry flour. Flatten each pancake into a 6 to 8 inch (15 cm to 20 cm) circle with a rolling pin, rolling gently on both sides.
Place an un-greased frying pan over high heat. Once the pan is hot, lower the heat to low and place the pancakes, one at a time, in the pan. Remove when little light-brown spots appear on the underside. Cover with a damp cloth until ready to serve.
