MU SHU RECIPES

Steps:

• Combine soy sauce, sherry and hoisin sauce in a bowl. Add the pork, toss to coat evenly, cover, refrigerate and marinate for 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, soak the mushrooms in enough hot water to cover for 20 minutes. Drain and thinly slice. Set aside on a plate, along with the cabbage, carrot and scallions.
• Heat a wok or large skillet over medium/high heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the peanut oil and swirl to coat. Pour in the eggs, swirling and tilting the wok to form a thin film. Cook just until the eggs are set and feel dry on top, about 1 minute. Transfer to a platter, let cool slightly and cut into 1 inch strips.
• Return the wok to high heat, and swirl in the remaining 2 tablespoons oil. Add the garlic, and ginger, and stir-fry to release the aromas, about 1 minute. Add the pork and stirfry until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Add the reserved mushrooms, cabbage, carrot, bean sprouts, and scallions, along with the chicken stock, and stir-fry another 2 minutes. Stir in soy sauce, sherry, sesame oil, and sugar, and cook, stirring until sauce boils, about 1 minute. Add egg strips and mix well. To serve, spread a small amount of hoisin sauce on a warm Mandarin Pancake. Spoon about 1/2 cup mu shu mixture in center of pancake, wrap like a burrito, folding the ends to close, and serve.
• Place flour in a medium bowl, making a well in the center. Pour in the boiling water, and use a wooden spoon or chopsticks to mix until a soft dough is formed. On a lightly floured surface, knead the dough gently until it is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Cover with a damp towel and let rest for 20 minutes.
• On a lightly floured surface, roll dough into a log, 16 inches long. Cut the log crosswise into 1 inch pieces, shape each piece into a ball, then use your hands to flatten each ball into a pancake. Brush the tops of the pancakes lightly with the sesame oil. Then, place one pancake on top of a second pancake, oiled sides together, so that there are 8 pairs. With a rolling pin, flatten each pair into a 6 inch circle. (A tortilla press also works well for this.) Cover the pancakes with a damp towel to rest.
• Heat an ungreased, nonstick skillet over medium heat. Cook the pancakes, one at a time, turning them once as they puff and little bubbles appear on the surface, until lightly browned, about 2 minutes on each side. As each pancake is finished, remove from pan and gently separate the halves into 2 pancakes while still hot. Stack cooked pancakes on a plate while cooking the remaining pancakes.
• Serve pancakes while still warm with Mu Shu Pork. Or, pancakes may be prepared up to 1 day in advance, wrapped in plastic, and refrigerated. Pancakes may also be frozen. Reheat them by steaming for 5 minutes, or warming them in a 350 degree F oven, wrapped in foil, for 10 minutes.
• Yield: 16 pancakes

Steps:

• For the marinade, in a bowl, combine ingredients
• If you’re making the dish with meat, add oyster sauce, too
• For the mu shu, place pork, chicken or tofu in a second bowl
• If using chicken or pork, add cornstarch, toss, then add marinade and combine
• For meat, marinate in the fridge for a little bit
• If using tofu, add half the marinade and toss to coat
• Heat a large nonstick skillet over high heat with oil, 2 turns of pan or a thin layer of spray
• Stir-fry the tofu, pork or chicken and brown well, remove to platter and cover to keep warm
• Add more oil to coat, then stir-fry mushrooms to brown and remove to a bowl
• In a separate small nonstick pan over medium-high heat, coat pan with oil, scramble eggs, add salt, brown and roll into a thin omelet
• Slide onto counter or cutting board, then slice
• Add cabbage to the same large nonstick skillet and toss 3 to 4 minutes to soften
• Add carrots, stir, then add onion whites, ginger, garlic and, if using, chile pepper
• Add a few splashes soy, a few pinches black pepper, and a drizzle of sesame oil, then toss, add mushrooms back to the mix and cook a few minutes more
• Add egg, toss, then taste cabbage for seasoning
• Add more soy sauce, if necessary, then combine with onion greens
• Heat flour tortillas until slightly charred but still soft, warming on each side in a cast iron skillet or over a flame on a gas stovetop
• Transfer cabbage to serving platter
• Serve mu shu cabbage and meat with plum sauce and tortillas
• Wrap the rolls like burritos