Easy Weeknight Moo Shu Pork is a meal my whole family will eat without complaint. A complete meal with no sides, it's a great quick & easy meal.
There are not a lot of quick and easy, weeknight-friendly meals that my entire family will eat without complaint. However, this Easy Weeknight Moo Shu Pork is one of them. I mean, sure, my daughter picks out most of the veggies, and neither of my kids likes eggs, so I serve them on the side. BUT - there are no complaints!
And I can't complain either, because the meal only takes 15 minutes to cook, max. You'll spend a little more time than that prepping the veggies, but if you have access to a mandoline or purchase some of the vegetables pre-cut (like bagged matchstick carrots), it will go pretty quickly.
How to Make Easy Weeknight Moo Shu Pork
Wrap the tortillas in foil and set them in a 300°F oven (or toaster oven) to heat while you make the stir-fry.
Start by rehydrating the dried wood ear mushrooms. This simply involves soaking the mushrooms in a bowl of cold water while you start prepping the other ingredients.
Next, slice the pork. If you're using pork tenderloin (you'll need half of one), cut the piece in half lengthwise. Then thinly slice the pieces of pork (this is easier if the pork is partially frozen). Toss the sliced pork with cornstarch, water, and salt. This technique is called "velveting" and ensures meat has a juicy, tender texture in stir-fries.
Set the pork aside while prepping the vegetables:
- Thinly slice the celery on the bias
- Shred the cabbage (you can use either a mandoline or a large, sharp knife for this).
- Julienne the carrots or cut into matchsticks (or purchase carrots that are already cut into matchsticks).
Once the mushrooms are rehydrated, drain them, rinse again with cold water, and slice them.
Crack two large eggs and whisk them together with a fork or small whisk. Heat some oil in a large non-stick skillet or wok over medium heat and add the eggs. Cook the eggs, without stirring, until the bottom is set and lightly browned, about 2-3 minutes. Carefully flip the egg (don't worry if it breaks), and cook until completely set, about another minute. Turn the egg onto a cutting board, and slice.
Add some more oil to the pan and increase heat to medium-high. Add the pork and cook, stirring often until it's all cooked through. Transfer to a clean plate.
Reduce the heat back to medium, and add all of the vegetables. Cook, stirring often, until the cabbage is wilted and the carrots and celery are just starting to soften. Stir in some oyster sauce and chicken bouillon and stir until evenly distributed.
Stir in the pork and the eggs and continue to cook until everything is heated through.
Serve by spreading some hoisin over a tortilla and adding a large scoop of the stir-fry. Serve with additional hoisin as desired.
Easy Weeknight Moo Shu Pork Ingredients
Almost all of the ingredients you need for this recipe are easy to find and available at any well-stocked grocery store. Dried wood ear mushrooms are the exception, but if you plan ahead, you can order them online if needed.
- Small white flour tortillas - Obviously this is not the traditional Chinese ingredient, but it's often the easiest choice. When I lived in the Midwest, I was surprised to see that even restaurants that specialized in Moo Shu Pork served their dish with flour tortillas! If you live close to an Asian market, you may be able to find Mandarin pancakes (or they may be called Peking Duck Wraps), which are thinner than tortillas.
- Dried wood ear mushrooms - Wood ear mushrooms are small, crinkled mushrooms that grow on trees. While they can be hard to find, they are often sold dried in Asian markets, both whole and sliced. You might see them called black fungus, and while black fungus is technically a different mushroom, the two are very similar and often used interchangeably. They both have a unique slightly chewy, slightly crunchy texture when rehydrated and added to dishes. Try to avoid skipping them in this recipe.
- Pork tenderloin - you will need half of one. Alternatively, you can use another lean cut of pork.
- Cornstarch - cornstarch is used in this recipe in a technique called "velveting", which is often used in stir-fries to give meat a juicy, tender texture.
- Water - use whatever water you normally drink. Cold tap water is fine.
- Kosher salt - or use MSG-salt to enhance the savory flavors in this recipe.
- White pepper - or you can substitute a little black pepper if you don't have white pepper.
- Carrots - Pro-tip: buy bagged carrot matchsticks to make this meal even quicker.
- Celery
- Napa cabbage
- Canola oil or other neutral-flavored cooking oil
- Large eggs
- Oyster sauce - Oyster sauce is commonly used in stir-fries. Look for it in the International aisle of any well-stocked grocery store. Use gluten-free oyster sauce to make this recipe gluten-free.
- Chicken bouillon concentrate or powder
- Hoisin sauce - Find hoisin sauce in the International aisle of any well-stocked grocery store. Use gluten-free hoisin sauce to make this recipe gluten-free.
Want more weeknight dinner recipes?
Easy Weeknight Moo Shu Pork Nutrition Notes
The nutrition information in the recipe below is for ¼ of the stir-fry recipe plus two small flour tortillas. If your portion is larger (or smaller) than this, the nutrition information will vary accordingly.
This recipe is dairy-free as written. To make this recipe gluten-free, replace the hoisin sauce with gluten-free hoisin, and the oyster sauce with gluten-free oyster sauce. Instead of serving with flour tortillas, serve over rice or use a gluten-free tortilla instead.
Easy Weeknight Moo Shu Pork
Equipment
- Mandoline optional
- Large Non-Stick Skillet or wok
Ingredients
- 8-10 small white flour tortillas
- ¼ cup dried wood ear mushrooms
- ½ medium pork tenderloin or other lean cut of pork
- 1 Tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 teaspoon water
- ½ teasoon kosher salt or MSG-salt
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- 2 medium carrots
- 2 medium stalks celery
- ¼ medium napa cabbage or ½ small napa cabbage (you should end up with 4 cups shredded cabbage)
- 2 Tablespoons canola oil or other neutral-flavored cooking oil
- 2 large eggs
- 1 Tablespoon oyster sauce use gluten-free oyster sauce to make this recipe gluten-free
- 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon concentrate or powder
- hoisin sauce to serve (use gluten-free hoisin sauce to make this recipe gluten-free)
Instructions
- Wrap the tortillas in aluminum foil and heat in a 300°F oven (or toaster oven) while you cook the stir fry. Alternatively, you can heat the tortillas individually in a hot, dry skillet, or microwave them in a stack for 1 minute (make sure to do this just before you're ready to serve dinner).
- Add ¼ cup (15 g) dried wood ear mushrooms to a small bowl. Cover with cold water by at least 1 inch. Let the mushrooms sit in the water for at least 15 minutes to rehydrate while you start prepping the other ingredients.
- Cut the pork tenderloin in half lengthwise, then thinly slice both halves of the tenderloin. (Note that this is easiest to do if the tenderloin is partially frozen.) Toss the sliced pork with 1 Tablespoon cornstarch, 1 teaspoon water, ½ teasoon kosher salt, and ¼ teaspoon white pepper in a small bowl. Set aside while you prep the vegetables.
- Peel 2 medium (142 g) carrots and Julienne them or cut them into matchsticks (note that using a mandoline will make this job go a little faster.) Add them to a large bowl.
- Thinly slice 2 medium stalks (113 g) celery on the bias. Add them to the bowl with the carrots.
- Use a large, sharp knife or mandoline to shred ¼ medium (436 g) napa cabbage. Add it to the bowl with the carrots and celery.
- Drain the wood ear mushrooms and rinse again with cold water. Slice them thin and add them to the bowl with the other vegetables.
- Crack 2 large eggs into a small bowl, add a pinch of salt, and whisk vigorously with a small whisk or fork.
- Heat a large non-stick skillet or wok over medium heat. Add 1 Tablespoon of the canola oil. Pour the eggs into the pan, and cook (without stirring) until set on the bottom, about 2-3 minutes. Carefully flip the egg over don't worry if it breaks) and cook until completely set, about another minute. Transfer the egg to a cutting board and slice into ¼-1/2" (0.5-1cm) x 1-2" (2-3cm) strips. Set aside.
- Increase the heat to medium-high heat. Add the remaining 1 Tablespoon of the canola oil. Add the sliced pork to the skillet and cook, stirring very often, until it's all cooked through, about 3 minutes. Transfer the pork to a clean bowl or plate.
- Reduce the temperature back to medium. Add all of the vegetables to the skillet, and cook, stirring often, until the cabbage is wilted, and the carrots and celery are just starting to soften, about 5 minutes. Add 1 Tablespoon oyster sauce and 1 teaspoon chicken bouillon concentrate or powder and stir until evenly distributed. Add the cooked pork and the sliced egg back to the skillet, and cook, stirring until everything is evenly distributed and hot.
- Spread some hoisin sauce evenly over each of the tortillas. Add a scoop of the stir-fry to each tortilla, and serve as wraps. Serve with additional hoisin at the table.
Notes
Nutrition
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