Pork lo mein
Takeout-style noodles tossed with tender pork, crunchy vegetables and a glossy soy hoisin sauce, faster than delivery.
- 30 min total
- 25 min hands-on
- Follow-a-recipe easy
- Serves 4
- About $2.20 a serving
- 460 calories
- Good the next day
- Dairy-free
Dolly says: Make the full amount. It’s just as good for lunch the next day.
Ingredients
For 4 servings.
- 8 oz lo mein noodles
- 12 oz pork tenderloin
- 2 tbsp hoisin sauce
- 2 tsp sesame oil
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp fresh ginger, grated
- 3 cups coleslaw mix
- 4 stalks green onions, cut into 2-inch pieces
From your pantry
- 1 tsp cornstarch
- 3 tbsp soy sauce, divided
- 1 tsp sugar
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil, divided
Each serving has about 460 calories, 28 g protein, 52 g carbs and 15 g fat, and costs about $2.20 at typical US grocery prices. Both are estimates from what the recipe uses.
Missing something?
- No coleslaw mix? Green cabbage or red cabbage works.
- No green onions? Chives work.
Steps
Tap an underlined word for a quick explanation.
Bring a large pot of water for the noodles.
Bring to a boil. It means heating a liquid on high until it’s fully boiling before you move on. A lid on the pot gets it there faster, which makes it a good moment to chop something.
How you’ll know: Big bubbles break all over the surface, and they keep coming when you lift the lid.
High heat
Cut the pork into , then it with the cornstarch and 1 tbsp of the soy sauce.
Thinly slice. Thinly slicing means cutting slices about an eighth of an inch thick, roughly two coins stacked. Thin slices cook in seconds and soften fast, which quick dishes need.
How you’ll know: A slice bends a little when you hold it by one edge, and slow, steady cuts beat fast ones.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
Dolly’s tip: Pork slices thinner when it’s very cold. If it’s floppy, give it 15 minutes in the freezer first.Stir the rest of the soy sauce with the hoisin, sesame oil and sugar in a small bowl.
Cook the noodles in the boiling water as the package says, then and them briefly under cold water so they don’t stick.
Drain. Draining means pouring off liquid, like tipping pasta into a colander or spooning extra fat out of the pan. Pour hot grease into a can or jar, not the sink, where it hardens and clogs the pipes.
How you’ll know: Only a few drips are left, and the food isn’t sitting in a puddle.
Rinse. Rinsing means running cold water over rice or canned beans in a strainer while you swish them around. It washes off loose starch and can liquid, so rice cooks up fluffy and beans taste clean.
How you’ll know: The water running out goes from cloudy to mostly clear; it doesn’t have to be perfect.
High heatTimer: 4 min
Heat 1 tbsp of the oil in a large over high until it . the pork 2 to 3 minutes, until no pink is left, then move it to a plate.
Skillet. A skillet is a frying pan: wide and flat with low, sloped sides. The shape lets steam escape, so food browns instead of stewing.
How you’ll know: It’s the pan you’d fry an egg in, and a 10 or 12 inch one handles most recipes.
Shimmering oil. Oil shimmers when it’s hot enough to cook: its surface looks rippled and wavy, like heat over a road. That’s your cue to add the food, just before the oil would start to smoke.
How you’ll know: The oil looks wavy and runs thin like water when you tilt the pan, with no smoke yet.
Stir-fry. Stir-frying means cooking small pieces fast over high heat in a little oil, stirring almost constantly. It moves quickly, so have everything chopped and ready before the pan gets hot.
How you’ll know: It sizzles loudly the whole time, and the vegetables turn bright and tender-crisp in minutes.
High heatTimer: 2 min 30 sec
Dolly’s tip: Spread the slices out and let them sit 30 seconds before stirring. That’s what browns them.Food safety: Steak, pork chops and other whole cuts are safe at 145°F in the middle, then let them rest for 3 minutes before cutting.
Add the rest of the oil with the garlic, ginger, coleslaw mix and green onions and 2 minutes, until just .
Stir-fry. Stir-frying means cooking small pieces fast over high heat in a little oil, stirring almost constantly. It moves quickly, so have everything chopped and ready before the pan gets hot.
How you’ll know: It sizzles loudly the whole time, and the vegetables turn bright and tender-crisp in minutes.
Wilt. Wilting means cooking leafy greens just until they go soft and collapse. Greens shrink a lot, so a big pile of spinach becomes a small handful, and that’s normal.
How you’ll know: The leaves turn soft and deep green and slump into the pan, usually within a minute or two.
High heatTimer: 2 min
Add the noodles, pork and sauce and with tongs for 1 to 2 minutes, until everything is glossy and hot.
Toss. Tossing means gently lifting and turning food so everything gets coated, like pasta in sauce or vegetables in oil. It coats every piece evenly without mashing anything.
How you’ll know: Every piece looks glossy or evenly coated, with no dry spots hiding underneath.
High heatTimer: 1 min 30 sec
Taste, add of soy sauce if it needs more salt, and serve right away.
Splash. A splash is a small, quick pour, about a teaspoon to a tablespoon. It’s there to loosen or brighten a dish, so the exact amount doesn’t matter.
How you’ll know: The dish looks a little looser or tastes a little brighter, not soupy.
Plan this in Dollop, and get the grocery list
Dollop puts this dinner on a night that suits your week, lists only what you still need to buy, and walks you through each step while you cook.
