Mock Pork Stir-fry!

You can find these strange cans filled with "vegetarian mock pork" in most shops specialising in Chinese foods.


This stuff is actually just wheat protein texturised to imitate meat, developed as many eastern cultures became vegetarian, mostly with the onset of Buddhism. It's a good source of protein, and is also known as "Seitan"~ It also comes in "mock chicken" and "mock duck" varieties.


In Dublin, it is sold in the Asia Market on Drury street, and the Oriental Emporium beside Jervis LUAS station. It costs around €1.50 per can. Each can contains three servings.


The mock pork tastes a little meaty, but it absorbs all other strong flavours around it, like onion and any spices, and instantly turns delicious when cooked in a stir-fry~ ^_^


Ingredients:

• One can of Mock Pork
• 3 medium-sized onions (red or white, red+sweetness white+savoury)
• One bell pepper
• Broccoli, sliced.
• One small bag of beansprouts
• Two heads of medium-sized Pak choi
• One tablespoon of soy sauce (dark or light, dark is more salty)
• One nubbin of fresh ginger
• One fresh chilli.
• Two or three cloves of garlic, depending on personal taste~
• For even MORE protein, add a cup of cooked mung beans!
• Egg noodles, or Udon Noodles, cooked. (or any type! Ramen, rice.. etc..)
• One cup of mushrooms. (shiitake preferably)
• Peanut or Rapeseed oil for frying.
• One teaspoon of "Chinese five-spice" powder.
• Four spring onions.

If you have time, marinade the mock pork in a mixture of a little soy sauce and sprinkling of Chinese five-spice for an hour beforehand~


Directions:

-Heat oil in a wok or frying pan to a high heat.

Add the mock pork to the wok and stir-fry for about 30 seconds.

If you haven't marinated, add the Chinese five-spice now, and stir fry for a further 2 minutes.

-Add the vegetables that need extra cooking time, like garlic, ginger, chilli, broccoli. Let them flavour the mock pork.

-Add the peppers, onions, mushrooms. Stir-fry for a further 3 minutes, still on a high heat!!

-Add a splash of soy sauce to the mixture and stir evenly!

In the final minute of frying, add the perishable vegetable like pak choi and beansprouts, cooked mung beans or spring onions.

-Serve on a  bed of cooked noodles, drizzled with soy sauce.

Enjoy! 

HP recovered: 800! This is very healthy and filling. The only drawback is salty soy sauce. Use less if you want to~ Extra Noodles add more bulk. 

Feel free to add: Asparagus, water chestnuts, sweetcorn, french beans, broad beans, baby-corn.

~^_^~

Chinese-style Mushroom and Vegetable Soup~

This is probably my most used soup recipe, I think I make it about once a week. It's earthy, sweet and slightly spicy. Nom. I don't include measurements because it can be made to people's tastes. For example, if you want more sweetness, use more peppers, more earthiness, use more mushrooms. Feel free to add anything you feel would work, or to leave out anything you don't like. ^_^


Ingredients:

• Any type of mushrooms, like shiitake, shimeji, portobello, crimini, porcini, wood ear, chestnut, etc. (+earthy)
• Onions, red or white (+savoury)
• Sweet Peppers of any kind. Bell, ramiro.. (+sweet)
• Chili peppers, deseeded (+spicy)
• Sugar (+sweet)
• Sesame oil (+savoury/sweet)
• Dark or light soy sauce (+salty)
• Vegetable stock (+savoury)
• Pak choi
• Tofu, firm.
• Garlic, peeled (+spicy/savoury)
• Carrot (+sweet)
• Squash or pumpkin (+sweet)
• Paprika (+sweet/spicy)
• Beansprouts
• Ramen or rice noodles (cooked and cooled)
• Peanut oil, or rapeseed oil for frying
• Egg, beaten. One egg per three servings)

Direction~

-Wash and dice all vegetables into quite small pieces or thin slices.

-Heat oil to a high temperature in a deep pot.

-First, fry the vegetables that need a bit more time than others to cook, like squash/pumpkin, carrot, garlic.

When those are suitably fried and tender (after about 5 minutes), add other vegetables, like onions, peppers, mushrooms, tofu, chillies. Continue to stir-fry for another 5 minutes.

-After that, add the tender vegetables like pak choi and beansprouts, and fry for 2 minutes.

-Add  a couple of pinches of paprika and stir in. Continue to fry until you think the vegetables are just about nearly cooked. Stick a fork in the carrot/squash to see how tender they are~ ^^

-Add enough vegetable stock to cover the ingredients, and then a little more so that they're slightly swimming~

Bring to the boil.

-When bubbling vigorously, immediately take off the heat, and slowly add the beaten egg to the pot while stirring in a circle, so that the egg instantly cooks and forms ribbons throughout the soup.

Pour into bowls already containing the cooled noodles, and enjoy! <3

HP Recovered: 900! Very vitamin-rich and substantial. Noodles add extra bulk to the meal.