Pork Lo Mein
If you picked and froze a lot of snow peas and bell peppers last summer, here is a great way to take advantage of the bounty in your freezer while counting down the days until summer.
This is one of those dishes that tastes great when you make it and even better the next day. The flavor continues to meld and deepen when refrigerated for a few hours or overnight, so this is a great dish to make ahead or plan for leftovers.
Pork Lo Mein
Notes
Crushed red pepper flakes may be omitted or adjusted up or down depending on your tolerance for heat.
I buy pork tenderloin in bulk when it’s on sale and prep a bunch of it in advance for this recipe. You can double/triple/quadruple the marinade ingredients and prepare several freezer bags at a time for easy weeknight dinners. If you go this route, squeeze out any excess air from the freezer bag, then let the meat marinate for up to 24 hours in the fridge before transferring to the freezer.
Substitutions such as chicken/vegetable stock or broth will work here and I’ve even forgotten to add broth and this recipe has turned out OK, but I’ve found that beef stock yields the best flavor.
Ingredients
Lo Mein
- Marinated pork tenderloin
- 1 pound spaghetti or lo mein noodles
- 3 tablespoons sesame oil
- 1 cup bell peppers, fresh or frozen, cut into ½ inch pieces
- 2 cups sugar snap/snow peas, fresh or frozen
- ¼ cup good quality beef stock
- ¼ cup reduced sodium soy sauce
Pork Marinade
- 1 pound pork tenderloin
- ¼ cup reduced sodium soy sauce
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
- ¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
Instructions
Marinate the Pork
- Cut pork tenderloin into bite-sized pieces. Toss with ¼ cup soy sauce, garlic, ginger, and red pepper flakes in a freezer bag until meat is thoroughly coated. Marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
Prepare the Lo Mein
- Put a pot of salted water on to boil and cook noodles according to package instructions
- While noodles are cooking, heat 1 tablespoon of sesame oil in a wok or deep skillet over medium heat
- Stir-fry the pork and its marinade until meat is no longer pink, about 5 minutes. Add bell peppers and peas and continue to cook until vegetables are crisp-tender
- By this time, the noodles should be done. Drain the water and add the noodles to the wok. Cover with beef stock and 1/4 cup soy sauce. Use tongs to toss noodles with vegetables and meat to ensure noodles are evenly coated
- Allow flavors to blend over low heat for another 1-2 minutes, then remove from heat and toss with remaining 2 tablespoons sesame oil. Serve immediately or refrigerate and reheat just before serving. To reheat, for best results add a bit more oil to the wok to avoid sticking and stir fry briefly until warm. Additionally, you can microwave it, or eat it cold straight out of the fridge!
