
"Air Force One" - Mu Shu Pork

Miranda Chase #16
EXCERPT:
Mui must have seen Mei-Li’s schedule and anticipated her mood. She was already in the kitchen cooking Mu Shu Pork—Mei-Li’s favorite. She wrapped her arms around Mui’s waist from behind and rested her chin on Mui’s shoulder to watch her cook.
“Remember the proverb.”
She sighed and, stepping away, boosted herself up to sit on an unused section of counter. “Before setting out on revenge, dig two graves.”
Mui nodded without turning. She tossed the thin-sliced pork in the soy-hoisin-rice wine marinade and began chopping vegetables. She made it look like artwork. Mei-Li’s efforts tended to look like someone had run a lawnmower through the produce. “Well?”
“We win by helping America advance until China becomes irrelevant. And we are best served by doing our part of keeping America in the lead until those bastards all wither under corruption, demographic collapse, climate change, and everything else that could possibly curse their shriveled souls.”
Mui poured the whisked eggs into the hot wok that responded with a sharp sizzle and snap. She ignored Mei-Li’s sing-song delivery. “Precisely.”
Besides… “We are young.”
“We are,” Mui slid the slab of scrambled egg onto the cutting board, tossed in the meat, then made quick work of slicing the eggs into long strips. “The old men of the Central Military Commission are all decades older than us. They will be dead for many years before we are their ages.”
That cheered her up as well. “And we’re beautiful. They aren’t.” Despite her mood, Mei-Li couldn’t help herself and giggled.
Mui added the vegetables as she nodded.
Mei-Li hopped down from the counter to re-warm the Mandarin pancakes briefly in the bamboo steamer. As always, Mui had broken her dark mood.
She opened her mouth to tell Mui how much she loved her, but Mui beat her too it by simply saying, “I know.”
Mei-Li laughed properly this time as she checked the pancakes.
NOTE: If you aren’t near a Chinese grocery, Mandarin pancakes can be hard to find. They take some work to make (though that’s the best once you get the hang of it).You may substitute a butter lettuce cup or, in a pinch, a plain Mexican flour tortilla brushed lightly with sesame oil and fried for about 20 seconds per side. Or serve on a bed of sticky white rice seasoned with extra hoisin, soy, and especially a splash of sesame oil.
Active time: 30 minutes (1 hour including homemade Mandarin pancakes) / Cook time: 8 minutes (15 with pancakes) / Total time: 1 hour / Serves: 4
Mu Shu Marinade (combine for 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally)
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Mu Shu – other ingredients (combine all except eggs and scallions)
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Seasoning mix, combined and set aside
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Mandarin Pancakes
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Making Mu Shu
- (NerdGuy Tip: freeze the meat, not hard frozen, for 30-40 minutes before slicing.) Prepare sauces while the meat is chilling. Also a good time for making the pancake dough.
- After everything is prepared and meat has marinated for 20+ minutes, heat wok or heavy-bottomed pan over med-high heat. (Make the pancakes first per below then be ready to just keep cooking.) Add 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil. Add beaten eggs and scramble. They should puff up and form a slab. Remove to cutting board and slice into 1/2” x 1” pieces.
- Add 1 Tbsp. vegetable oil if needed. Continue over med-high heat. Add the pork or chicken with the marinade. Stir-fry until just done (2-4 minutes). Remove to the serving bowl. Can add a splash of water to loosen any cooked-on marinade.
- Add the combined vegetables. Stir-fry for 2-3 minutes. Add oil if needed.
- Add scallions, eggs, meat, and Seasoning mix. Stir-fry for 1 minute to heat and combine. Move to serving bowl.
- To serve, spread 1-2 tsp. of hoisin sauce on the inside of the pancake. Add Mu Shu mixture, do not overfill. Can add a few drops of hot chili oil to taste. Eat as a wrap.
Making Mandarin Pancakes
- Slowly add the boiling water to the flour and mix with a fork. Then slowly add cold water until dough just comes together. Knead for 3 minutes until soft and pliable. Dough should be a little dry rather than sticky.
- Cover and rest for 10 minutes. Knead for 3-5 minutes. Rest covered 10 minutes.
- Roll into a cylinder 1-1/2” thick. Pat the ends to square up. Cut into 8 equal pieces.
- Stand a cylinder on end and flatten with palm moistened with sesame oil. Repeat. Make sure oil transfers to each side. Stack in pairs and press lightly together. Roll out each pair to 7-8”.
- Heat a heavy-bottomed skillet on medium-high, lightly oiled as necessary. Cook 30-45 seconds per side. They should puff slightly and turn light brown (but no dark spots or they won’t separate well).
- Move onto worksurface, start the next pair of pancakes, then peel the finished pair apart as soon as cool enough to handle, should still be warm (separates easily).
- Wrap whole stack in foil for later use (reheat as a package in a bamboo steamer). You can also microwave lightly (15-20 seconds) in sets of 4 between damp paper towels immediately before service. Keep covered once cooked.
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Pancakes should peel apart easily. | Have everything ready to go before starting to cook. |
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Use one pancake, cooked side down. Place a 1-2 teaspoon smear of hoisin sauce down the middle. Top with Mu Shu. Fold in one end and both sides to eat handheld like a burrito. Keep it over a plate as it may drip the lovely thick sauce. |