Hoisin Pork Shoulder Steak and Noodle Stir Fry

Hoisin Pork Shoulder Steak & Noodle Stir Fry

Hello Friends!  It has been quite a while since I have blogged a recipe.  I had to take time away from blogging and devoting quality time to cooking for a few months.  Painful as it has been to be away, I have not stopped cooking some great meals occasionally!  This meal, for example, just came to me based on what I had fresh in the frig and also in the freezer. This meal is full of flavors of Asia my way, and incorporates inexpensive ingredients and meat. Let me tell you all about it!

Pork is the least expensive cuts of meat in the supermarket these days, so utilizing good quality cuts of pork has become part of my shopping experience.  Pork cutlets, pork shoulder steaks, king cut bone-in or out chops and unseasoned ground pork are all part of my kitchen repertoire. For this recipe I used pork shoulder chops that are actually part of the pork shoulder "butt" roast.  I'd marinated it for thirty minutes before searing.  Let's get to my simple marinade. 

In-House Cook's Simple Hoisin Marinade:

3 tablespoons Hoisin sauce 

2 tablespoons Kikkoman Chile Citrus Ponzu

1 tablespoon Mirin

2 cloves garlic, grated or finely chopped

1 shallot, finely chopped or grated

   (grated gives strong, pure flavor)

1/4 cup vegetable or grape seed oil

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon pepper

2 teaspoons chile oil or toasted sesame oil

Whisk all of the ingredients together in a large bowl.

Lay foil in a large baking pan and pour one half of the marinade in the pan.  Lay out the pork steaks.  Pour the remaining marinade over the steaks. Lift the steaks to make sure they are well-coated on both sides. Let the meat marinate for at least thirty minutes. 

*Note:  If you use pork shoulder steaks, as I did, and love to use, these have bones in them. I marinate them bone-in and seldom cut the meat off the bone before searing them to maintain flavor. You can, however, use a paring knife to remove the steaks from the bone if that makes cooking easier for you. 

In-House Cook's Asian Spice Blend:

1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

1 rounded tablespoon smoked paprika

2 teaspoons Chinese 5-Spice

1 teaspoon ginger powder or fresh ginger

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin or seed

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1 teaspoon Allspice

*There are myriad spices you could use. This is my stir-fry go-to. If you do not have fresh onion nor garlic, add dried ground garlic or jarred minced garlic and dried onion powder or diced dried onion. Pantry meal recipes are not picky and the same flavors marry well with my Asian, Mexican and BBQ Spice Blends. 

Stir Fry Sauce

2 tablespoons Hoisin sauce

1-2 teaspoons Garlic Chili sauce

3 tablespoons Shoyu or Citrus Ponzu

*There are many other sauces you could add, but for my taste palette, this works for me.

If you do have fresh onion and garlic, and ginger, use whatever fresh ingredients you have on hand. I love to use fresh whenever I have it, but, being a single income teacher who is paid once per month, I have to make a buck stretch, and dried spices stretch that buck very well.  I am not proud, nor a snob about it.  😃

I did have onion and garlic and fresh Fresno chiles, and I sliced the onion into crescents, finely chopped the garlic, except for a few discs which I'd seasoned the vegetable oil with prior to searing the pork steaks, and sliced the Fresno chiles into rings. 

I preheated a large skillet with three tablespoons vegetable oil with the garlic discs over medium-high heat and removed the garlic once the oil began to ripple and set them aside. I added the steaks and seared them three solid minutes per side and removed them onto a plate to rest. They are not done cooking; you will finish them soon. I added the onion, garlic and Fresno chiles and sauteed them for about two minutes, stirring constantly. I reduced the heat to low and, using a paring knife, I sliced the meat from the bones of the pork steaks and sliced the meat into bite-sized pieces. 

I returned the skillet to high heat (not medium high this time) and added the sliced meat to the skillet along with the sauces. Mind you, you could easily use a wok for this, as would be traditional!  To the mix, I'd added a package of Ichi Ban noodles with 1/4 of a cup of water, along with some fresh cilantro I'd had on hand. I snuggled the noodles to the bottom of the skillet to allow the noodles to boil for three minutes.  I then tossed the ingredients together until the water had boiled off and the sauces thickened.  

If the sauce does not thicken, add a teaspoon of corn starch mixed in a jar or bowl with a little water and drizzle it over the mixture.  Stir it in thoroughly. 

 Plating is as simple or complex as you wish. For styling purposes, I used one of my white fancy plates, and started with noodles and topped that with the onion, Fresno chiles and pork and garnished with fresh cilantro (also known as Coriander). 

Personally, I love the crispy, burnt bits, which are full of tons of condense flavor.  That's just me. 

You could serve this easily with rice or just as is!  Whatever your family likes is best!  If it is a pantry meal, whatever you have on hand!  Spaghetti noodles serve just as well as ramen noodles!

I hope you enjoyed this recipe and I hope you try it!  Preparation is key.  If you do not have time to marinate the meat, slice the pork steak from the bone and slice into pieces, saute it on high for three minutes, adding the stir fry sauces I noted above. 

Thank You for your time, Friends, for sticking with me after all this time, and for your readership and viewership!  Please stay tuned for more!  I am grateful for YOU ALL!!!! 💓

As always, Go Cook For Someone You Love!!!

~Martin

In-House Cook