Moo Shu Pork

Here’s a stir fry jam packed with flavors. Tender, thin pork tenderloin strips along with colorful cabbage and mushrooms, and my favorite egg element, omelette strips, in a sweet and savory sauce.

Moo Shu Pork has great stir fry flavors that will be loved by all. The best part? All this in under 30 minutes. And you can serve this Asian restaurant favorite on any busy weeknight.

Wrap the Moo Shu Pork in their famous thin Asian pancakes, top it over a bowl of rice, or enjoy with some noodles. Moo Shu Pork, as it sounds, sure is one fun meal…

We have been Moo Shu fans for a while now, ever since we cooked Moo Shu Chicken in our kitchen. The bold sweet and savory notes it gets from Hoisin sauce is what we come back for again and again.

Moo Shu Pork happens when you’re looking for some protein other than regular chicken. This stir fry works just as beautifully with pork tenderloin, when you cut the meat into thin strips against the grain.

You Will Love Moo Shu Pork, Cos…

• It’s a perfect meal when those Asian cravings hit hard, and you need to whip up something quick, like 30 minutes QUICK.
• This stir fry is loaded with vegetables, so it’s perfect to feed some veggie power to your kids.
• It’s protein rich with pork and eggs. 
• Moo shu is customizable, as we can see other veggies going great in this stir fry. It’s also very common to swap pork for chicken, and it becomes Moo Shu Chicken.

What is Moo Shu Pork

Moo Shu is a stir fry, mostly common in the northern region of China, made with chicken or pork, vegetables and eggs in a sweet and savory sauce. Some versions have cucumbers, wood ear mushrooms or bamboo shoots. 

The predominant flavor in the stir fry sauce is the umami bomb of Hoisin sauce, along with a few other Chinese sauce staples. 

In most American Chinese restaurants, it is often served wrapped in soft, paper thin Mandarin pancakes, kind like burritos. It is also very commonly served over a bed of steamed white rice, as with other stir fry meals. 

Recipe Tips

1. You can use coleslaw mix instead of the shredded cabbage we used in the recipe. This will save on some chopping time. Go for multi-colored slaw mix for more colors in your stir fry.
2. If you don’t get your hands on shiitake mushrooms (a type of Asian mushroom), use button, portobello or cremini mushrooms. 
3. If you’re thinking to go the wrap route for this stir fry, you can buy paper thin pancakes in Asian grocery stores. Many people use regular flour tortillas, which work great too.
4. We like to use pork tenderloin for this dish. Saying that, you can use pork loin, boneless pork chops or thinly sliced pork shoulder.

Ingredients for Moo Shu Pork

• For marinade – Hoisin sauce, oyster sauce, honey, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic cloves (finely chopped), ginger (finely chopped), black pepper.
• Pork Tenderloin – Cut into thin strips.
• Veggies – Cabbage (we used half green, half purple), carrot, shiitake mushrooms, scallions ( green part only).
• Large eggs
• Oil

How to Make Moo Shu Pork

1. Make a marinade: Combine all the marinade ingredients in a bowl and whisk it well. Use half of the marinade to marinate the pork, the rest will be used as a cooking sauce. Marinate the pork for a few hours in the refrigerator, or while you prep the rest of the ingredients. 

2. Make omelette strips: Whisk the eggs in a bowl with a little salt. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium high heat, and make a large thin omelette. When it’s ready, plate it out and cut it into thin strips.

3. Stir fry pork: In the same pan, heat 2 Tbsp oil and sauté the pork strips over high heat. Spread them so they don’t overcrowd the pan, and cook for 8-10 minutes until cooked through. Remove the cooked pork to a plate.

4. Stir fry veggies: In the same pan, use a little more oil if necessary and sauté cabbage, carrots, and shiitake mushrooms for 2-3 minutes. Add the rest of the reserved marinade to the mix and combine well. Cook for another minute or two, until the veggies get a little softer.

5. Finish the stir fry: Stir in the cooked pork and omelette strips, and toss until combined. Taste, and season with extra salt and pepper (and/or hoisin or soy sauce), as needed. Sprinkle the green parts of the scallions and serve immediately with flour tortillas or rice. You can garnish it with an extra drizzling of warm hoisin sauce, along with sesame seeds.

How to Serve Moo Shu Pork

You can serve this stir fry in many different ways. Authentic moo shu pork is served with steamed white rice.

In Chinese-American restaurants in the States, however, it is served in paper-thin Mandarin pancakes. Instead of making home made Mandarin wraps from scratch, here are a few easy options:

1. Moo Shu Wrappers: These pancakes are soft, chewy, and very similar to those used with Peking duck. You can find them in the frozen section of Asian markets, labeled “moo shu wrappers” or “duck wrappers.” These are already cooked and only need reheating.

To wrap, spread a thin layer of hoisin sauce over the pancake. Fill it with moo shu pork and wrap it like a burrito or taco. 

2. Crepes: You can make thin crepes yourself, or buy pre-made crepes in the grocery store. 

3. Lettuce Wraps: Going the low carb route? Try moo shu pork in lettuce wraps. 

4. Flour Tortillas: If you can’t find Mandarin pancakes or crepes, flour tortillas work great here. Of course, the texture would be different than Asian pancakes, but they are an excellent substitute.

My personal favorite is on a bed of rice, as I like anything and everything Asian over some freshly steamed basmati or jasmine rice.

Storage and Leftovers

Moo shu pork is a great meal prep contender, as leftovers are great for five days refrigerated in air tight container. Make a large batch, you can double the recipe. Divide it into portions. Simply reheat it before digging in.

To reheat the stir fry, microwave it or heat it in a pan on the stove top for a few minutes, until heated throughout.

If you like bold flavors in your stir fry, Moo Shu Pork is just perfect for you. Give this unique stir fry recipe a try, you will love it any way you serve it.

An easy Asian recipe with quick cooking time in your kitchen… Go the Moo Shu way tonight!!

Moo Shu Pork, on our Gypsy Plate… enjoy!

Try these other great stir fry recipes!
Ground Turkey Stir Fry
Mongolian Beef
Orange Chicken
Thai Basil Chicken
Bo Luc Lac
Pork Stir Fry
Beijing Beef
Kung Pao Chicken

Moo Shu Pork

Yield: 4-6 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

This easy Moo Shu Pork recipe is a quick weeknight dinner with tons of great Asian flavors and plenty of veggie power!

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Ingredients

Marinade

• 1/2 cup hoisin sauce
• 2 Tbsp oyster sauce
• 1 Tbsp honey
• 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp sesame oil
• 6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 Tbsp ginger, finely chopped
• black pepper to taste

Moo Shu

• 1 lb boneless pork loin or tenderloin, cut into thin strips
• 14oz cabbage (we used half of green and red ), cut into thin strips
• 1 small carrot, cut into julienne
• 8oz shiitake mushrooms, thinly-sliced
• 4 scallions, green part only, cut into strips
• 2 large eggs
• 3-4 Tbsp oil

Serving

• Flour tortillas, rice or lettuce wraps
• Sesame seeds, for garnish

Instructions

1. Combine all the marinade ingredients in a bowl and whisk well. Use half of the marinade to marinate the pork (the rest will be used as a cooking sauce). Marinate the pork for a few hours in the refrigerator if time allows, or while you prep the rest of the ingredients.
2. Whisk the eggs in a bowl with a little salt. Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium high heat, and make a large thin omelette. When it’s ready, plate it out and cut it into thin strips.
3. In the same pan, heat 2 Tbsp oil and sauté the pork strips over high heat. Spread them so they don’t overcrowd the pan, and cook for 8-10 minutes until cooked through. Removeto a plate.
4. In the same pan, use a little more oil if necessary and sauté cabbage, carrots, and shiitake mushrooms for 2-3 minutes. Add the rest of the reserved marinade to the mix and combine well. Cook for another minute or two, until the veggies get a little softer.
5. Stir in the cooked pork and omelette strips, and toss until combined. Taste, and season with extra salt and pepper (and/or hoisin or soy sauce), as needed. Sprinkle the green parts of the scallions and serve immediately with flour tortillas or rice. You can garnish it with an extra drizzling of warm hoisin sauce, along with sesame seeds.

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Welcome to GypsyPlate! I'm Alpana, former wordwide tour manager and professional caterer, now full time blogger. I love exploring cuisines from around the world, and my recipes have been featured on sites such as MSN, Parade, Brit + Co, CNET and AOL. You can explore my entire collection of sortable recipes in my Recipe Index or learn more about me here.