The surprising American roots of a classic Chinese-style stir-fry dish
In short: J. Kenji López-Alt demonstrates a quick home-style version of Moo Shu Pork. This video explores the dish's evolution from a traditional Chinese stir-fry into the specific Chinese-American iteration served with pancakes and hoisin sauce that became popular in the late 1950s.
While the original Chinese preparation is a straightforward stir-fry, the version familiar to many in the United States traces its origins to 1958 at Joyce Chen's restaurant in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The defining characteristics of this Americanized style are the inclusion of thin Mandarin pancakes and savory hoisin sauce.
Variations of the dish are common, with some chain restaurants substituting traditional ingredients like woodear and day lily for more accessible vegetables such as carrots or cabbage. For home cooks, López-Alt suggests that fresh mushrooms make an excellent addition or even a complete replacement for the pork, and that thin flour tortillas serve as a convenient alternative to traditional pancakes.
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Sources
- Summary by Intellect · source: Moo shu Pork is Quick! | Kenji's (quick) Cooking Show
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