Shanghai Stir-Fried Pork and Cabbage

This was a great, fast meal that I came across on Sunny Side Up in San Diego, originally from Food and Wine Magazine. The ingredient list is simple and uncomplicated and that allows the flavors of the food really shine through. And, it's inexpensive as well!

Time saving tips: the recipe calls for a boneless pork loin that you slice yourself but I skipped ahead and used boneless pork loin chops instead and thinly sliced those. Also, I found jarred shitake mushrooms in the ethnic aisle of my store so I used those instead of dried and it worked perfectly.

(and can I just say how much I LOVE stir-fried cabbage? I can only eat a tiny bit of it thanks to the Crohns disease but I savor each and every bite)

Shanghai Stir-Fried Pork and Cabbage
3/4 pound boneless pork loin, trimmed of fat (see tip above)
8 dried shitake mushrooms (see tip above)
2 tsp corn starch
1 1/2 Tbsp rice vinegar
1 Tbsp soy sauce
1/4 tsp ground white pepper
1/4 tsp sugar
1/4 cup peanut oil
Kosher salt
1 pound Napa cabbage, halved lengthwise, cored, and cut into thin strips
Cooked rice and Red Chile Sauce for serving

Place the pork loin in the freezer for 15 minutes to make cutting easier.

While the pork is in the freezer, reconstitute the shitake mushrooms by covering with boiling water and letting stand for 5 minutes. Remove the mushrooms from the water and press out the water. Remove stems and cut mushroom caps into strips. Set aside on a paper towel.

In a small bowl whisk together the corn starch, rice vinegar, soy sauce, 1 tablespoon oil, pepper and sugar. Remove the pork from the freezer and cut into 1/4" slices. Stack the slices on top of each other and cut into 1/4" strips. Place the strips of pork in the sauce and stir to evenly coat.

Heat 2 tablespoons of peanut oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat until the oil just starts to smoke. Using tongs, carefully add the pork strips to the hot oil. Cook for 30 seconds to 1 minute, until the pork is no longer pink and the edges just start to turn golden brown, using tongs to stir the pork to evenly cook . Remove the pork from the wok and set aside on a paper towel.

Add another tablespoon of oil and a pinch of kosher salt to the wok and allow to heat for about a minute. To the wok, add the shitake mushrooms and half of the cabbage. Stir-fry over high heat until the cabbage has wilted. Return the pork to the pan and add the other half of the cabbage. Cook just until the cabbage is tender, but not completely wilted.

Serve with rice and red chile sauce.