Pork Lo Mein

So what to do with all that super tender pork butt you made the other night?  This time around I decided to go in an Asian direction.  With no Chinese restaurants in my town, I often get that craving for some MSG (oops! I mean umami).  Pork Lo mein to the rescue!  This is a great recipe to use with chicken, beef or tofu as well.  So get your woks out and let's begin!

• 2 cups leftover pork butt (or leftover roast chicken, or tofu, or beef)
• 2 cups bok choy, sliced
• 1 onion, sliced
• 2/3 cup carrots, sliced
• 6oz sliced mushrooms
• 8oz sliced water chestnuts
• low sodium soy sauce
• chili garlic sauce
• corn starch
• sesame oil
• 1 tsp splenda
• dry sherry (use rice wine (not rw vinegar) if you have it)
• garlic clove, minced
• half a box whole wheat spaghetti, cooked al dente

Lo mein recipes generally call for oyster sauce which I did not have, so I searched the internet for a substitute.  A lot of people actually look for vegetarian "oyster" sauces, which incorporates mushrooms and soy sauce, so I used that concept as inspiration.  I pulsed a couple ounces of sliced mushrooms with 1 tsp splenda and a couple tbsp low sodium soy sauce until it had the consistency of a very thin milkshake.

Before I started the stir-fry, I assembled my sauce:

• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 3 tbsp mock oyster sauce
• 1/2 tsp sesame oil
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp chili garlic sauce
• minced garlic
• 1 tsp dry sherry
• 1 tbsp cornstarch

1. Pre-heat your wok over medium to medium high heat.  Wait until it's hot, and then add a light coating of olive oil.
2. Stir-fry the vegetables starting with the carrots and onions first. Sautee 3 minutes.
3. Add in the mushrooms, cook for 3 minutes
4. Add the bok choy, the water chestnuts and the pork and cook for 4 minutes.
5. Add your sauce, continue cooking for a couple more minutes and then add your cooked pasta.
6. Serve!  I like to have soy sauce and the chili garlic on the table so everyone can add their own finishing touch!