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If you’re craving moo shu pork for dinner, this recipe is better than takeout and ready in 25 minutes! Make this sweet-savory Chinese stir-fry with thinly sliced pork, crisp veggies, mushrooms, and homemade moo shu sauce.
Better-Than-Takeout Moo Shu Pork
My love affair with Asian takeout started in college. That was also around the time I started making home-cooked versions of favorites like beef ramen, chicken fried rice, and pork chop suey. This moo shu pork recipe is another dish I make often, which is ready in one wok or skillet in 25 minutes.
I wanted my version of this Chinese stir-fry to be as approachable as possible. Instead of shredding the cabbage and carrots, I use a package of coleslaw mix. The savory homemade moo shu sauce in this recipe also doubles as the pork marinade!
What Is Moo Shu Pork?
Moo shu pork is a classic Chinese stir-fry with sliced marinated pork, cooked eggs, mushrooms, and crisp veggies. Everything gets seasoned with a rich, hoisin-based sauce.
Traditionally, moo shu pork is served rolled up inside Mandarin pancakes, a type of thin, plain flatbread. They always remind me of Macedonian 2-ingredient crêpes. Whenever I have time, I’ll make a batch of pancakes to have with our meal. Other nights, or when I’m feeling lazy, I serve our moo shu pork with flour tortillas instead! Works like a charm.
Ingredients in Moo Shu Pork
This is a look at what you’ll need to make moo shu pork, with notes and possible substitutions. You’ll find most of the ingredients below in major grocery stores or in Asian supermarkets! Scroll down to the recipe card for the full recipe amounts.
Moo Shu Sauce
- Hoisin Sauce – Hoisin sauce is a thick, fragrant Chinese condiment. It’s sweet and salty, a bit like Japanese teriyaki sauce but spicier and more complex.
- Rice Vinegar – You could also use white vinegar or white wine vinegar.
- Soy Sauce – I prefer to cook with low-sodium soy sauce so the sauce doesn’t turn out overly salty.
- Oyster Sauce – Another Asian condiment that’s rich in umami flavor. I love having oyster sauce on hand to use in recipes like Beijing beef and Mandarin chicken. If you can’t find oyster sauce for this moo shu recipe, simply replace it 1:1 with additional hoisin sauce.
- Ginger and Garlic – I recommend fresh ginger and garlic if you have it. Grate the ginger using a microplane and mince the garlic finely. If needed, you can substitute 1 teaspoon of fresh ginger with ¼ teaspoon of powdered ginger.
- Sesame Oil – I use toasted sesame oil for the extra depth of flavor. It’s hard to substitute the flavor of sesame oil in recipes, especially in Asian cooking. I’ve heard of cooks using tahini or even peanut butter in a pinch, though I haven’t tried it myself.
For the Pork
- Boneless Pork – Boneless pork chops are affordable, always available in grocery stores, and easy to slice into thin strips for frying, so that’s what I use.
- Oil – This can be any neutral oil you like to cook with.
- Eggs – Whisked together as though you’re going to make scrambled eggs. Instead of scrambling, though, you’re going to cook the eggs into a flat omelette, which you’ll chop up to add to the pork.
- Coleslaw Mix – I buy the one with mixed shredded cabbage and carrots.
- Mushrooms – Shiitakes
- Spring Onions – Thinly sliced, or you can use shallots.
What’s the Best Cut of Pork for Moo Shu?
The best cuts for Chinese moo shu pork include boneless pork loin, boneless pork chops, tenderloin, or pork shoulder. And if you’d prefer an alternative to pork, try my moo shu chicken recipe instead.
What to Eat With Moo Shu Pork
Instead of traditional Mandarin pancakes, I served my moo shu pork with soft flour tortillas we had leftover from our pork carnitas tacos. Garnish with extra spring onions and toasted sesame seeds, and pair your pork stir-fry with any of these easy dishes:
- Rice and noodles: Serve with Instant Pot jasmine rice, shrimp fried rice, ramen noodles, or chicken chow mein.
- Soups and starters: I love these crispy veggie spring rolls or shrimp shumai, and sizzling rice soup.
- More mains: Make it a takeout-fakeout feast with spicy Szechuan chicken or kung pao beef.
Pro Tips for Making This Recipe
- Slice against the grain to avoid tough, chewy strips of pork.
- For a thicker sauce, whisk 1 teaspoon of cornstarch into the marinade.
- Drain the coleslaw mix. This is a quick extra step that takes just 2-3 minutes, and it prevents the coleslaw from releasing water into the pork. Season the slaw with salt, and let it rest. Then, lightly press the coleslaw between paper towels to drain.
- Use leftover pork. Occasionally, I’ll make this recipe with leftover Instant Pot pork loin. I’ll slice it, skip the searing step, and then toss the pork strips in with the hoisin marinade at the end.
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Moo Shu Pork
Ingredients
For the marinade:
- ⅓ cup hoisin sauce
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon oyster sauce
- 1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon toasted sesame seed oil
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
For the Moo Shu:
- 1 pound boneless pork chops, thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons cooking oil
- 2 large eggs, whisked
- 14 ounces coleslaw mix
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 2 spring onions, thinly sliced
For serving:
- 4 to 6 flour tortillas, for serving
- extra sliced spring onions, for garnish
- toasted sesame seeds, for garnish
Instructions
- Make the marinade/sauce. Combine all the marinade ingredients in a bowl. Divide the sauce in half; set one portion aside for later.
- Marinate the pork. Cut the pork into thin strips. Add the pork to half the marinade and let it marinate for 10 minutes.
- Cook the eggs. Heat 2 teaspoons of cooking oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the whisked eggs and cook; do not stir them too much. Let them set into a thin omelet rather than scrambling. Remove the cooked eggs from the skillet and chop them up.
- Cook the pork. In the same skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of cooking oil. Gently lift the pork strips from the marinade and add them to the heated oil. Cook the pork until tender, about 3-5 minutes. Transfer the cooked pork onto a separate plate.
- Cook the coleslaw and mushrooms. Heat the remaining oil in the same skillet. While the oil is heating, season the coleslaw with salt. Let it sit for 3 minutes, then lightly squeeze out excess moisture with your hands. Add the coleslaw, mushrooms, and spring onions to the skillet and cook for 2-3 minutes.
- Assemble the Moo shu pork. Add the pork back into the skillet; stir in the reserved marinade, cooked eggs, and some extra spring onions. Cook for 2 minutes. Give it all a good stir.
- Serve. Serve with warmed tortillas and sesame seeds on top.
Notes
- It is important to season the coleslaw with salt and remove excess water. This way, the coleslaw will not release moisture into the pork.
- If you do not have fresh ginger, you can use powdered.
- If you want your sauce to be thicker, add 1 teaspoon of cornstarch.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
How to Make Moo Shu Pork
Here are the steps to make this delicious moo shu pork stir-fry in under 30 minutes.
- First, prep the marinade. Mix the marinade ingredients, and set one-half of the sauce aside. To the other half of the marinade, add your pork strips. Leave that to marinate for 10 minutes.
- Cook the eggs. Next, heat oil in a pan and cook the eggs in a single layer until they’re done. Try not to move them around too much while they cook. Afterward, chop the eggs and set them aside.
- Fry the pork. In the same skillet, you’ll cook the marinated pork strips with a bit of oil until cooked through, about 3-5 minutes. Then, move the cooked pork to a plate.
- Cook the veggies. Before I cook the coleslaw mix, I toss it with salt and let it sit for 2-3 minutes to draw out excess moisture. Afterward, squeeze out the coleslaw with paper towels, and add it to the skillet with the mushrooms and spring onions. Sauté for a few minutes so the veggies are tender.
- Put it all together. Return the pork to the skillet. Pour over the untouched marinade you’d set aside earlier. Then, add the chopped eggs and sprinkle in extra spring onions. Let that all cook through for a couple of minutes, stir, and serve!
Storing and Reheating
- Refrigerate leftovers. Store the leftover moo shu pork in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days.
- Reheat. I usually reheat my moo shu pork in a skillet on the stovetop. If I know I’ll have leftovers, I make extra marinade/sauce to refrigerate with it, so I can add it to the pan when reheating. Otherwise, just add an extra dash of hoisin sauce if you find the stir-fry has gotten a bit dry with storage.
