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1 hr 20 min

Pork Stir-Fry with Noodles (Lo Mein)

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Pork Stir-Fry with Noodles (Lo Mein)
Author: America's Test Kitchen

Recipe By America's Test Kitchen

Published on October 6, 2025

This recipe approximates char siu with quick-marinated pork, which lends a sweet and smoky flavor to this noodle dish.

Time

1 hr 20 min

Yield

Serves 4

Why This Recipe Works

For a lo mein recipe with chewy noodles tossed in a salty-sweet sauce and accented with bits of smoky pork and still-crisp cabbage, we seared strips of meat from country-style pork ribs over high heat, adding liquid smoke for barbecue flavor. We used our meat marinade as a sauce base, with a little chicken broth and a teaspoon of cornstarch for added body.

Ingredients

1 pound boneless country-style pork ribs, trimmed
3 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
¼ teaspoon liquid smoke
¼ teaspoon five-spice powder
½ cup chicken broth
1 tablespoon chili-garlic sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
5 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided
¼ cup Shaoxing wine or dry sherry, divided
8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and halved if small or quartered if large
½ small head napa cabbage, halved, cored, and sliced crosswise into ½-inch strips (4 cups)
10 scallions, white parts sliced thin, green parts cut into 1-inch pieces
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger
12 ounces fresh lo mein noodles

Equipment

Dutch Oven

Instructions

Cook along with these step-by-step instructions

step 1 imagestep 2 imagestep 3 imagestep 4 image
  1. Transfer pork to plate and freeze until firm, about 15 minutes. Slice pork crosswise ⅛ inch thick on bias. Whisk soy sauce, oyster sauce, hoisin, sesame oil, liquid smoke, and five-spice powder together in bowl. Transfer 3 tablespoons soy sauce mixture to medium bowl, add pork and stir to break up clumps. Cover and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes or up to 1 hour.
  2. Whisk broth, chili-garlic sauce, and cornstarch into remaining soy sauce mixture; set aside.

    3. If using a nonstick skillet, add oil before heating.

  3. Heat empty 14-inch flat-bottomed wok over high heat until just beginning to smoke. Drizzle 1 teaspoons vegetable oil around perimeter of wok and heat until just smoking> Add half of pork mixture and cook, tossing slowly but constantly, until pork is lightly-browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine and cook, stirring constantly, until liquid is reduced and pork is well coated, 30 to 60 seconds. Transfer pork mixture to clean medium bowl and repeat with 1 teaspoon oil, remaining pork mixture, and remaining 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine. Wipe wok clean with damp paper towel.

    4. If using a nonstick skillet, add oil before heating.

  4. Heat now-empty wok over high heat until just beginning to smoke. Drizzle 1 teaspoon vegetable oil around perimeter of wok and heat until just smoking. Add mushrooms and cook, tossing slowly but constantly, until light golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes; transfer to bowl with pork mixture.
  5. Add 1 teaspoon vegetable oil and cabbage to now-empty wok and cook, tossing slowly but constantly, until spotty brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Push cabbage to 1 side of wok. Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil, scallions, garlic, and ginger to clearing and cook, mashing mixture into wok, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir scallion mixture into cabbage. Add pork mixture and reserved chicken broth mixture and cook, stirring frequently, until sauce is thickened, about 2 minutes.
  6. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add noodles and cook, stirring often, until almost tender (center should still be firm with slightly opaque dot). Drain noodles, transfer to wok, and cook over medium-high heat, tossing gently, until noodles are tender and evenly coated with sauce. Serve.
    Recipe Tip
    Use tongs (or a long pair of chopsticks) plus a spatula to toss everything together at the end, folding the vegetables and meat into the noodles.

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Pork Stir-Fry with Noodles (Lo Mein)

Recipe By America's Test Kitchen

Published on October 6, 2025

Time

1 hr 20 min

Yield

Serves 4

Pork Stir-Fry with Noodles (Lo Mein)

Ingredients

1 pound boneless country-style pork ribs, trimmed3 tablespoons soy sauce2 tablespoons oyster sauce2 tablespoons hoisin sauce1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil¼ teaspoon liquid smoke¼ teaspoon five-spice powder½ cup chicken broth1 tablespoon chili-garlic sauce1 teaspoon cornstarch5 teaspoons vegetable oil, divided¼ cup Shaoxing wine or dry sherry, divided8 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and halved if small or quartered if large½ small head napa cabbage, halved, cored, and sliced crosswise into ½-inch strips (4 cups)10 scallions, white parts sliced thin, green parts cut into 1-inch pieces2 garlic cloves, minced2 teaspoons grated fresh ginger12 ounces fresh lo mein noodles

Instructions

  1. Transfer pork to plate and freeze until firm, about 15 minutes. Slice pork crosswise ⅛ inch thick on bias. Whisk soy sauce, oyster sauce, hoisin, sesame oil, liquid smoke, and five-spice powder together in bowl. Transfer 3 tablespoons soy sauce mixture to medium bowl, add pork and stir to break up clumps. Cover and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes or up to 1 hour.
  2. Whisk broth, chili-garlic sauce, and cornstarch into remaining soy sauce mixture; set aside.

    3. If using a nonstick skillet, add oil before heating.

  3. Heat empty 14-inch flat-bottomed wok over high heat until just beginning to smoke. Drizzle 1 teaspoons vegetable oil around perimeter of wok and heat until just smoking> Add half of pork mixture and cook, tossing slowly but constantly, until pork is lightly-browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine and cook, stirring constantly, until liquid is reduced and pork is well coated, 30 to 60 seconds. Transfer pork mixture to clean medium bowl and repeat with 1 teaspoon oil, remaining pork mixture, and remaining 2 tablespoons Shaoxing wine. Wipe wok clean with damp paper towel.

    4. If using a nonstick skillet, add oil before heating.

  4. Heat now-empty wok over high heat until just beginning to smoke. Drizzle 1 teaspoon vegetable oil around perimeter of wok and heat until just smoking. Add mushrooms and cook, tossing slowly but constantly, until light golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes; transfer to bowl with pork mixture.
  5. Add 1 teaspoon vegetable oil and cabbage to now-empty wok and cook, tossing slowly but constantly, until spotty brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Push cabbage to 1 side of wok. Add remaining 1 teaspoon oil, scallions, garlic, and ginger to clearing and cook, mashing mixture into wok, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir scallion mixture into cabbage. Add pork mixture and reserved chicken broth mixture and cook, stirring frequently, until sauce is thickened, about 2 minutes.
  6. Meanwhile, bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add noodles and cook, stirring often, until almost tender (center should still be firm with slightly opaque dot). Drain noodles, transfer to wok, and cook over medium-high heat, tossing gently, until noodles are tender and evenly coated with sauce. Serve.
    Recipe Tip
    Use tongs (or a long pair of chopsticks) plus a spatula to toss everything together at the end, folding the vegetables and meat into the noodles.
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