Hoisin Pork with Green Beans, Mushrooms and Rice Noodles

Sometime in the 1990′s Bon Appetit magazine published a recipe for Hoisin-Braised Pork with Mushrooms and Green Beans on Noodles. My mom happened to take note of this recipe, cooked it for the family and the rest is history. My family (especially my brother and I) LOVED this dish. Whenever we asked “Mom, what’s for dinner?” and the reply was “Hoisin pork” we jumped for joy. Ok, maybe we didn’t jump, but we did get pretty excited. This stuff is TASTY.

For the time period, and living in Concord, NH, this was a pretty exotic dish. Just what the heck is hoisin anyway, and Chinese Five Spice – huh? All we knew was it was a heck of a lot better than take out Chinese.

For whatever reason, this is only the second time I’ve cooked it in my own kitchen. Perhaps I get distracted by new recipe ideas? Forget how darn tasty those saucy mushrooms are? Whatever the reason is, it has now made its way into my arsenal of go-to recipes.

So, thanks to Mom for always letting me snack on the raw green beans in the colander, allowing me to stir the pork (I had an obsession with stirring as a kid – still do), and for turning a blind eye as I pilfered all the mushrooms.

Hoisin Pork with Green Beans, Mushrooms and Rice Noodles
* serves four
** based on this recipe
*** I had leftover braised pork in the fridge, so I used that in lieu of of cubed pork shoulder. Use whichever you have. This would also be really good with seitan for a vegan twist.

Ingredients
1½ pounds well-trimmed boneless pork shoulder cut into 1-inch cubes
2 teaspoons Chinese five-spice powder
Salt and pepper, to taste
3 tablespoons all purpose flour
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 cup canned low-salt chicken broth (I used veggie)
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce (I used 4-5 because I’m obsessed)
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 ¼-inch-thick rounds of peeled fresh ginger (finely minced)
8 ounces trimmed green beans, cut on diagonal into 1½-inch lengths
1 9-ounce package rice noodles

If you’re using pre-cooked pork skip to step 3.

1.) Combine pork and five-spice powder in a medium bowl and mix well. Sprinkle pork with pepper and lightly with salt. Add flour and toss to coat.

2.) Heat vegetable oil in a heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add half of pork and sauté until brown, about 4 minutes; transfer to bowl. Add remaining pork and sauté until brown, about 4 minutes.

3.) Return pork and any juices from bowl to pot. Add mushrooms, broth, hoisin, soy sauce and ginger and bring to a boil, scraping up browned bits. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until pork is just tender, stirring occasionally, about 50 minutes (less time if using pre-cooked pork – maybe 15 minutes).  Add green beans. Cover and simmer for 5 minutes.

4.) Meanwhile, cook rice noodles in a medium pot of boiling salted water until cooked (follow package instructions). Drain well.

5.) Place noodles on a plate and top with pork mixture.