Hi folks, and welcome back to Chef G's Cooking Channel. I am your host and master of satirical celebrity chef-ery, Chef G. Today I'll be whipping up a traditional Chinese dish with some solid influences from the fine mid-western state of Iowa. I am sure you'll enjoy the results.
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I like Chinese food. I like the steamed rice, the various stir fries, the sauces, and the interesting ways of preparing meats and vegetables. But it wasn't always so.
My introduction to Chinese food occurred back when I was a kid, and it wasn't pretty. My mom would open up a can of Chun King Chop Suey or Chun King Chow Mein and serve it as an exotic ethnic meal. The noodles were mushy, the vegetables were tasteless, and the sauce looked like the runny snot that drips out of the nose of a sick child.
[By the way, the Chun King brand was created by an Italian guy. And most Chinese people have never even heard of anything called "chop suey."]
My mom's efforts were enough to make me never want to eat Chinese food again. Yet, I DID try Chinese food again--authentic Chinese food this time--and, to borrow a popular Chinese phrase, IT WAS DA BOMB! After that, I gobbled down all kinds of Chinese delights over the years, but I always stayed away from something on the menu called "Lo Mein." The name reminded me too much of that godawful Chun King Chow Mein.
About five years ago, after passing up the Lo Mein for a very long time, I finally overcame my fear. Guess what? It instantly became my favorite Chinese dish. I ordered it a few more times, mainly at a little place called "First Garden" located in a small Iowa town where my dad lives. The owners are Chinese immigrants and, as far as I can tell, the husband and wife are the only employees. I analyzed the chef's Lo Mein and developed my own recipe based on First Garden's fresh ingredients and extraordinary tastiness. Now I'll share it with you.
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First and foremost, Lo Mein is a noodle dish. Like Italian chefs, Chinese chefs are masters of noodle-ology. I'm not . . . not YET anyway. I will be someday.
It doesn't really matter though, because even if I were a magician of noodle-ism I still wouldn't make Chinese noodles for this dish. In order to remain true to the authentic Iowan/Chinese promise I made in the title, I need to incorporate Iowa-related products whenever possible.
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| I happen to know Barilla has a big plant along Interstate-35 in Ames, IA. I've passed it many times. Don't try to use the Creamette's brand of |
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| Here are the rest of the ingredients: Olive oil, your favorite stir-fry sauce, soy sauce, sliced cabbage, minced garlic, red pepper flakes, and chopped celery, carrot, onion, broccoli, and Iowa pork. The quantities are not important. Mix and match according to your own tastes. |
If you've ever looked at a Chinese take-out menu, you know that Lo Mein can be made with pork, beef, chicken, shrimp, or all-vegetarian. But the authentic Chinese-Iowan version is ONLY made with pork. Iowa is by far the biggest pig state in the world. Substitute another meat and you'll be ridiculed for making "just another plain old non-Iowan Lo Mein."
So the next thing you'll want to do is heat up about 1/4-cup of the olive oil in a wok. When it's super hot, add the Iowa pork and stir for a couple of minutes. Then add the vegetables. Stir for a couple more minutes and add a little more olive oil.
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| Add the cooked Iowa noodles and stir into the mixture until they are nicely coated with oil. |
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| Add the stir fry sauce and stir some more. |
You will not believe how easy it is to make this wonderful dish. The final step is to see how great the finished product tastes. I enlisted my best buddy to be an impartial judge.
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