Quick Pork Mei Fun Recipe

Pork mei fun is a recipe packed with flavor, noodles, pork, and plenty of seasoning. What's not to love? If you haven't yet heard of this dish, then you need to keep reading. If you have tried it, you likely love it, and we'll walk you through exactly how to make it in the comfort of your own home. 

According to The Woks of Life, mei fun is a "basic home-style thin rice noodle dish." It's also pretty easy to make. If you cook Asian dishes rather frequently, then it's likely that you have almost all the ingredients needed on hand.

Recipe developer Ting Dalton of Cook Simply is the brains behind this delicious recipe. She shares that her favorite part of the recipe is its simplicity. "It's so simple and tasty," she raves. "Really filling and you can change it up to wherever you have in your fridge." It's also great because it's easy to make. "The most difficult part is the prep – cutting and marinating," Dalton says. 

Keep scrolling to find out how to make this delicious recipe which is sure to be a hit for whoever is lucky enough to try it. 

The first step in the process is to gather all of the ingredients needed for the recipe. As we mentioned before, if you cook Asian food frequently, you may already have several items in your pantry or fridge. You will need 1 pound of lean pork, cut into strips, and 2 cups of rice vermicelli noodles. For the vegetable, procure 1 carrot, sliced into matchsticks, 1/2 cup of Chinese cabbage, sliced, 1 handful of bean sprouts, and 2 green onions, sliced into 1-inch pieces.

You will also need, 2 eggs, 2 teaspoons of oyster sauce, 2 teaspoons of Shaoxing wine, 2 tablespoons of light soy sauce, 1 tablespoon of dark soy sauce, 1 teaspoon of cornstarch, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon of white pepper, 2 1/2 tablespoons of vegetable oil, and finally some salt and pepper to taste.

Now that you've gathered all of your ingredients, it's time to start making the sauce.

The first order of business is to make the sauce for the pork. Take out a medium-size bowl and mix the oyster sauce, cornstarch, pepper, and garlic powder. Yep, that's a whole lot of flavor that you'll be giving to your pork! You also need to add a few liquids to the mix, including the Shaoxing wine, dark soy sauce, and one tablespoon of light soy sauce.

Mix everything well and then either leave it in the bowl or add your pork right away. Alternatively, you can transfer it to a large freezer bag with the sliced pork. 

Dalton recommends slicing the "pork against the grain so that it remains tender. The cornstarch in the sauce also helps to make sure the meat is tender to eat once cooked." Set the timer for at least 20 minutes to let it marinate.

While your pork is busy getting its marinade bath, it's time to cook the rice noodles. Simply follow the instructions on the back of the box. Dalton shares that she poured boiling water over the noodles and then left them covered for two minutes. After that, she drained them in a colander.

Dalton notes that you can switch out the rice noodles for another style of noodle. However, giving up the thin, translucent rice noodle here means that you're arguably making something other than mei fun, which Dalton says hinges in part on the use of rice vermicelli.

While the pork marinates and the noodles cook, you can prep the frying pan for the next few steps. Take out any frying pan of your choice and throw in ½ tablespoon of oil and bring it up to medium heat.

Once the oil is hot enough, add in the two beaten eggs. Let the egg mixture cook for a bit so that it gets firm but doesn't overcook and become rubbery. Then, break them into tiny pieces that will mix well with the soon-to-come ingredients. Now your egg is ready to go. Wasn't that easy?

Now is the time when your wok comes into play. First, heat the remainder of your vegetable oil in the wok to medium-high heat. After that, you can take your bag of marinated pork out of the fridge. Cook it on high heat in the wok, until the meat begins to brown.

Once your pork starts to turn brown, it's time to add in the carrots and the cabbage. Both of these items will provide a much-needed crunch to your dish. Continue cooking and turning the items in the wok as they sizzle, moving the ingredients frequently to keep them from burning. 

You can also omit the pork and add more veggies if you so desire, perhaps if you want to make a vegetarian or vegan twist on this traditionally meat-focused recipe. "You can add other vegetables — including onions and bamboo shoots," Dalton suggests. "If you don't want to use pork, you can also substitute for chicken. For a vegan version, omit the meat and the eggs. And use vegan oyster sauce." 

After the beef, carrots, and cabbage have been cooking for several minutes (about 5 to 7 minutes), add the noodles and another tablespoon of light soy sauce to the wok. Then, season the whole mix with salt and pepper to taste. Just remember that the soy sauce also has a fair amount of salt already in it, so it may be a good idea to taste the pre-salted mixture first before you accidentally add too much. 

Continue to stir the noodles thoroughly, making sure that they mix well with the other ingredients. Once everything is cooked through, add the bean sprouts and green onions. Continue stirring to combine one more time, then get ready to serve the pork mei fun.

Once everything is mixed together, take the wok off the heat. Your kitchen should be smelling pretty awesome right about now. You're welcome. Serve the pork mei fun in either individual bowls or on plates.  

As for sides, you have quite a few options here. "Serve as a main meal, or alongside other Chinese dishes including egg rolls, dumplings or prawn toast," Dalton says. And if you want to put your own twist on this recipe, there's room for that, too. You could add a touch of some Sriracha sauce for a bit of a spicy kick, some peanuts for crunch, or any other topping that you would typically pair with an Asian meal.