Mussels and Ground Pork with Snow Peas (荷蘭豆貽貝豬肉, Ho4 Laan4 Dau6 Ji4 Bui3 Zyu1 Juk6)

This recipe was updated on 28 Jun 2015. Some instructions and ingredient quantities were changed.

Ground pork with mung bean vermicelli (also called bean threads) is a classic combination, just those ingredients together make a dish. Adding snow peas and mussels is my customization to the recipe. You can eat the dish all by itself or serve it over rice.

Enjoy!

Ingredients

½ lb.	250 g.	Ground pork (豬肉, zyu1 juk6)
½ in.	15 mm.	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), crushed in a garlic press
2 cloves	2 cloves	Garlic (蒜, syun3), crushed in a garlic press
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Corn starch (粟粉, suk1 fan2)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Soy sauce (豉油, si6 jau4)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Hoisin sauce (海鮮醬, hoi2 sin1 zoeng3)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Shaoxing rice wine (紹興酒, siu6 hing1 zau2) or dry sherry
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Ground white pepper (白胡椒, baak6 wu4 ziu1)
1 tsp.	5 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)
1 lb.	500 g.	Mussels (貽貝, ji4 bui3), debearded
1 lb.	500 g.	Snow peas (荷蘭豆, ho4 laan4 dau6)
4 oz.	110 g.	Two bunches mung bean vermicelli (魚豆腐, fan2 si1)
3 stalks	3 stalks	Green onions (葱, cung1), cut into ½-inch (15 mm.) lengths
½ in.	15 mm.	Knob of ginger (薑, goeng1), crushed in a garlic press
2 cloves	2 cloves	Garlic (蒜, syun3), crushed in a garlic press
3	3	Red chili peppers (紅番椒, hung4 faan1 ziu1), cut into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces – optional
		Oil for cooking

 

Sauce Ingredients

2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Lian How brand bean sauce (豆瓣醬, dau6 faan6 zoeng3) or equivalent
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Soy sauce (豉油, si6 jau4)
1 Tbs.	15 ml.	Hoisin sauce (海鮮醬, hoi2 sin1 zoeng3)
2 Tbs.	30 ml.	Shaoxing rice wine (紹興酒, siu6 hing1 zau2) or dry sherry
½ tsp.	2.5 ml.	Ground white pepper (白胡椒, baak6 wu4 ziu1)
½ Tbs.	7.5 ml.	Sesame oil (麻油, maa4 jau4)
2 tsp.	10 ml.	Corn starch (粟粉, suk1 fan2)
4 tsp.	20 ml.	Water

 

Equipment

		Garlic press
14 in.	35.5 cm.	Wok or pan

 

Lian How Brand
Bean Sauce
(豆瓣醬, dau6 faan6 zoeng3)

Preparation Instructions

1. If using frozen mussels, thaw them in the refrigerator overnight.  Take the mussels out of the refrigerator at least one hour before cooking. Remove any shells and debeard the mussels.
2. Soak the mung bean vermicelli in boiling water for one hour. Remove the vermicelli from the liquid. Reserve the soaking liquid for later use in the sauce.
3. Marinate the ground pork in a covered container for at least one hour or overnight in the refrigerator with the ginger and garlic crushed in a garlic press, corn starch, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry, ground white pepper, and sesame oil. If marinating the ground pork overnight, take it out of the refrigerator at least one hour before cooking.
4. Wash and remove the string from the snow peas by grasping each snow pea in one hand and pulling the string the length of the snow pea with the other.
5. Crush the ginger and garlic in a garlic press and put into a small bowl.
6. Remove any stems from the red chili peppers and cut into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces. The amount of red chili peppers to use in this dish depends upon personal taste, so feel free to reduce or increase the amount.
7. Wash and cut the green onions into ½-inch (15 mm.) pieces.
8. Prepare and mix the sauce in a small bowl: add the Lian How brand bean sauce or equivalent, soy sauce, hoisin sauce, Shaoxing rice wine or dry sherry, ground white pepper, and sesame oil. In another small bowl, prepare the corn starch slurry by mixing the corn starch and water together.

Cooking Instructions

1. Heat a wok or pan over high heat and before adding oil. Add the mussels to the wok in a single layer on the bottom and brown the outside. You may have to cook the mussels in batches, so be sure to reheat the wok over high heat before adding more oil. Set the mussels aside in a bowl.
2. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil, and then the red chili pepper and the ground pork. Stir fry to brown the ground pork and then remove the contents to the bowl with the mussels.
3. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the snow peas. Stir fry the snow peas to brown them. Add the bowl with the ginger and garlic, and then some oil to the mixture. Quickly stir fry all the ingredients until the ginger and garlic become fragrant.
4. Reheat the wok over high heat before adding oil and then the vermicelli. Stir fry the vermicelli, add the green onions and the contents of the bowl with the mussels back into the wok, and stir fry all the ingredients together.
5. Add the sauce ingredients and vermicelli rehydration liquid to the wok and stir fry the ingredients together. Add the corn starch slurry to thicken the sauce and mix all the ingredients together. Put the cooked ingredients into a serving dish and serve with steamed rice.