Soba-Pork Stri Fry

Yet again, I used Soba noodles to replace rice for starch in this meal because aside from noodles being hubby's favorite, it makes me think that we had "Chinese" for dinner. Only less greasy, and with dishes to do afterwards (yeah - you have to take the good with the bad).

Speaking of Chinese takeouts, I read somewhere that there are three times more Chinese restaurants here in America than McDonald's franchises. Hmmm... next time I drive down the road, I'd make a mental note to count the Mickey D's and Chinese restos to see if that's true. :-)


What you need: 

2 bundles Soba noodles
1/2 lb pork loin, cut into bite-size pieces
1/2 small onion, thinly sliced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 cup snow peas
2 carrots, coined
2 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon blackbean sauce
1 to 2 tablespoons rice wine
1 tablespoon garlic oil 
1 teaspoon sesame oil
dash of red pepper flakes


What to do: 

Cook soba noodles in lightly salted boiling water for about 4 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Heat garlic oil in a wok over medium-high heat. Saute minced garlic and onion for about a minute, then add carrots and snow peas. Cook for another minute or two, then add the pork to brown. Stir constantly so the pork doesn't stick to the bottom of the wok.

Pour in rice wine, oyster sauce and blackbean sauce. Season with a dash of red pepper flakes. Add noodles and mix well. Cook until heated through. Remove from heat and drizzle with sesame oil before serving.


Tips, Tricks and Tweaks: 

1. Other veggies that you can use are baby corn, water chestnuts, cauliflower, etc. Pick your favorite!
2. You can skip sesame oil if you don't like the taste.
3. Do not overcook your soba - it gets soggy fast. Also, you are actually gonna cook it again when you put it back into the wok with the rest of the ingredients.
4. Don't forget to trim the ends of the snow peas.