Tonight’s Dinner: Lemon-Ginger Pork

Lemon and ginger are two flavors that go great together. You’ve probably seen them together in drinks from ginger-lemonade to lemon-ginger tea, but have you ever seen them together on top of pork and chow mein noodles? If not, you’re in for a delicious treat.

One of my favorite dishes from Chinese restaurants is lemon chicken. I love that sweet, tangy sauce that covers the breaded chicken; it’s almost always the first thing I order when we order in.

I’m also a big fan of chow mein. Those noodles drenched in that delicious soy sauce just makes my night, but I never ever combine them. After all, while I’m a huge advocate for sweet and salty foods like kettle korn, lemon chicken and chow mein are two dishes that are best kept separate.

But I really love the lemon sauce that goes over the chicken and I adore those chow mein noodles. So, what if I add that sweet and sour lemon sauce to my noodles instead of the soy sauce that usually accompanies them? Happiness happens. And, if I add a little ginger and substitute pork for the chicken, an amazing new dish is born. A dish so wonderful, I may never go back to plain old lemon chicken and chow mein again.

Lemon-Ginger Pork

Ingredients

• 8-ounces chow mein noodles
• 1 pound pork tenderloin, thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
• 6-ounces snow peas
• 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• Juice of 2 lemons
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tablespoon sweet chili sauce
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated

Directions

1. Cook chow mein noodles according to directions on package; drain; rinse with cold water and set aside.
2. Combine sliced pork, cornstarch, vegetable oil, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl.
3. In a large skillet or wok, heat 1 tablespoon of sesame oil over medium-high heat; add pork and stir-fry until browned, about 3 minutes. Add snow peas and sliced red pepper and stir-fry for another 3 minutes; remove from heat and put in a large bowl.
4. In same skillet, boil sugar and juice from 1 lemon until caramel colored, about 3 minutes; add juice from second lemon, chili sauce, and fresh ginger; add pork, peas, pepper, and chow mein noodles and cook until heated through, about 2 minutes; serve immediately.

>>More Tonight’s Dinner Recipes