Pork and Vegetable Lo Mein

The food bank reached out to me about something new: a partnership with the Owasso school district. Cooking classes in the school cafeteria, for students and their families, after school hours. The district wants to teach parents to cook with the same commodity foods the school lunch program uses — the USDA commodities, the bulk canned goods, the same ingredients that food banks distribute. The idea is mine — I pitched it at the hunger conference last year — and now it's becoming real.

The first school cooking class is scheduled for September at Owasso Elementary. Brayden's school. I'm going to teach a cooking class at my son's school. The girl who dropped out at sixteen is going to stand in a school cafeteria and teach parents how to cook. The irony is so thick I could spread it on toast. The irony is also the point: you don't need a diploma to feed people. You don't need credentials. You need a pan, a recipe, and the willingness to show up. I have all three. I always have.

Harper asked if she could come to the class. "Can I help you teach?" she said. She's six. She wants to help me teach a cooking class. I said, "You can be my assistant." She said, "What does the assistant do?" I said, "You hand me ingredients and tell me if I'm seasoning it wrong." She said, "I can do that." She absolutely can do that. She's been doing that for two years. My six-year-old sous chef, my seasoning critic, my tiny quality control department. She's ready. We're both ready.

When I started thinking about what to cook first in that cafeteria — with parents who might be nervous, kids who are already bored, and a pantry full of USDA commodities — I kept coming back to this lo mein. It’s the kind of recipe that proves the point I’m trying to make: a hot, filling, genuinely good meal from a handful of simple ingredients, no culinary degree required. Harper has already approved the seasoning. She’s ready to hand me the soy sauce on cue.

Prep Time: 15 min | Cook Time: 20 min | Total Time: 35 min | Servings: 4

Ingredients

8 oz lo mein noodles (or spaghetti)
1 lb pork tenderloin, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
1 tablespoon sesame oil, divided
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
1 cup shredded cabbage
1 cup matchstick carrots
1 cup broccoli florets, cut small
3 green onions, sliced
3 tablespoons oyster sauce
1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

Cook the noodles. Boil noodles according to package directions until just tender. Drain, toss with 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil to prevent sticking, and set aside.
Marinate the pork. In a bowl, combine sliced pork with 1 tablespoon soy sauce, cornstarch, and black pepper. Toss to coat and let sit for 10 minutes while you prep the vegetables.
Make the sauce. Whisk together oyster sauce, hoisin sauce, remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce, and remaining 1/2 tablespoon sesame oil in a small bowl. Set aside.
Cook the pork. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet or wok over high heat. Add pork in a single layer and cook without stirring for 2 minutes, then stir-fry until cooked through, about 2 more minutes. Transfer to a plate.
Stir-fry the vegetables. In the same skillet over high heat, add garlic and ginger and stir for 30 seconds. Add broccoli and carrots; stir-fry 2 minutes. Add cabbage and cook another 2 minutes until vegetables are tender-crisp.
Bring it together. Return pork to the skillet. Add cooked noodles and pour sauce over everything. Toss with tongs until fully combined and heated through, about 2 minutes.
Finish and serve. Remove from heat, top with sliced green onions, and serve immediately.

Nutrition (per serving)

Pork and Vegetable Lo Mein — What I’ll Teach When I Stand in That Cafeteria