Now that we’ve made a few runs at hamburger versions of African chow mein, let’s venture into pork possibilities for this popular dish.
Believe it or not, four Forum cooks share nearly identical recipes, starting with this basic how-to:
AFRICAN CHOW MEIN WITH PORK
1pound pork steak, cubed
2onions, chopped
2cups chopped or sliced celery
1can (4 ounces) mushrooms, drained
2cans each cream of mushroom soup and chicken rice soup
1cup sliced almonds or cashews (optional)
1cup raw regular (not instant) rice
2cups water
Dash salt (optional)
In a frying pan, brown the pork and onions; turn into a large Dutch oven and add the celery, mushrooms, soups, nuts, rice, water and salt; mix well, cover tightly and bake at 350 degrees for 11/2 hours.
Marysville cook Irene Gesme writes, “The request from Jeanette Huntsman of Camano Island for African chow mein took me back in memories. A neighbor gave me this recipe in the 1970s, when I needed a potluck dish. This recipe uses pork, but chicken or hamburger can be used, I’d think.”
Yvonne Bagley of Marysville tells us, “This is out of a 1959 ‘Snohomish Orthopedic Cook Book,’ which was Snohomish’s centennial year. It sounds like families made it from what was on hand. It also looks like it was made for a crowd. I’m sure the recipe’s contributor brought it to our church suppers.”
Longtime Forum helper-outer, cookbook author and Marysville cook Dianne Berst says, “As for African chow mein, I have a recipe in my ‘Williams Family Cookbook,’ a Christmas gift in 1983 from my dear friend, the late Lucille Walker of Snohomish.
“Their family’s version of the recipe uses pork rather than hamburger or chicken, which makes sense to me since their son Lloyd raised hogs in FFA and is now an agriculture teacher in Winlock.”
This recipe increases the raw rice to 2 cups.
Stanwood cook Doreen Schaaf’s recipe calls for 4 pork chops, cubed, instead of the pork steak, and she mentions, “This is a good African chow mein.”
Linnea Hershly of Marysville says, “I have a recipe I think Jeanette Huntsman is looking for, that being African chow mein. My recipe calls for 2 pounds of veal, any cut, cubed, but I don’t know why you couldn’t substitute chicken.”
Linnea’s recipe also calls for a large (not small) can of mushrooms, 2 cans of cream of chicken soup instead of the chicken rice soup, and omits the water.
“While reading the SOS requests,” Cindy Wellman of Everett writes, “I noticed the request for African chow mein. My mother, who was approaching her 96th birthday, recently passed away in May.
“I was going through some of her recipes and recalled seeing a recipe titled African chow mein. While hers calls for pork, I imagine you could easily substitute chicken or hamburger.”
Her recipe calls for 3/4 pound cubed pork, 1 cup chopped celery, 1 finely chopped medium onion, 1 can mushroom or cream of chicken soup diluted with 2 soup cans water, 1 small can sliced mushrooms, undrained, 1 tablespoon soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste, and 1 cup uncooked rice.”
The next Forum will appear in Monday’s Time Out section.
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