This pork lo mein recipe can be made in your Instant Pot in just minutes! It’s a delicious and filling meal that the whole family will love.
If you’re in the mood for a delicious and easy-to-make Asian-inspired meal, try making Instant Pot pork lo mein at home! Here’s how you can do it:
🥬 Ingredient Tips
Baby bok choy – Baby bok chow is a little more tender and sweet than regular bok choy, but you can use them interchangeably.
Mirin – Mirin is a sweet Japanese cooking wine with low alcohol content. It is made of glutinous rice, koji mold, and shochu (a type of distilled spirit). If you can’t find it locally, good substitutes include:
- Sake mixed with sugar or honey.
- White grape juice mixed with vinegar or lemon juice.
- Rice vinegar mixed with sugar or honey.
Oil – I’ve listed olive oil in this recipe since it’s my usual go-to, but you can use the cooking oil of your choice here.
Noodles – In this recipe, I used spaghetti noodles for convenience. Authentic lo mein noodles are egg noodles that are slightly chewier than spaghetti. Other great substitutes for lo mein noodles are:
- Chow mein noodles
- Rice noodles
- Chop suey noodles
- Ramen noodles (in a pinch)
📝 Step-by-Step Directions
In a small bowl, mix together sesame oil and half of the soy sauce. Add the diced pork. Set it aside and allow it to marinate for about 30 minutes at room temperature.
Turn on the Instant Pot “saute” setting and add 1 tablespoon of the oil of your choice. Once the oil is hot, add the marinated pork and saute until the pork is golden brown on the outside.
Remove the browned meat and set aside. Add the minced garlic to the Instant Pot until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the water to the pot and deglaze it by scraping the bottom with a spatula.
Break the spaghetti in half and lay sections down in a crisscross pattern as shown. This will help prevent sticking. Do not stir the noodles after you’ve created the pattern. Gently push the spaghetti down, so it is under the liquid.
Set the Instant Pot to high and pressure cook for 4 minutes. Manually release the pressure and allow to rest for an additional 4 minutes. Open the pot and stir the noodles around. Add the remaining soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and mirin to the noodles and stir until combined well.
Turn on the saute setting and add the sliced Bok choy, red bell pepper, onions, carrots, and pork to the pot.
Stir often for about 5-8 minutes. (Depending on how crispy you like your vegetables.)
Garnish with sesame seeds if desired and serve hot.
❓ FAQ
A serving of this particular lo mein recipe has 525 calories.
The type of noodles used in lo mein are typically made from wheat flour and egg, giving them their distinctive texture and flavor. These noodles are long and thin, similar to spaghetti, but chewier in consistency. They can be found fresh or dried at most grocery stores and Asian markets. See the ingredient tips above for substitution suggestions.
Yes, you can freeze lo mein. Be aware that the noodle texture will change and might be a little mushy. If you know you’re going to be freezing this dish, undercook the noodles slightly so that they’ll have the ideal texture once thawed and re-heated.
🍲 Serving suggestions
This pork lo mein recipe is a complete meal on its own with meat, veggies, and a starch all in one dish. However, if you’d like to do a Chinese take-out night at home, I’ve got you covered with more delicious Asian-inspired dishes including:
- Chinese Green Beans
- Mongolian Beef
- Fried Rice
- Egg Drop Soup
- Perfect Sticky Rice in a Rice Cooker
- Instant Pot Jasmine Rice
📖 Recipe
Pork Lo Mein (Instant Pot)
Ingredients
- 8 ounces spaghetti
- 1 pound center cut boneless pork chops diced
- 2 cups water
- 1 red pepper sliced
- 1 pound baby bok choy sliced
- 2 carrots sliced
- 1 yellow onion sliced
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 5 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon hoisin sauce
- 1 tablespoon sesame oil
- 1 tablespoon mirin
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix together sesame oil and half of the soy sauce. Add the diced pork. Set it aside and allow it to marinate for about 30 minutes at room temperature.
- Turn on the Instant Pot "saute" setting and add 1 tablespoon of the oil of your choice. Once the oil is hot, add the marinated pork and saute until the pork is golden brown on the outside.
- Remove the browned meat and set aside.
- Add the minced garlic to the Instant Pot until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- Add the water to the pot and deglaze it by scraping the bottom with a spatula.
- Break the spaghetti in half and lay sections down in a crisscross pattern as shown. This will help prevent sticking. Do not stir the noodles after you’ve created the pattern. Gently push the spaghetti down, so it is under the liquid.
- Set the Instant Pot to high and pressure cook for 4 minutes. Manually release the pressure and allow to rest for an additional 4 minutes.
- Open the pot and stir the noodles around. Add the remaining soy sauce, hoisin sauce, and mirin to the noodles and stir until combined well.
- Turn on the saute setting add the sliced Bok choy, red bell pepper, onions, carrots, and pork to the pot and stir often for about 5-8 minutes. (Depending on how crispy you like your vegetables.)
- Garnish with sesame seeds if desired and serve hot.
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