PORK: Cut the boneless loin 'chop' into 1 cm strips. Then diagonally slice ( 1 cm thick: cross grain to tenderize.) Marinate pork 30 mins. in mixture of 1 tablespoon each of soy sauce and wine (Chinese rice wine, or dry sherry, or dry vermouth.) Trim ends off eggplant. Cut once lengthwise, then cut into 1 cm half-moon slices. Soak in ice water salted with 1 teaspoon of soy sauce.

Peel the two small potatoes and cut into 1 cm dice. Place in a bowl; submerged in the salty ice water. Note: this bowl soaks the potato and weights the eggplant.

Scrub carrots; trim ends. Slice into 1 cm ovals (on the diagonal).

Cut the green onion: dice the white part; cut the green portion into 3 cm lengths. Equal parts garlic and ginger: select a large garlic clove. Cut a comparably sized piece of fresh ginger and peel it. Finely chop both the ginger and the garlic.

Drain the mushrooms and if the can liquid is not too salty, use it for the sauce, adding broth to it as needed.

Mix sauce ingredients,starting with the reserved liquid from the mushroom, if using. Set aside.

LATER: Heat water in a pasta pot to boiling. Cook the carrot and potato until tender crisp. Remove with slotted spoon and submerge in the ice water with the eggplant. Drain these vegetables well. Use the same water to cook the noodles.

Heat oil in the wok and stir fry in sequence: the pork (3 mins); the drain potato, carrot, and eggplant (2 to 3 mins); add the garlic, ginger and green onions (1 min); make a well for the sauce and add the liquid; cook until thickened. Stir in the straw mushroom pieces and the drained cooked pasta. Serve at once. MC Est 404 CALS, 12.7 G FAT 28.5% CFF.

Tip: start the pasta just after the pork is done. We used "medium egg noodles" -dried, short, curly, about 1 cm width (1- half cups dry measure).

Tested 10 Jun 97. Bob liked it more than I did. It did grow on me. Liked the potato, eggplant and carrot. Tasty and colorful. I wanted the pork to be more tender. -patH Posted on eat-lf by phannema@wizard.ucr.edu