How to Make Maki Mi. (Pork Tenderlon Shitake Noodle Soup)

I was about to write something about dimsum and radish cake. Yoo see, all these nice goodies that we eat in Chinese restaurants at 2.50 (DOLLARS!) an order can be made at home. And while I was about to share the secrets of making radish cake, someone asked me to write instead Maki-Mi.

Maki Mi.

My mother said that Maki-Mi has been in existence since her childhood way back in the late thirties and the forties when she was a young teen living in Apo, Quezon City. For a bit of a historical context, no one actually knows who owns the original recipe. It is true; however that Ha Yuan restaurant in Binondo served this dish as long as anyone could remember. And it used to be that the original set up of this restaurant we as kids went to that had a wooden screen door with a spring door closer. Because Manila was not as hot as it is now, the inside was cooled by the traditional ceiling fans with large motors and the blades were large and heavy unlike the plywood blades of modern lighter ceiling fans today. They serve tea in these thick Duralex glasses. And aside from the Maki Mi that they are famous for, likewise is the Fresh Lumpia with its signature sweet sauce mixed with a few drops of Chinese chili sauce and ground peanuts with sugar condiment.

What does Maki stand for? The Ma is meat – usually lean pork tenderloin. The Ki – according to my Mom is the thickness of the soup. Usually, Chinese style soup is made thick by using a slurry of water plus tapioca starch. And tapioca is a must – for the consistency of the thickness is best described as somewhat akin to mucous (I know, it's gross – as in Tagalog, "mala-uhog") Notice that when one gets the spoon and ladles the soup, it somewhat elongates into a strand before it breaks.

Now imagine that consistency more pronounced in Maki. It's this consistency that gives the dish its character and no doubt, married with its flavor, its heartiness.

If noodles are added – it is filling. Indeed a meal by itself. This is where the "Mi" comes from – Hokkien Chinese for "noodles".

The flavor of Maki Mi comes from the consistency but equally important is the taste itself which is basically meat – pork to be exact. How this is achieved is through a blend of meat, condiments that further its meat taste and the sweetness that highlights it.

So enter shitake mushrooms. Dark with a very nice bite, its essence highlights further the umami flavor.

Next soy sauce – the eternal browning agent of Hokkien cooking. It is the reason why Humba (Hong-Ma or Hong-Ba a.k.a. "Hokkien Style Red Meat") exists. And usually Hokkien Chinese mothers would say - "Di to khe tau-yu, tsa u siyak!"(You have to put in a bit of soy sauce, if you want some color! - attributed to Mrs. Lily Sy, the mother of my high school classmate Richard Sy-Facunda.) One or two tablespoons of dark soy sauce does the trick! This trick has been extended by some to other cuisines as untraditional as it may seem. I remember how an acquaintance of mine decided to marinade turkey with soy sauce in order to promote browning when roasted.

Lastly, as typical with Filipino cooking, the fragrance of roasted onions and garlic is unique! What cuisine always saute onions and garlic to a deep brown to add to flavor and color? This is what makes Maki distinct.

So Maki is Chinese. It is also Filipino. It is "Tsinoy" ("Chinese Filipino").

Maki Mi

• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 1/2 head garlic, chopped
• ½ cup oyster sauce (to taste)
• ½ cup light soy sauce (to taste)
• 6 pieces dried shitake mushrooms
• ¼ kilo pork tenderloin
• 2 quarts water
• ¼ cup tapioca starch (US: can be bought in supermarkets under the gluten free section. My suggestion – Asian stores sell it in plastic bags way cheaper made in Thailand. Philippines: this is also known as "gawgaw" or ironing starch. Now for a bit of trivia – remember Yan Can Cook – the '80s cooking show? Yan's Wonder Powder is actually this.)
• White pepper to taste
• More tapioca starch for dusting your pork pieces.
• Bundles of dried egg noodles. (Philippines: You can buy "miki sariwa" or fresh egg noodles – this is the best.)
• Spring onions – chopped for garnishing.

Procedure.

Prepare the soup. Wash the dried shitake mushrooms then soak for thirty minutes in warm water until soft. Drain while squeezing the mushrooms, saving the liquid. Slice the mushrooms lengthwise and cut crosswise into small thin pieces. Set aside.

Slice the pork tenderloin thinly into 1 inch in length. Beat them using a meat hammer to tenderize the pieces. Add white pepper and light soy sauce. Dust the meat with tapioca starch until evenly and thickly well coated. Set aside.

Saute the garlic and onions in hot oil until well roasted and brown taking care not to burn. Lower the heat if necessary.

Add a quart of water and cover. Let it boil to a simmer for fifteen minutes to extract the flavor of the onions and garlic. Strain.

Return this onion and garlic broth in a soup pot. Add the mushrooms and bring to a gentle boil. To this add the soy sauce and oyster sauce. Thicken with a slurry of tapioca starch and a little water. This will not only make the broth thick but shiny as well. Lower the heat and bring to a gentle thick boil.

Once boiling, drop the meat pieces in the broth. Because the broth is thick to begin with and the pork pieces have the starch coating, the more the soup would thicken. Simmer this soup further to extract the meat flavor. You may choose to season further with more oyster sauce for the right saltiness and sweetness.

Meanwhile, warm the noodles in another pot of boiling water. If using dried egg noodles, microwave the noodle bundle in a bowl with about ¾ cup of water at high for about a minute.

To the bowl of noodles ladle the soup until full. Garnish with chopped green onions and serve hot.