Ramen

Recipe—Crock-Pot Pork Ramen

Last year for our anniversary dinner, my husband took me to this swanky restaurant in downtown Sacramento. Their special of the night was a spicy pork ramen bowl. It is totally not something I would typically order but that chilly October night, it just sounded so good. And it was. The spicy broth warmed me right up and it was just so rich and flavorful. Not at all what I had expected. I thought it would be similar to a beef broth but it had so much depth to it.

Ever since then, I have been experimenting with perfecting my version of a pork ramen bowl. I think I have the delicious meal pretty much dialed in. The broth is flavorful and the meat so juicy and tender. This dish warms you from the core out and is a perfect dinner as evenings start to cool with the seasons.

Note: This recipe will make between 4–6 ramen bowls.

Recipe—Crock-Pot Pork Ramen

INGREDIENTS
3 lb boneless pork shoulder
salt and pepper
6 c chicken broth
3 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp miso broth concentrate
8 tsp chile garlic sauce (4 for the broth, 4 for finishing)
2 tsp ginger paste
2 c shiitake mushrooms
large yellow onion, halved and thinly sliced
3 (3 oz) packages ramen noodles (dispose of flavor packets)
4-6 boiled eggs, peeled and halved
1/2 c green onions, chopped

STEPS

Season the pork with salt and pepper and place in a crock-pot.
In a large bowl whisk together the broth, soy sauce, miso broth concentrate, 4 teaspoons chile garlic sauce, and the ginger paste.
Place the mushrooms and sliced onions around the pork shoulder in the crock-pot.
Pour the broth mix into the crock-pot.
Cook on high for 4–5 hours or low for 7–8 hours.
When ready to serve, carefully transfer the pork from the crock-pot to a cutting board.
Allow the meat to rest for 5 minutes and then shred using forks.
While the meat is resting, cook the ramen per package instructions and drain completely.
Distribute the noodles among 4–6 bowls.
Top each pile of noodles with a scoop of the shredded pork.
Using a slotted spoon, remove the onions and mushrooms from the crock-pot and place around the bowls.
Using a ladle, top off each bowl with broth from the crock-pot.
Add two boiled egg halves to each bowl.
Place a teaspoon of the chile garlic sauce on the top of each pile of meat.
Garnish with green onions.
Serve with chopsticks and enjoy!

I don’t know why I am so late to the game but I recently discovered a love of ramen. Not just the generic pack of dry noodles, but meat and veggie packed delicious ramen. It’s like Top Ramen on flavor packed steroids. I have a couple different recipes that I have been trying out but this one is the most recent one I have come to enjoy. It takes a bit of time to prep in the morning, but then it comes together in about 15 minutes when you get around to cooking it all up. Perfect for all those with busy lives who want a fast and tasty quality meal. By the way, you won’t believe how amazing the marinade smells. I think my mouth was watering the entire time I was making this recipe. Heck, my mouth is watering just writing about it.

Note: I made this recipe using new york steaks and it yielded a very tender meat. You can certainly use a one-pound flank steak for a more budget friendly recipe. If you are short on time in the morning (I mean who isn’t), you can prepare the marinade and slice the meat the night before keeping them separate and then add them to the ziploc bag in the morning. Just don’t marinade the meat overnight.

MARINADE INGREDIENTS
1/4 c vegetable oil
3 tsp garlic, minced
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1/4 c honey
1/2 c soy sauce
1 tbsp parsley (dried or fresh with both work
2 new york steaks, fat trimmed

OTHER INGREDIENTS
3 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp olive oil
2 tbsp sesame oil
1/4 c brown sugar
1/2 tsp grated ginger
2 tbsp soy sauce
1 c beef broth
1/4 c worcestershire sauce
3 c broccoli florets, chopped
3 (3 oz) packages ramen noodles
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1/4 c green onions, chopped

MARINADE STEPS

Mix together all the marinade ingredients (except the meat) in a small bowl and set aside.
Cut the meat against the grain in 1/4-inch-thick strips.
Place the meat in a ziploc bag and poor the marinade into the bag.
Seal up the bag and place in the fridge to marinade for at least 2–8 hours (no more than 12 hours).

COOKING STEPS

Bring a pot of water to a boil and cook the ramen for 2 minutes.
Strain the noodles in a colander and rinse with cold water.
Cut off a bottom corner of the bag over the sink and allow all the marinade to drain out.
Transfer the meat to a small bowl and toss with the cornstarch.
In a large skillet heat two tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat.
Add in the meat and sear on both sides until the meat is cooked but still tender, about 2 minutes.
Transfer the steak to a plate.
Reduce the heat to medium and add the sesame oil, brown sugar, ginger, soy sauce, beef broth, and worcestershire sauce to the skillet and bring to a simmer.
Stir and cook uncovered until it thickens, about 5–7 minutes.
Add the broccoli to the skillet and cover with a lid cooking it for 3 minutes.
Remove the lid and add in the meat and pasta.
Toss everything to coat and heat for an additional 1–2 minutes.
Transfer to bowls or plates and season with crushed red peppers and green onions.