Spicy Pork Noodles

I am obsessed with the Bon Appetite youtube channel. I watch those videos over and over and they always inspire me. I recently saw an episode from Chris Morocco where he made “Spicy Sambal Pork Noodles” and I was drooling. It had elements of sweetness, spiciness and freshness from fresh herbs.

Well, it has been so hard to find ramen noodles lately. I guess people are stocking up on ramen noodles for the quarantine! I went by a local store this week and finally found ramen noodles! So, I had to give this recipe a try. To be clear, you just use the noodles. You can throw away those flavor packets or just hold onto them for use another day. Chris Morocco’s original recipe is linked here but I had to change some things up due to the availability in my area. They turned out so good, y’all. It was a super yummy change from some of the normal stuff we have been cooking. I hope you give them a try!

Ingredients:

• 5 packets of ramen noodles (seasoning packets not needed)

• 3 pounds ground pork

• 5 chopped garlic cloves

• 2 chopped anchovies

• 3 tablespoons tomato paste

• 2 tablespoons sugar

• 1/2 cup soy sauce

• 1/2 cup sambal oleek

• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

• 1 tablespoon dried basil (If you have fresh, use that instead!)

Directions:

1. Begin cooking the ground pork in a large skillet. Let the pork cook for several minutes before chopping and flipping. You want to really develop some browning on the meat so that it adds some great crunchy texture.

2. After about 6-7 minutes, add in the garlic and anchovies. Anchovies are optional but I really wanted to hit this with an umami bomb. Stir to combine.

3. Follow that up with the tomato paste, soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and sambal. Stir to combine and let the mixture simmer for about 10 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, begin cooking the ramen noodles in a large stock pot. When the water begins to boil, add in the noodles. After a minute, grab 1 cup of noodle water from the stock pot and add into the pork mixture. This starchy water will really help the sauce to develop. Stir the pork mixture and continue to simmer for another 10-15 minutes.

5. Once the noodles are done, drain them but reserve some of the liquid in case you need it for the sauce. Combine the noodles and pork mixture. Toss the noodles and pork sauce in a large bowl to coat the noodles completely. If you need, add some of the noodle water to help the consistency. Keep tossing to combine and develop the sauce. When serving, plate with some dry basil (or fresh if you have it!) Enjoy!