9 years ago

Pork Ramen Bowls

Craving a hot bowl of noodles? Twin Cities blogger greens & chocolate has the answer.

Does anyone else have visions of dorm rooms and all-nighters whenever ramen is mentioned? I vividly remember stocking up on chicken ramen noodle packages my freshman year of college, and thinking nothing of eating it for days in a row. I’d like to think my taste buds are a little more refined now (okay, they’re a LOT more refined) and I haven’t made a bowl of those salt-bomb noodles in years now, aside from a couple of desperate times on backpacking trips.  

But now, noodle bowls went and got cool. Or maybe I’m just way out of it and they’ve been cool for a while, but between ramen, pho and curry noodle bowls, you can’t hide from them. Even Panera has noodle bowls now.

I had a craving for a big bowl of noodles on a cold Sunday afternoon after a run, and thought fancy ramen would do the trick of warming me up. And oh, it did.

My version of ramen started with the thin pork chops, which I cut into slices and sautéed with some ginger, garlic and scallions. Then I added vegetable broth, miso paste, soy sauce and rice vinegar to the pot along with a good amount of ramen noodles and edamame.   

About the noodles: I bought these from Lunds and while they weren’t specifically labeled “ramen” noodles, they were called Chinese noodles and are definitely comparable to the kind we all used to buy (admit it…) in the plastic wrapper with the salty “flavor” packets. You could definitely use those packets of ramen; just discard the flavor packets.  

I finished off the broth with a teaspoon of Sriracha, but if you’re not into spice you can definitely leave that out. Topped with a medium- to hard-boiled egg and more sliced scallions, this turned out to be just the bowl of warmth and comfort I was looking for.  

Best of all, this really doesn’t take a whole lot of time to make, especially if you have the eggs boiled ahead of time, or you use a separate pot to boil the eggs.  You could also use chicken, beef or tofu instead of pork, depending on your preference.  

Pork Ramen Bowls

serves 4

Ingredients

  • 4 eggs
  • 1 pound boneless pork loin, thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons canola oil
  • 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
  • ¼ cup scallions, thinly sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 6 cups vegetable broth
  • 2 tablespoons miso paste
  • 2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
  • 10 oz ramen noodles (if using the kind with the flavor packet, discard the flavor packet)
  • 1 cup frozen or fresh edamame
  • 1-2 teaspoons Sriracha, optional, depending on spice preference
  • additional sliced scallions, for topping

Directions

  1. Place eggs in large pot and cover with water.
  2. Bring to a boil, then remove from heat and let sit for 10 minutes.
  3. Once eggs are done, in the same pot heat canola oil over medium-high heat.
  4. Add sliced pork and cook until no longer pink.
  5. Add ginger, scallions and garlic, cooking another minute until they are releasing fragrance.
  6. Add vegetable broth, miso paste, soy sauce, rice vinegar and noodles.
  7. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and cook until noodles are softened, about 5-7 minutes.
  8. Add edamame, and cook another 2-3 minutes.
  9. Add Sriracha until spice preference is reached.
  10. Ladle into bowls, then top with halved eggs and additional sliced scallions.
  11. Slurp away and enjoy!