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Pretty darn authentic ramen

Guys, I totally kicked dinner’s butt tonight. I decided to grab some pork belly the last time I went to the Hamilton Farmer’s Market, because I had visions of creating ramen here at home. See, I love ramen. Adore might be a better word. Addicted to….? But you can’t say that you blame me! That delicious broth, the savory meats, the perfectly crisp veggies...there is a lot to love in a bowl of ramen.


(Actually, come to think of it, I think everything minus one ingredient today was from the farmer’s market! Many thanks goes out to amazing people there, like Dilly’s Farmacy (where I go for all of my veggies and herbs) and Jepson’s Meats (because mmmmm, pork belly....) for making my life so darn yummy!


I have only ever had homemade ramen a handful of times, as it is not something that my family typically eats and so I wasn’t really introduced to it until I got to nutrition school a few years ago. But after that, I was hooked! Several of the other students knew ways to make it into such a delicious and wonderful meal, and so I had collected, compiled and created my own version using inspiration from all of them.


The end result is actually amazing. The broth has just the right flavour, I got just the right sear on the pork belly, and the veggies turned out to be perfectly tender-crisp. The overall end result was what can best be described as a bowl full of love.


I also learned through making this today that eating ramen is SUPER INEXPENSIVE, even if you go out of your way to get better-quality ingredients (like a huge 2 lb. chunk of pork belly…). All in all, epic win! My boyfriend absolutely loved it (“restaurant-quality! I have paid good money for food like this!!”) and overall I am super happy with the nutritional power that this meal had. Totally going to be making this again… maybe using a different protein next time? I dunno, I still have an awful lot of pork belly...

Pork Belly Ramen:

  • 2 lb (1 kg) Ontario pork belly

  • 1 tsp. each salt and black pepper

  • 2 sheets nori, divided

  • 8 cups (2 L) low-sodium chicken broth

  • ¼ cup mirin (rice wine)

  • 2 tbsp. soy sauce

  • 2 tbsp. white miso paste

  • 2-oz. (60 g) dried shiitake mushrooms

  • 12 garlic cloves

  • 1 piece fresh ginger (2” / 5 cm), peeled and sliced

  • 4 eggs

  • Ramen noodles (I used spinach ones!)

  • ½ cup snap peas, thinly sliced

  • 2 green onions, thinly sliced diagonally

  1. Preheat the oven to 325ºF (160ºC). Season the pork belly all over with salt and pepper. Place on a wire rack set over a foil-lined baking tray. Bake for about 90 minutes or until tender. Increase the heat to 450ºF (230ºC). Roast for 20 to 30 minutes or until crisp. Let stand for 10 minutes, then slice

  2. Cut 1 sheet of nori into quarters

  3. Meanwhile, in large saucepan set over high heat, combine the broth, mirin, soy sauce, miso, mushrooms, quartered nori, ginger and garlic; bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for about 1 hour or until flavourful and fragrant. Strain and discard solids

  4. In a separate saucepan of gently boiling water, cook eggs for 6 minutes; drain and refresh under cold running water until easy to handle. Peel and cut in half

  5. Meanwhile, cook the ramen noodles according to package directions

  6. Cut the remaining sheet of nori into thin strips

  7. Divide the noodles evenly among four deep, wide bowls. Ladle hot broth over the noodles; top with sliced pork belly, halved eggs, carrots, snap peas, green onions and nori strips

  8. Serve immediately



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