I thought I had best have a crack at the latest food craze to take Australia by storm. Japanese Ramen restaurants are popping up left, right and centre and I have to say…….I’m loving it! It is such clean eating, low in fat, big on flavour and easy on the purse strings and there is no end to the combinations available. However, we do not always want to go out. We want to have our favourite foods at home and this was perfect for a cooler, rainy day. It was super easy to make, the kitchen smelt awesome and my Husband was deliriously happy when I put this bowl of pure goodness in front of him.
Prep time: 20 Minutes Marinating time: At least 30 minutes Cooking time: 20 Minutes $$ Medium Budget
Serves 4
600gm of pork fillet
2 cloves of garlic, finely grated
3 cm piece of ginger, finely grated
2/3 cup of soy sauce
1/2 cup of mirin
3 tsp of caster sugar
1 punnet of enoki mushrooms (you could use shiitake or oyster), divided into 4 portions
1 bunch of broccolini, halved lengthways and crossways
2 soft boiled eggs, peeled and halved
4 portions of ramen noodles (egg or rice noodles can be substituted)
2 litres of water
4 tbs of white miso paste
1 tbs of toasted sesame seeds
1/2 a sheet of nori, halved and very finely sliced
1/2 tsp of chilli flakes
1/2 tsp of chilli powder (optional)
2 spring onions, sliced
In a medium mixing bowl, combine the garlic, ginger, soy, mirin and sugar and stir until the sugar dissolves. Place the pork fillets in the bowl so they are pretty much immersed in the liquid and nice and snug, cover and marinate in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, turning at the 15 minute mark to marinate the other side. You can marinate for as long as you like.
Preheat the oven to 200°C
Heat 2 litres of water in a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Whisk in the miso paste just before serving, retain the heat but don’t bring it to the boil.
In a small ramekin, combine the sesame seeds, finely sliced nori, chilli flakes and chilli powder and season with a pinch of salt.
Place the pork fillets on a lined baking tray and bake for 10 minutes. Turn them over and brush on any remaining marinade and bake for another 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for a few minutes before slicing on the diagonal about 1/2 an inch thick.
Run the ramen noodles under cold water to seperate. Just before serving, hit them with a bit of boiling water, in a strainer just to heat them slightly before dividing them into bowls.
Place the broccolini in a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Allow to blanch for a couple of minutes until nice and bright green in colour, before placing it on top of the noodles and then place the enoki mushrooms in the bowl.
Arrange the pork slices over the noodles and then ladle over the miso broth. Place half an egg on top of each bowl, scatter over the spring onion and nori mixture just before serving.