TasteFood: A bowl of homemade pork ramen is just the thing for a chilly night

Following the season of rich holiday dinners, it’s refreshing to launch into the new year with bright and steamy Asian soups. Curries, pho and ramen are examples of comforting Asian bowl foods. Swirling with slurpy noodles and heady spices, they provide crave-able dinners that jolt the senses and wake the palate from any lingering food comas.

Ramen is a noodle soup that originated in China and was imported to Japan, where it is a popular dish. This homemade version brims with wilted greens and mushrooms on a slick of noodles, swimming in a gingery, garlic-infused broth. It’s not precisely authentic, but that is the point. With a few key staples, such as soy sauce, ginger and mirin, you can create a satisfying rendition in your kitchen that will hit all the right notes to satisfy a winter craving — without putting on your snow boots.

Use this recipe as a template. Other vegetables, such as carrots, kale and bok choy, can be added. Chicken or tofu can be substituted for the pork: Simply follow the recipe for the marinade and switch out the protein. Then roast or pan-fry the chicken or tofu before adding to the soup.

Pork Ramen

Serves 4

INGREDIENTS

Marinade:

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 large garlic clove, grated

1 tablespoon mirin or sake

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

2 teaspoons brown sugar

1 pork tenderloin, about 1 pound

Soup:

1 tablespoon oil

4 cloves garlic, minced or pushed through a press

1 tablespoon finely grated peeled fresh ginger

1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes

6 cups chicken stock

3 scallions, white and green parts divided, white parts cut into matchsticks, green parts chopped and set aside for garnish

3 tablespoons soy sauce or tamari

2 tablespoons mirin

1 teaspoon Asian hot sauce, such as Sriracha

6 ounces shiitake mushrooms, ends trimmed, sliced 1/4-inch thick

4 cups packed baby spinach leaves, about 4 ounces

4 portions dried or fresh ramen noodles

4 eggs, cooked to a jammy consistency, peeled and halved (optional)

Sesame seeds for garnish

Chili sauce

DIRECTIONS

Whisk the marinade ingredients — the soy sauce, garlic, mirin, sesame oil and brown sugar — in a small bowl. Place the pork in a baking dish, pour the marinade over and turn to coat thoroughly. Marinate for at least 1 hour or overnight, turning occasionally. Remove from the refrigerator 15 minutes before roasting.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees. Roast the tenderloin until an instant-read thermometer inserted into the center of the meat registers 145 degrees, about 20 minutes, depending on the thickness. Let rest for about 10 minutes, then cut into 1/4-inch slices.

While the pork is roasting, prepare the soup. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a pot over medium heat. Add the garlic, ginger and crushed red pepper and saute until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the chicken stock, white scallions, soy sauce, mirin and hot sauce. Bring to a boil and simmer, partially covered, over medium-low heat for about 20 minutes. Add the mushrooms and continue to simmer until soft, 6 to 8 minutes more.

While the soup is simmering, steam the spinach until wilted. Squeeze any excess liquid from the spinach and set aside.

In a separate pot, cook the ramen noodles according to the package instructions. Drain, then divide the noodles among four serving bowls.

Ladle the soup into the bowls, just covering the noodles. Arrange the pork and spinach over the noodles. Drizzle with any collected juices from the meat. Top with more broth as desired. Add eggs around dish, if using. Garnish with the green scallions and sesame seeds. Serve with chili sauce.

Lynda Balslev is a San Francisco Bay Area cookbook author, food and travel writer and recipe developer. Learn more at TasteFoodBlog.com.

© Lynda Balslev, distributed by Andrews McMeel Syndication