Chilled Spicy Pork Ramen
This chilled spicy pork ramen is inspired by David Chang's Momofuku restaurant. Spicy and cool — an interesting yet tantalizing dish!
Servings: 4
Ingredients
For the spicy chili oil
- 1 tablespoon sichuan peppercorns
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 3 tablespoons sesame oil
For the spinach mint pesto
- 2 cups (60 g) baby spinach leaves
- Handful fresh mint leaves
- ½ cup (118 ml) olive oil
For the candied cashews
- ½ cup (65 g) cashews
- ¼ cup (50 g) granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons water
For the pork and ramen
- 1 pound (454 g) ground pork
- 20 ounces (567 g) fresh ramen (see notes)
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix together the ingredients for the spicy chili oil and set aside.1 tablespoon sichuan peppercorns, 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes, 3 tablespoons sesame oil
- In a small food processor, process the spinach mint pesto until desired consistency. Set aside.2 cups baby spinach leaves, Handful fresh mint leaves, ½ cup olive oil
- For the candied cashews, put cashews, sugar and water into a saucepan over medium heat until the sugar dissolves. Once that happens, continue cooking and stirring occasionally for about 15 minutes or until the sugar crystallizes. It's okay if the cashews look weird together with the sugar.1/2 cup cashews, 1/4 cup granulated sugar, 2 tablespoons water
- Line baking sheet with aluminum foil (or if you don't like to use foil for baking, parchment paper or a silicone baking mat works too) and preheat your oven to 350 °F (177 °C). Pour cashews into an even layer on the baking sheet then bake for 10-15 minutes. Watch them carefully every 5 minutes to ensure they don't burn. Everyone's oven is different so the time it took me to candy my cashews may not be the same as yours. Keep an eye on it!
- Bring a large pot of water to boil. In the meantime, in a medium skillet, add chili oil you made earlier and turn heat up to medium-high. Once heated, add pork and break into smaller pieces with your spatula or wooden spoon or whatever cooking utensil you use. Remove cooked pork and put in a bowl and set aside.1 pound ground pork
- Once water has boiled, cook ramen according to the directions on the package. Drain then toss with pesto.20 ounces fresh ramen
- To assemble dish: in large bowls, evenly divide spinach mint pesto ramen. Top with pork then cashews. You can then choose to cover and put in the refrigerator to chill or eat them room temperature!
Notes
I used this ramen brand called Sun Noodle and got it at my local Wegmans. It's the freshest as it can be and apparently this is actually what David Chang uses at Momofuku for this pork dish. Don't quote me on it but it was shockingly similar when I made it at home myself.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 serving | Calories: 801 kcal | Carbohydrates: 31 g | Protein: 13 g | Fat: 52 g | Fiber: 1 g | Sugar: 13 g
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